Pre-school funding target $250 million

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 6

Pre-school funding target $250 million

By

GLEN PERKINSON

in Wellington

As much as $250 million will be needed to ensure adequate care and education for New Zealand’s pre-schoolers, a report to the Government says.

The Minister of Education, Mr Lange, said yesterday the Government would study the recommendations of the early childhood care and education working group. The group told the Government yesterday that a 155 per cent increase in funding would be needed for a revamped care and education system for preschoolers. It said services now were not working. Part of the extra funding would go to pay people who cared for children at home and were not in the workforce. Parents forced to work would also be recompensed for the costs of having their children minded. Mr Lange could give no commitment that all the money demanded by the working party would be approved. But he guaranteed the •Government would spend much more on looking after and teaching preschoolers. About $9B million is spent now on care and educational facilities for young children.

The report of the party, which was headed by Dr Anne Meade, of the Prime Minister’s Department, advocated a complete revamp of pre-school care and education. All the services providing childhood care — home-based care-givers, the New Zealand Free Kindergarten, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation, voluntary playcentres, Te Kohanga Reo, Pacific Island language nests, private fee-charging kindergartens, the Education Department’s preschool classes, Correspondence School and local authority daycare schemes, childcare centres and creches — will be overseen by an early childhood development unit and centrally funded. The report said the existing 2700 facilities were “unplanned” and relied on community initiative. The diversity of facilities was mirrored in their organisation and funding from more than 20 different sources. The majority of Gov-

ernment funding went to kindergartens. The report advocated the establishment of a “bulk” fund. This would be administered by the Education Department and the recommended Early Childhood Development Unit. The existing services would be allowed to continue but would have to meet guidelines and standards to qualify for a licence and funding. They would be administered by boards of trustees which should be dominated by parents.

The development unit would provide advisory services, training for caregivers and develop a curriculum for the teaching of pre-schoolers. A Parent Advocacy council would be established for parents to take their concerns to about the workings of a centre or service. The Government was called upon to purchase buildings and equipment. Subsidies for low income earners would re-

main but the eligibility criteria widened. Mr Lange said the Government had made a commitment on early childhood care and there “will be no backsliding on that.” He called on interested parties to make submissions on the group’s report. After a month of investigation of the report and submissions a policy statement would be made.

The new policies will come into effect next October, but the group has called on the Government to boost funding in the interim as a stop-gap measure. The new policies are also expected to include education on parenting in today’s society. The report advocated payment for women who were forced to leave the work force to care for their children or who had their children cared for.

Fees for attending private kindergartens, language nests and other preschool facilities will be funded from next year.