4 August 2011 3.30pm.

Playcentre members around the country are delighted that Education Minister Anne Tolley has this afternoon confirmed her government will ensure that Playcentre and parent-led services do not have their funding cut as a result of the ECE Taskforce recommendations.

In a release this afternoon Mrs Tolley said "[The taskforce report] included recommendations for changes to funding and policy settings – but I want to make it absolutely clear that this will not result in any funding cuts to playcentres or parent-led ECE services."

Playcentre is a 70 year old early childhood education institution which was started in New Zealand and has attracted keen interest internationally. Playcentres are run by groups of trained parents who cooperatively provide education for their children in mixed age groups.

"This is great news" said Playcentre Federation Co-president Maureen Woodhams. "The Taskforce website has an exemplar funding model which suggested Playcentre funding would be cut by over 60%, and it's a great relief for the Minister to have clarified that this will not occur under this government."

"Worrying about funding has been a distraction for Playcentre members. Instead we want to work on ensuring that our strong parent and child education model can be extended to include more families around New Zealand."

The Playcentre Federation, member associations, and individual Playcentre members will be providing feedback on all the recommendations of the ECE Taskforce report. Consultation closes on Monday 8 August.

ENDS

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