Anne Tolley

4 August, 2011

Continuing support for Playcentre

Education Minister Anne Tolley says there is no risk to Playcentre funding, following the release of the independent ECE Taskforce report.

�The Government is investing $1.4 billion in early childhood education this year, and the Taskforce was established to review the effectiveness of ECE spending and to make recommendations on proposed improvements,� says Mrs Tolley.

�This included recommendations for changes to funding and policy settings � but I want to make it absolutely clear that this will not result in any funding cuts to playcentres or parent-led ECE services.

�It�s extremely disappointing that the Labour party has upset parents and children by making these suggestions.

�The Government values a diverse ECE sector, which includes services where parents choose not to have fully-qualified teachers.

�This is why we extended 20 Hours ECE to Playcentre and Kohanga Reo last year, something which the previous Government refused to do.

�We are committed to high-quality ECE, delivered by teacher and parent-led  services, and we are making sure the system works more effectively to benefit every single one of our youngest New Zealanders. At the moment, too many children are missing out.

�The Taskforce recommendations are out for consultation and I would encourage everyone to have their say before submissions close on Monday.�

Information about the consultation process and how to take part is available at:

http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/LeadHome/ManagementInformation/RecentAnnouncements/ConsultationECETaskforce