N.Z. play centres want Govt funding doubled

Press, 26 November 1987, Page 19

N.Z. play centres want Govt funding doubled

PA Hamilton New Zealand play centres want Government funding doubled to increase support for voluntary members. The New Zealand Playcentre Federation president, Clare Pascoe, said in Hamilton the federation wanted to provide play centres with a Government sessional grant for children enrolled at younger than 222y 2 years, more funding for play sessions, and extended Government-paid liaision and training grants.

Mrs Pascoe said the organisation and its 660 play centres received $3.5 million this year.

Speaking after the federation executive’s national meeting she said: “We’re a strong, voluntary organisation, keen and positive about the need for play centres and the organisation’s future, but small increases in the sessional grant, such as we have had, is not enough. “There must be a big injection of public funding to allow us to better help centres to help themselves and to provide back-up support for voluntary workers in our associations. “The Government money we receive provides not only play sessions for 23,000 children

(babies to school age), but also pays for a good par-enting-skills programme and parent-supervisor training,” she said.

Mrs Pascoe said the political climate favoured parent involvement in early childhood education and the benefit of that was appreciated by the public. But, in the meantime, the organisation’s work was suffering because many parents could no longer afford to put skills and experience gained from play centre involvement back into voluntary work for the movement, while others could be only involved for shorter periods.