Charlotte CampbellWhen my cousin dove into the world of parenthood, she turned to me for help finding a great childcare center for her energetic little one in Halifax.
She was looking for a place that offered more than just safety and care (although less glitter glue in the hair at pick-up was definitely a win).
Together, we set off on a mission to discover centers that made us wish we could be kids again. We found places bursting with activities such as science experiments and art projects that were genuinely fridge-worthy.
So, let’s take a look at some standout childcare centers in Halifax that really caught our eye. These places offer much more than just daycare—they’re gateways to little adventures for curious kids.
How much do you pay for childcare services in Halifax?
Childcare centers in Halifax charge between $868 and $957 per month. This cost can vary depending on the specific services offered and the child’s age.
For example, childcare with additional activities such as educational programs, field trips, and special enrichment classes can bring the total monthly cost to approximately $1,400.
Some centers also offer flexible plans to suit individual needs, allowing parents to choose part-time care or specific days, thus effectively managing their costs while ensuring high-quality care for their children.
How We Chose the Best Childcare Centers in Halifax
1. Care and Fun Childcare Limited
Address: 3581 Dutch Village Rd
Phone: +1 902-445-0881
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7:00 AM to 5:15 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – Closed
Care and Fun Childcare Limited employs the emergent curriculum, which emphasizes learning through play and exploration.
Children engage in a variety of activities, from music classes and finger painting to science experiments, all designed to spark their curiosity.
Their programs are thoughtfully crafted to cater to different age groups. Infants are immersed in a cozy and stimulating environment that promotes security and early development.
Toddlers are encouraged to socialize and embrace their growing independence, while preschoolers are prepared for the next step in their educational journey with pre-math skills and early writing exercises.
Several parents we talked to appreciate the daily updates they receive, keeping them in the loop about their child’s day.
However, one potential drawback to consider is that if you have an infant, the program is only available at the Main Avenue location. This could be inconvenient if it is not within a reasonable distance for you.
Loving and caring daycare
My both the kids love this daycare and their teachers. They are taking great care of kids and making them feel like family. I would give all this credit to Director Hoda, she is very helpful and nice and such her staff. They are maintaining all the requirements of the government standards to provide our kids one of the safest place while they are at daycare centre.
-Mital Patel, Google Review
Supportive and friendly team
Hoda and her team are fantastic! We took our son to Care and Fun for two years and the dedication and support that they give is amazing. The team there is very friendly and very well trained. I have an extremely picky eater and my son love the choices he had there. He loved his outside play. He wants to go back to see his friends including his teachers.
-Marlena Switzer, Google Review
2. Step Above Childcare Centre
Address: 650 Washmill Lake Dr
Phone: +1 902-495-3831
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – Closed
Step Above Childcare Centre’s approach to learning is all about embracing a child’s natural curiosity through hands-on discovery and independent exploration.
They’ve designed programs specifically with different age groups in mind: infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This way, activities are perfectly tailored to your child’s development stage.
Children get to dive into dramatic play, art, and nature and science explorations, which encourages them to express themselves and develop their imagination and cognitive skills. Not to mention, outdoor play is a daily ritual, weather permitting, of course!
The staff are something special. They focus on meaningful bonds with the kids. We appreciate how this creates a secure environment and keeps communication open with parents.
Just a heads-up: their comprehensive care—which includes nutritious meals prepared on-site—only runs from Monday to Friday. So, if you need childcare on the weekends, this center is not the best fit for you.
Exceptional educational daycare
Absolutely outstanding daycare! Steps Above and Beyond NOT A Step Above. This daycare combines well-equipped (CLEAN) facilities, competent staff, and value-driven management. We are extremely happy to have known this place. In fact, we moved to a nearby building so we can be close to it. For more than 4 years, this daycare has been a second home for both of my kids. Kids in this daycare are trained to develop creativity and motor skills. The dedicated staff are also keen on teaching them how to be independent and verbally expressive. The class levels are brilliantly designed based on different age groups, and the daily activities of each level are based on the children’s cognitive and physical abilities. The dietary plans are always fresh and balanced with a variety of items that the kids like. Today, we were invited to the graduation. I was happy to see my little man (who is going to Primary next year) growing up, and I know he will miss his teachers. Thank you, Mohammed, Adelia and Amanda, for all of the love and care. Way to go guys!
-Ali Mohammed, Google Review
Cherished daycare memories
I was incredibly lucky to be able to have my daughter attend this daycare, she absolutely loved it and was always sad to head home for the day. The people who work here are great and the atmosphere is very positive. I think the best thing I can say is the only reason we’re not still there is I moved to Dartmouth but still considered if it was possible to keep coming to this location every day. I have recommend Step Above Childcare in the past and would still do so to anyone looking.
-Jeff Lewis, Google Review
3. Halifax Developmental Centre for Early Learning
Address: 3115 Ralston Ave
Phone: +1 902-423-4702
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – Closed
Halifax Developmental Centre for Early Learning brings together kids from 18 months to 7 years old in an environment full of warmth and encouragement.
There’s so much for the little ones to explore in this center. They can dive into a discovery and science room, let their imagination run wild in creative play areas, or find joy in the soft playroom.
