Tracey Martin MP

Education Spokesperson
25 May 2012
Freeze On Early Childhood Education Short-Sighted

New Zealand First is calling for the Government to reconsider its short-sighted decision to freeze early childhood education funding.

Education spokesperson Tracey Martin says the funding freeze announced in yesterday’s Budget spells creeping financial pain for parents.

“The Government has clearly said parents will have to pay more as the cost of delivering early childhood education spirals upwards.

“It shouldn’t be using the world economic crisis as an excuse to push the cost of funding for pre-schoolers education on to families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

“National has also quietly ditched plans announced in 2009 to remove the six-hour daily limit for child care.”

Ms Martin says the freeze will see some children miss out on early childhood education forcing a parent to take longer off work to care for them.

“By forcing that on young families the Government is setting up our children to fail.”

ENDS

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