Nova Scotia to build centralized daycare waitlist and child-care portal

Nova Scotia is developing a new online childcare portal that will eventually include a centralized daycare waitlist, provincial officials said Wednesday. The province says the system, called Child Care Connect, is expected to launch in 2027. A centralized waitlist will follow in 2028, with the goal of making it easier for families to see available childcare options in one place instead of contacting multiple providers separately. Education officials also said the portal will let childcare operators submit documents and certifications through the same system, replacing the current reporting process. The province has set aside $8.2 million for the project, which is still in the contracting stage. Childcare advocates and some opposition politicians welcomed the plan but said it should have been introduced earlier and that execution will be important, especially given broader concerns about access and transparency in provincial waitlist systems.