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Truro Colchester Welcome Network

Resources for Families with Children

Financial Resources

Raising children can be expensive. The governments of Canada and Nova Scotia have programs to ease this burden. Some are for all families. Others are only for those with low incomes.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers the following programs:

  • The Canada Child Benefit (CCB). This is a tax-free monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age.
  • Nova Scotia Child Benefit. This is a tax-free monthly payment to help lower-income families with the cost of raising children.
  • GST/HST credit. This payment is made 4 times a year to individuals and families with lower incomes. It is meant to return some of the harmonized sales tax (HST) Nova Scotians pay when they buy goods and services in the province.
  • Nova Scotia affordable living tax credit. This is also a payment meant to return some of the HST Nova Scotians pay when they buy goods and services in the province. It too is tax-free.

To find out more, visit Canada.ca

Family Resources

Whether you are planning for a family or already have one, it helps to have help. Maggie’s Place Family Resource Centre offers free programs and services to families in Truro and Colchester County. If you are pregnant or have children 18 years old or younger, they have a program for you. This is some of what they offer:

  • prenatal programs
  • home visits for families with children 18 and younger
  • choosing a car seat or booster seat and helping to install it
  • providing free car seats to parents who can not afford them

To find out more, visit maggiesplace.ca

Child Care

Most parents have to return to work before their children can begin to go to school. Luckily, there are many child care options in Truro and Colchester County. Some centres accept newborns. Some accept children as young as 3 months. But most centres wait until children are at least 18 months old.

These are some of the child care options you will find in Truro and Colchester County:

  • publicly funded child care centres
  • privately-run daycares
  • in-home care for infants and toddlers
  • unlicensed care where your child is cared for in your home or someone else’s
  • after-school care for school-aged children

Many daycares offer after-school care and flexible hours. This lets you drop your children off early or pick them up late if you need to.

TIP: There may be a waitlist for the centre you want for your child. Start looking for childcare early.

To find out more, visit ednet.ns.ca. Click on “Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC). Then choose “Child Care / Information for Families”.