New child care spaces coming to Glace Bay in 2026

New Dawn Enterprises is thrilled to be adding 49 new child care spaces to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality with support from the provincial government.

New Dawn has received $1.35 million as part of the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to provide inclusive, enriching care for families in Glace Bay.

The New Dawn Child Care Centre will be a licensed full-day program offering spaces for infants, toddlers, and pre-school aged children. It will employ nine full-time Early Childhood Educators and one cook.

“Our aim is to help as many families as we can with access to child care in a diverse, inclusive centre where all are welcome,” said New Dawn’s Director of Properties and Development, Alyce MacLean.

“We will strive to provide an enriching, natural environment with well-trained, empathetic early childhood educators that will give the children in our care self-reliance and a positive sense of self.”

Through its engagement with local residents, community organizations and child care providers, New Dawn identified a strong need for additional full-time child care in Glace Bay. The New Dawn Child Care Centre will alleviate some of the immense pressure parents are facing today and will foster a safe and supportive environment for youth and their families to learn and grow.

New Dawn is committed to, and has been continually recognized for, providing the highest standard of service and care across its ventures, which include work in affordable housing, food security, community health, arts and community, and immigration. New Dawn Homecare is the only accredited home care in Cape Breton and Pine Tree Park Care Home is the only accredited care home on the island – both are accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada; New Dawn’s Eltuek Arts Centre is the only building in Cape Breton to achieve Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification and was recognized with the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Architecture in 2022; and New Dawn Enterprises has received multiple awards locally for its social impact and business excellence.

The Child Care Centre will be located in the Glace Bay Youth and Family Centre, set to open in 2026. New Dawn will bring the same level of quality and care to that building, creating an accessible, inclusive, environmentally sustainable facility for families, children, youth, seniors, and community organizations to enjoy and deliver a range of programming and activities. 

The New Dawn Child Care Centre is one of a growing number of New Dawn projects aimed at supporting youth in the CBRM, including the Abbey Ridge supportive living program, settlement services for international students and other newcomers through the Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration, and partnerships with organizations such as Community CARES Youth Outreach and Pathways to Employment. The New Dawn Centre was recently selected to host one of seven new Integrated Youth Services sites in the province – a project that will provide easier access to mental health and addictions services and related supports for youth and their caregivers.

Read the Province of Nova Scotia’s press release here.

Read more about the Glace Bay Youth and Family Centre here.