4. SUE MORONEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What policy initiatives has she developed for early childhood education?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
As I announced in Budget 2010, funding of $91.8 million will be invested in participation projects in high-priority areas over the next 4 years. These will include intensive community-led participation projects like supported playgroups, language and culture projects, and targeted support for priority families. This is in addition to the Counties-Manukau participation project, which has placed hundreds of extra children into new early childhood education services. And there is more to come.
Is she proposing a group to undertake a full review of the value of investments in early childhood education?
I certainly am, particularly because of the huge growth in expenditure for early childhood education. That cost has skyrocketed over the last 5 years, without a commensurate increased participation by children in early childhood education, particularly in some areas of this country. We are certainly looking at the costs of early childhood education.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was very specific. I asked the Minister whether she was proposing a group to undertake a full review of the value of the investment in early childhood education, but she did not answer that very specific question.
Mr SPEAKERI thought she said there was an investigation of investment in education. I thought she confirmed to the member what she was asking. I might be wrong there, but that is what I thought I heard. The Minister is not disagreeing with me.
Colin KingThe Government’s top priority for early childhood education is to make sure that those children who are currently missing out and whom we know will benefit the most from attending, like the 25 percent of children in parts of Counties-Manukau, for example, get the opportunity to experience good-quality early childhood education. That is why we are spending almost $100 million on that initiative over the next 4 years.
Why have the group and its term of reference been planned in secret, without any consultation with the early childhood sector?
I can assure that member that there is no group. I have announced no group. This Government has not decided on a group.
Hon Heather RoyIs it Government policy that sessional kindergartens are to be phased out and replaced with full-day, licensed care, where the emphasis is on making a profit, as opposed to the child-centred, family-based ethos of kindergartens?
No, the Government has no such policy. But kindergarten associations make the decisions about which services they provide and how they are provided.
Hone HarawiraWhat initiatives has she developed to respond to the Education Review Office’s research earlier this year that revealed that only 40 percent of all centres had processes in place to identify and respond to the aspirations and expectations of the parents and whānau of Māori children?
That is an excellent question. I met just yesterday with a group representing about 45 iwi that have relationships with the Ministry of Education. Early childhood education is one of the five areas in which we are looking to work together to ensure that early childhood education services are culturally responsive. We are looking at how we can both provide—both iwi and the ministry—ways to work together to ensure that that happens.