Influence of Picot detected

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 6

Influence of Picot detected

By

DEBORAH MCPHERSON

A report to the Government on early childhood care and education seemed to be modelled on the Picot report, said a spokeswoman for Christchurch childcare centres last evening. “It seems to be modelled on the Picot report for schools, but they have tried to translate it for early childhood care,” said the chairwoman of the New Zealand Licensed Childcare Centres Federation, Mrs Helen Andrews, last evening. Mrs Andrews flew to Wellington yesterday for the release of the report. The report seemed to be good news for people working in early childhood care, but it was still too

early to tell what its “practical realities” would be, said Mrs Andrews. It seemed to be trying to even out the differences between kindergartens, which were 100 per cent funded by the Government, and childcare centres, which were only 40 per cent funded, she said. One idea put forward by the report, which mirrored the Picot report recommendations, was that more parent councils and boards be set up to oversee childcare centres. That seemed likely to exasperate parents, said Mrs Andrews. “One mother I talked to commented that since she had one child in childcare, one at primary school and another at secondary school, did that mean she would be expected to be on three different educational boards?” said Mrs Andrews.