The provincial government of New Brunswick has designated 3,600 new infant and preschool child-care spaces to help families across the province.
This includes an additional 200 spaces due to recent spending by the province.
Initially, the province committed to creating 3,400 spaces by March 2026 with support from the federal Canada-New Brunswick Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Between September 2021 and March 2023, 791 new child-care spaces were created.
Calls for proposals in January and December 2023 resulted in 2,809 additional spaces, mostly funded by the federal government.
Currently, 2,031 of these spaces are open, with the rest expected to be available by March 31, 2026.
Spaces currently available
Anglophone:
- 240 infant spaces
- 622 preschool spaces
Francophone:
- 89 infant spaces
- 289 preschool spaces
Spaces still being developed
Anglophone:
- 240 infant spaces
- 867 preschool spaces
Francophone:
- 117 infant spaces
- 345 preschool spaces
More information can be found in the provinces spaces allocated table.
Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson explained these spaces will be provided in areas with the highest need.
She stated that they aim to enhance the affordability and accessibility of child care.
Johnson also highlighted the province’s efforts to attract and retain early childhood educators through various support programs, such as tuition reimbursement and a micro-credentialing initiative.
The provincial government is encouraging families to register with Child Care Connect NB to identify where more spaces are needed.
