More child-care spaces are on the way for families in Pictou County.
The Province is providing $3.1 million to the Plymouth Community and Recreation Association to support a major expansion at the Plymouth Community Centre. The work will add 58 early learning spaces, including 16 dedicated to infants.
Premier Tim Houston says the investment will help meet local needs while building on the centre’s long history of serving young people and families. Originally built as a school in 1865, the building was converted into a community centre in the 1970s.
Renovations will allow the centre to continue offering community gathering and recreation space alongside the new child-care services.
The new child-care centre is expected to open in February 2026.
Janet MacDonald, Chair of the Plymouth Community and Recreation Association board, says the project is a “game-changer” for rural families, offering affordable and accessible child care in a central location.
Mary Ellen Makhlouf with the Pictou County Partnership says the initiative will also address workforce development challenges, empowering families and supporting employment in the region.
Since 2021, the province has created nearly 7,000 new child-care spaces across Nova Scotia and recently signed a five-year extension to its federal child-care agreements, worth more than $1 billion.