Bill 202: Child Care Organization and Waitlist Act

This bill directly affects anyone running a licensed child care centre or daycare in Nova Scotia, from solo home-based operators to larger multi-room facilities. Day-to-day, operators will no longer manage their own waitlists — they must plug into a province-wide electronic system and offer available spots according to standardized priority criteria set by the Organization, not their own judgment or relationships. Participation in the centralized system becomes a condition of keeping their operating licence, so non-compliance could put their entire business at risk. Operators who currently maintain private waitlists or fill spots through informal relationships with families will need to change how they handle enrollment completely.