Subscribe to Archivestuff Have your say More than two thirds of three- and four-year-olds enrolled at teacher-led pre-schools will be covered by the Government's 20-hours free policy. Preschools opt out of free hours scheme Prime Minister Helen Clark has billed the policy, which began yesterday, as the biggest expansion of free education in 70 years, but critics say it does not cover centres' true costs and is riddled with administrative problems. The exact take-up of the policy has come under intense political scrutiny with the National Party predicting many centres would opt out due to the problems.
But the Education Ministry today released figures showing 62 per cent of centres covering 70 per cent of all enrolled three- and four-year-olds had opted in. Take up rates varied hugely across regions, with just 51 per cent of Auckland registered pre-schoolers initially covered. Clark said that "70 per cent from day one was a tremendous achievement".
"We've always been optimistic of good take-up and this is very good take-up," she told reporters. Clark said she expected the take-up to grow over time, particularly in areas with an initially low rate like Auckland. Since the take-up figures were collated on June 26, another 30 centres had already come forward to join and kohanga roes - about half of which were eligible - were currently considering whether to opt in.
Miss Clark said the policy was "visionary and historic" and paved the way for more children to enter quality early childhood education. "We firmly believe that cost should not stand in the way of providing access to early childhood education." The Education Ministry figures show the take-up was strongest in rural centres with fewer than 1000 people, where 85 per cent of eligible preschoolers were covered.
In major urban centres the figure was 68 per cent. The cost of the policy is estimated at $178 million in the coming year. Many centres, particularly in cities, have said the policy, which pays a rate based on the average national cost, will not cover their costs.
Under the scheme centres are not able to charge a compulsory top up on the 20 free hours and all additional fees for those hours must be optional. To get around the restrictions many centres are requiring parents to enrol their children for longer days, so they can get extra income by charging them for additional hours on top of the free ones. Critics have said the policy therefore should be labelled a subsidy rather than as free.
Education Ministry senior policy manager Karl Le Quesne said centres would be monitored to check they complied with the rules. Centres would be looked at individually if there was a complaint about fees. Parents at City Kids early childhood centre in Wellington, where Clark and Education Minister Steve Maharey launched the policy today, were positive.
Centre treasurer Ishani Noble, whose three-year-old son Aruman was at the centre for two days a week, said her fees would drop from $106 a week to $60. "That's almost $3000 a year so it's like a good pay rise." The policy did not cover all the centre's costs so it had extended the number of hours children were charged for, regardless of how many hours they actually spent at the centre.
The New Zealand Childcare Association today welcomed the start of the policy. "This is a significant milestone for children and families. For the first time in New Zealand, we have a government undertaking to provide free access to early childhood education," chief executive Nancy Bell said.
The Wellington Kindergarten Association also welcomed the policy. "Research tells us that children who access quality early childhood education enjoy a much better start in their education journey," association chairwoman Ann Hare said.
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