But the staff doesn’t just let the kids play all day; they have a structured toddler and preschool curriculum, such as Inclusion Support Programming, that caters to the individual needs of each child.
One parent shared with us how wonderful it is to see her child thriving, learning, and growing in so many ways with these activities.
The only hiccup is its popularity. With this inclusive and thoughtful approach, spots can fill up quickly, leading to waiting lists.
Inclusive and focused care
We LOVE this center. It’s family focus, and special needs inclusion is top of the line! You can’t ask for a better place where the friendly staff and management are there and focus on your kids needs right down to the finest detail! They take security of the center, the families who attend and of the kids very seriously and are always striving to do more. If I had the means I’d help them expand because every child I know could benefit from their exceptional care!
-Ravyn W., Google Review
Comprehensive and personalized attention
We’ve had two children go through HDCEL. I can’t emphasize enough how caring, responsible, thoughtful, and kind these folks are. They really get to know your kids. My son left for pre-primary with an incredible foundation of skills and most importantly a sense that his teachers were there to help him and support him on his best and worst days. My daughter is thriving there and excited to go each day.
-Jane Stecyk, Google Review
4. It Takes A Village Daycare Society
Address: 480 Parkland Dr
Phone: +1 902-405-8336
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – Closed
It Takes A Village Daycare Society offers a curriculum packed with quality and care, creating supportive and inclusive environments for every child.
Their play-based approach taps into kids’ curiosity and helps build their skills and confidence while aligning perfectly with Nova Scotia’s Early Learning Curriculum.
They watch the kids at play and then tailor activities to help them grow more. The classrooms are also set up thoughtfully for different age groups—infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
We find it impressive that the infant rooms come with sensory explorations, and the toddler rooms filled with open-ended activities are perfect for boosting development at every stage.
This center really takes pride in keeping the place spotless and baby-friendly, which is super important.
But keep in mind that if you’re big on early digital literacy, you might find their tech use a bit limited. They are all about promoting in-person interaction and natural skill development, so digital tools aren’t really a focus here.
Immediate comfort and diligent communication
It Takes a Village Daycare has been wonderful for my daughter. It was her first time being away from home, but the staff made her feel comfortable and helped her settle in quickly. They always kept me updated with photos and videos, which I truly appreciated. Highly recommend this daycare for their care and dedication!
-Mahy Salama, Google Review
Engaging activities with a personal touch
We started with daycare just couple of months however extremely happy with their kind approach to children and professional approach to parents. Children are always busy and entertained with different activities and location. Even though our toddler has his funny moody features of the character he is always treated with love and understanding. I love the app and daily pictures report. Makes me melt seeing my kid happy while I’m at work. Any concern or request you can file via daycare application to teachers or directly to Director of the school. They take it serious and respond very quick. This is not our first experience with daycare in the Nova Scotia, and we are very much satisfied here.
-Oksana Rudenko, Google Review
5. Kids R Kids Early Learning Centre
Address: 18 Oland Crescent
Phone: +1 902-450-5437
Business hours:
- Monday to Friday – 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – Closed
Kids R Kids Early Learning Centre has been nurturing young minds for over 28 years with a curriculum focused on cultivating “Capable, Confident, and Curious” children.
The center is dynamic and inviting, featuring six well-equipped classrooms and two playgrounds where fun and learning go hand in hand.
Nutrition is also a priority here. They provide a menu of nutritious and delicious snacks and lunches to keep the kids energized throughout the day.
You can get a sense of their vibrant community through their active Instagram and Facebook pages. We love how they make it easy for parents to stay connected and see what’s happening daily.
Plus, they’re transparent about policies and costs, ensuring that parents are well-informed.
One thing to keep in mind is their popularity—they are currently at full capacity but maintain a waiting list. They’ve implemented a “Star System” for the waitlist, where staying in touch with them can boost your chances of securing a spot.
Caring, communicative, and fun-filled
LOVE Kids R Kids. My 1 year old son is in their infant room, Tangible. From day 1 the experience with Heather, Hope and their team have been great. My little guy is happy to arrive and sad to leave and has so much fun with his care givers and friends. He loves and eats all of his meals and plays all kinds of fun and new activities while getting a ton of outside play, too. I find their team to be very caring, experienced, responsive, communicative, and organized. Their outdoor space for the kids is by far the best out of the 10 day cares I toured and I love all the natural light in the play rooms. For tech savvy parents, you’ll enjoy their app which sends you daily updates, pictures and is a quick and easy way to communicate directly with the team. 5 out of 5 stars.
-Tonya Darlington, Google Review
Consistently excellent and innovative care
Congrats on 25 years!!! This amazing childcare center cared for both my boys from the age of 1 until they reached school age and we could not have asked for a better experience. The staff are incredible and the focus on staying on top the most current early childhood education techniques showed they go above and beyond for your child. My boys climbed trees, played in puddles, tenderly cared for baby dolls, played chef, made endless crafts, learned wonderful songs, ate delicious healthy meals, and enjoyed all that Mt. Fred had to offer in every season (sledding in winter and rolling down in summer). I highly recommend Kids R Kids to anyone looking for the highest quality childcare this city has to offer.
-Bronwen Davis, Google Review
