Budget gains for early childhood knocked by minister's 'anti-private-sector bias'

Last month's Budget funding increases for early childhood education were negated by moves in the budget from the Minister of Education to disadvantage the private sector, says the Early Childhood Council (ECC).

Budget announcements included increased early childhood education funding by $365 million over the next four years, an increase in the childcare subsidy rate and plans to give some children 20 hours free early childhood education per week from 2007, but only if they attended community-based centres.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard described the free early childhood education and significant new funding as a landmark package. The package will implement a comprehensive plan for early childhood education that will be completed by 2012.

"Our government is firmly committed to giving all young New Zealanders the opportunity to have the best possible start in education and to develop a lifetime love for learning. Research tells us that intensive and regular early childhood education is critical to ensuring our kids do well later in life," Mr Mallard said.

The 20-hour component of the plan received much publicity around the country with newspapers, television and radio running comments from community leaders, centre owners and industry insiders concerned at the negative impact the plan was likely to have. Many Labour MPs have reportedly faced strong questioning from local constituents over the plan.

As a representative of both community-based and private enterprise centres, ECC chief executive Sue Thorne was in demand for media comment, with appearances on Morning Report, TV1, TV3 and in a number of North and South Island newspapers.

Mrs Thorne's message was that the Budget's positive moves to increase investment in the sector and the childcare subsidy rates were overshadowed by the blatantly anti-private-sector bias of the free funding to community-based centres.

"In increasing the subsidy, the government has made absolutely no differentiation between whether children attend privately-owned or community-run centres, but you have to question the fairness of a child with fairly wealthy parents receiving more taxpayer funding than one from a poor family, based purely on a family decision to choose a particular childhood centre," she told National Radio's Morning Report show.

Government funding should be based a family's circumstances and the quality of the education and care that their child receives.

Education Forum policy advisor Norman LaRocque said the early childhood education's private sector had blossomed in the past few years as parents flocked to all-day care and education centres, but the minister's actions were, in effect, telling parents with children at private centres that they had made the wrong choice.

"The announcement is not unexpected from a minister who continually makes policy from an anti-private-sector bias rather than considering the national good, but when will he learn that his plans are holding back a sector that has built a strong following through meeting the needs of everyday working parents," Mr LaRocque said.

National education spokesman Bill English described the 20-hour 'free' funding plan as "stupid and discriminatory" and said Education Minister Trevor Mallard had been embarrassed by the public reaction to it.

Resources