Kindergartens opt into 20 free hours

November 1.

Kindergartens opt into 20 free hours - one hundred percent

From today (November 1) 100% of kindergartens in New Zealand are offering three and four year olds the Government's 20 Hours Free Early Childhood Education.

Jeremy Neild, President of New Zealand Kindergartens Inc, said '20 hours free' has proved popular with parents during its first three months, with over 95% of kindergarten parents accessing the funding.

"The 20 hours free funding has reduced kindergartens' reliance on parent contributions and fundraising, and has helped many parents to access quality education for their pre-schoolers," he said.

Mr Neild said kindergartens are key players in the delivery of early childhood education: "There are around 45,000 children enrolled in kindergartens, that's over one third of all three year olds, just on half of all four year olds and includes 43% of Maori four year olds."

New Zealand Kindergartens Inc is working with the Ministry of Education to fine tune the policy, especially the low funding rate for sessional kindergartens.

ENDS

© Scoop Media