7. Early Childhood Services—Funding

7. LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister of Education: What recent decisions have been made about funding for early childhood services?

Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) : Yesterday Cabinet agreed to increased funding rates for early childhood education services, using funding set aside in a tagged contingency at Budget 2009. The funding will provide an inflation increase of 1.95 percent to funding rates and maintain the value of existing subsidies in line with pre-election commitments. The additional funding, over 4 years, is $27 million.

Louise Upston: What other changes has the Government made to increase the access to early childhood education services?

Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Yesterday Cabinet also agreed to the policy changes necessary to include 5-year-olds, kōhanga reo, and playcentres in the 20 hours early childhood education scheme from July 2010, and to remove the 6-hour daily limit from 2011. These changes give parents more flexibility about how to use their 20 hours, and acknowledge the quality care and education that whānau-led and parent-led early childhood education services provide.

Sue Moroney: Has the Minister forgotten about her other recent decisions about funding early childhood education services, where she axed planned improved staff-child ratios, put a stop to centres of innovation, and canned the ECE Advisory Training/Education Fund and other professional development programmes all aimed at ensuring the quality of our early childhood education services?

Hon ANNE TOLLEY: At a time of economic recession, which that party seems to have forgotten about, tough decisions have to be made and expenditure redirected into priority areas. In early childhood education, actually this Governments priority is increased participation amongst the target groups. I know that that is anathema to the party opposite, which while in Government had millions of dollars to spray around, but this Government believes that increasing participation amongst Māori, Pasifika, and children from low socio-economic areas, who are the least likely to get it now, is a top priority. That is where we are directing our funds.

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• Anne Tolley
• Sue Moroney
• Louise Upston