Fees up, quality down according to new ECE survey

Fees up, quality down according to new ECE survey- Publication date: 22 October 2010

A new survey report on 199 early childhood services ‘Looking ahead - ECE changes in 2011' shows parent fees will rise and quality will likely decrease under next year's early childhood funding regime says NZCA Chief Executive Nancy Bell, with over 90% of respondents expecting no positive outcomes from the funding changes.

Conducted by NZ Childcare Association over the last months, members of the Association were surveyed on the expected outcomes of the funding changes. "The survey paints a troubling picture of confidence in the early childhood sector. Centres are excepting a large shortfall from the reduction of funding with over 70% of respondents forced to pass some of the shortfall onto parents. Services are looking at fee increases of between $10 and $50 per week, a significant amount for parents with children in full-time care."

"The amount of lost funding varies up to $100,000 per year, with most services expecting to lose between $20,000 and $50,000 the equivalent to a teacher's salary. One of our concerns is the impact on quality with ratios, professional development and the amount of qualified teachers on the line. Our members remain committed to 100% qualified teachers, but don't know how they will retain them under the new funding model. The centres that have worked hard to achieve 100% are now disadvantaged. Qualified teachers are a key component of quality early childhood and every child should have access to them."

The survey suggests the funding changes will affect patterns of enrolment. "Over 60% of respondents to the survey are expecting participation to decrease, we expect the number of child hours will drop, with many families accessing 20 hours ECE only. Only 1.7% of respondents expected participation to increase after next years funding reduction, given that parent fees are increasing, this is hardly surprising."

"We hope the government and the recently announced taskforce will have a long look at our survey results and recommend a sustainable funding model which supports the delivery of high quality early childhood education."

You can download the full report here ‘Looking ahead - ECE changes in 2011'.

ENDS

For further information contact Simon Horrocks on 04 471 6811

Additional reading

Unicef press statement on the state of New Zealand's ECE system

Families Commission report 'Healthy families, young minds and developing brains: Enabling all children to reach their potential'

Ministry of Education report 'Outcomes of early childhood education: Literature review'