Education, Careers & Professional News
Free Education Extension Welcomed
Private early childhood educators are pleased that Labour plans to extend its free education policy to private centres, but say the party should not have discriminated against them in the first place.
Labour yesterday back flipped on a plan to offer 20 hours a week of free education only to children aged three and four who attend teacher-led community-based centres - a plan that would have seen private providers miss out.
The back down will double the cost of the policy.
Tui Children`s Learning Centre teacher Jocelyn Dixon said yesterday that Labour`s original plan would have made the retention of staff and children more difficult.
“We were looking at losing a lot of clients - purely on the basis of finances.
“I`m not surprised (by Labour`s backflip). I think they realised their mistake and have quickly rectified that.”
Palmerston North`s Five 2 Five Childcare centre owner Pam Zajonskowski said the change will give parents a choice of childhood education providers.
Milson Head Start manager Johanna Korent said Labour`s change of policy, four weeks out from an election, is ironic.
Ms Korent, who manages two other early childhood education centres in Levin, said she wants to see a more innovative policy.
“All they`ve managed to do is equalise things. I think they basically did the obvious.
“We knew, in election year, it wouldn`t be left like that - it just couldn`t be.”
Early Childhood Education Council chief executive Sue Thorne said the announcement redresses an inequity that would have given free early childhood education to millionaires in some parts of New Zealand and nothing to “battlers” in others.
The council represents 850 education and care centres nationwide.
The National Party has promised tax breaks for all types of childcare for pre-school children of working parents.
National education spokesman Bill English said he predicted that Labour would have to change its policy.
“Treating all centres on the same basis is better than the silly policy they had. But we believe parents are still better off with our package, because they have more choices.” He said Labour`s change of heart was cynical.
“This policy depends on overtaxing everybody and recycling the cash to buy the support of another small selected group,” he said.
“It`s another lolly in the scramble.”
Prime Minister Helen Clark said the expansion is possible because of stronger-than-expected government accounts.
Although the change does not include play centres, Miss Clark said Labour will review their funding assistance.
The teachers` union, NZEI, which defended Labour`s previous policy, said it supports the new policy. But it wants to see an extension of the commitment to quality education, national president Colin Tarr said