Funding helps more children into early education
Funding of $6.6 million will create an extra 308 places for children at new and expanding early childhood education
centres and will also help cover the planning costs for another 41 services, Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced
today.
"This funding reflects our government's commitment to make quality early childhood education more accessible and
affordable for all New Zealand families. The funding comes from the first round of the annual $12.8 million
Discretionary Grants Scheme which provides planning and capital assistance to community-based groups and early childhood
education centres in areas of need.
“This funding will provide an additional 308 places for children of families seeking to access early childhood education
through new centres or the expansion of existing centres. It will also help fund the planning stages for a further 41
new centres or expansions.
“The Discretionary Grants Scheme increases participation in quality early childhood services, especially amongst
children from low socio-economic, rural and isolated communities. Since 2000 government has invested $64 million on
approximately 4,300 new early childhood places through this important scheme,” Trevor Mallard said. “Labour is strongly
committed to driving up the quality of early childhood education because research tells us that early childhood
education involving qualified teachers makes a significant difference to the way children develop and achieve later in
their lives."
Trevor Mallard made the announcement at Greenlane National Women's Hospital Creche, which is to receive $1.06 million
from the scheme, to relocate and build a brand new centre, catering for an extra 25 children on top of the existing 50
places.
"I’m pleased we have been able to help because this creche serves a wide community geographically. It also caters well
for the very different needs of working parents as it is able to provide extended hours of early childhood education for
their under-fives.
"Low quality and unregistered childminding and babysitting will be rewarded under National's policy, whereas Labour's
commitment - in stark contrast – will continue to raise the quality and affordability of early childhood education for
all New Zealand parents and families.
"National's miserly tax rebates will lead to more untrained staff looking after our under-fives because Dr Brash sees
children purely as a deductible business expense," Trevor Mallard said.