Cape Breton grandparent calling for expansion in before-and-after school programs

One Cape Breton grandparent says it's about time the Nova Scotia government expanded before-and-after school programs, and a provincial official says that's now in the works.

The Department of Education is surveying parents across the province to determine which schools should keep their programs and which need new ones.

Charlene Graham, a former teacher at Donkin Elementary School who now helps out with before-and-after school care for her grandchildren, said there's always been a need at the local school and she's hoping the province is ready to act.

"My kids went to school in rural areas because I lived there. I taught there. I'm now the grandparent of kids there. I'm involved in community things and I see the need and it hasn't gotten less over the last number of years," she said.

Graham said rural demographics are changing and fewer families have multiple generations around them to help with child care.

She said she and her husband were lucky their mothers lived nearby and could help out with their children.

Graham said from what she's seen, her daughter is not alone in needing before-and-after school care.

"I think it would be a big relief to have that option, because I have seen on our community pages people looking for child care because one parent is a nurse working 12 hours, one is a seasonal lobster fisherman and it's difficult to get a caregiver if it's not a family member," Graham said.

Pam AuCoin, the Department of Education's executive director of early learning and child care, said the province wants to grow the number of before-and-after school programs.

That's why it sent surveys out last week to parents in more than 90 elementary catchment areas.

"We definitely think there is demand out there," AuCoin said.

In the past, the province has occasionally sent out surveys to individual schools when it determined there might be a need.

This year, it's tackling the entire province, in part because it's a requirement under the $605-million Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement signed in 2021 with the federal government, AuCoin said.

"This process of doing a needs assessment isn't new," she said. "What's different this year is it's more co-ordinated and it's all happening at the same time."

AuCoin said it's also about making it easier for parents to stay in the workforce or do other things.

"There are lots of families who may not need before-and-after school care, whether they have their own arrangements or a parent is at home, but we do want to make sure for those families that need it, whether it's to be able to work or even if it's just to support their children being able to be with their peers during the day in a recreation-type environment, we want to make sure that families have choice."

The survey closes today at 4 p.m. and AuCoin said the province expects to notify parents of new school programs by July.