Early learning and care in the heart of Halifax.
A Tiny Lab for Early Learning provides play-based care for children between the ages of 18 months to 5 years.
This is a place to create, to explore, to wonder, to ask questions, to seek answers, to grow, to learn, to laugh, to cry, to experiment, to get messy, to sing, to shout, to problem solve, to take risks and to be whoever you want to be.
What we offer
Since 2014, A Tiny Lab has provided a a welcoming, supportive, engaging and respectful environment for children and families.
Our approach is rooted in best practice, anti-bias education, and play-based learning. We support children in their growth and development in a positive and inclusive environment and work to foster strong, open and respectful relationships with families and colleagues.
A Tiny Lab has 4 classrooms and a maximum enrollment of 84 children. We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. We offer healthy, homemade, plant-based snacks and lunches.
Play forms the basis of everything that we do during our day together. Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise, and imagine. When children play together, they create social groups, test out ideas, challenge each other’s thinking, and build new understandings of themselves and the world around them.
READY?
SET
GO!
Enrolment
Intake Process
A Tiny Lab does its best to match our available spaces with families in need, while offering priority to families with children currently enrolled at the centre, employee's children and families living in the neighbourhood.
Spaces not filled by current families are posted on our Instragram page, along with information on start dates and how to apply.
For people not using Instagram, our full Instagram feed, including any postings about available spaces, is always available on our webpage (see below).
We do not have full-time office administration and are not able to respond to phone or email enquiries.
Fees
A Tiny Lab is a licensed child care centre and participates in the Nova Scotia-Canada Early Learning and Child Care fee reduction program. For more information on this initiative, please visit childcarenovascotia.ca.
Depending on a household income, some families may qualify for additional fee reductions under the Nova Scotia Child Care Subsidy program.
What about a waitlist?
A Tiny Lab no longer maintains an active waitlist.
Unfortunately, in the current child care environment, the waitlist was growing far too long (500+ !), and there was no way to provide any reasonable assurance to families about when spaces would be available.
Waitlists create an expectation that doesn't reflect the reality of demand and limited availability. With the reduction of fees for families, we are also now seeing far fewer families choosing the school-based pre-primary program for their 4-year olds. This means fewer openings with the centre as a whole.
We understand the frustration of families trying to find and confirm quality child care for their children. The waitlist, however, was no longer helpful for families looking to secure care and was costly and difficult to administer. While our current approach is not perfect, it will clearly communicate actual availability.