Parents in Otago to face increased ECE costs

new-zealand-labour-party

Fri Dec 03 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Parents in Otago to face increased ECE costs

Friday, 3 December 2010, 1:39 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

3 December2010

Media Statement

Parents in Otago to face increased ECE costs

Parents in Otago will face increased early childhood education costs of up to $40 per child per week because of National Government funding cuts, says Labour MP Clare Curran.

“Labour has conducted the largest survey of Early Childhood Education centres around the country and has found centres are increasing costs and reducing staff,” said Clare Curran.

The nationwide survey included 56 out of 64 ECE services in Otago and showed they were losing an average of $48,500 of funding per service. In response to the Government cuts, they were raising fees from $5 to $40 per week.

The survey showed that across New Zealand 89% of the services losing funding will increase fees in February and almost 49% will reduce qualified staff to cut costs.

“This is the worst time for families to face further cost increases.

“The Government cuts mean that parents pay more for getting less in terms of quality.”

59% of the services surveyed expected participation to drop as a flow-on effect of the cuts, with an alarming 81% expecting participation to drop in centres being used by low-to-average income families.

"The Minister of Education is busy trying to blame kindergartens and other services for the fee increases, but the truth is that her Government cut funding for children's education in May's budget and that is causing fee increases.

“National promised during the election to keep early childhood education subsidies, and now they have broken that promise and parents are paying the price, literally.

“Around the country thousands of parents have taken to the streets to march against these cuts and Labour is urging all parents opposed to increased fees and last week I received 20,000 postcards from people are calling for the cuts to be reversed.

“John Key needs to step in and stop the cuts from going ahead in February.”

ENDS

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