What has happened to our 20 Hours Free Early Childhood Education?

See below for an email from 20 Hours Free. A copy of the petition can be downloaded here.

Dear fellow Kiwi,

During the last election campaign, the Government announced that all three and four year old children in teacher-led centres would be eligible to receive 20 hours a week free early childhood education from July 1, 2007.

However, with July 1 fast approaching, the Government's delivery on this promise is going exactly the way they orchestrated it.

The Government's clever escape.

Within the next few months, all daycare centres, and public, private and community run sessional kindergartens should have made the decision as to whether to offer the 20 free hours.

But disturbingly, the Early Childhood Council estimates that nationally a mere 24% of privately and community run daycare centres and kindergartens may offer the 20 free hours (Auckland 12%, Wellington 29%, Christchurch 19% and Hamilton 22%).

The reality is that most centres (including some not-for-profit centres and all public kindergartens in greater Auckland) are unwilling to participate because the money from the Government is not enough to cover their costs. Nor are they allowed to charge top-up fees to parents. The fact is, some doctors charge more than others, why can't early childhood centres?

It is as if the Government has designed this scheme with a clever escape clause, to omit many New Zealand children from the free care, by providing a scheme few early childhood centres are willing and able to participate in.

It will not be possible for everyone to use the few centres who will be offering the 20 free hours. Therefore the promise that the Government made that all three to four year
olds would be eligible to receive 20 hours free education a week was simply not true.

$5,000 - $10,000 of your pre-tax earnings each year is at stake.

Many New Zealand families are already struggling and the 20 hours free early childhood education promised would equate to substantial savings. We estimate that
most families presently need to allocate between $5,000 -$10,000 per child of their pre-tax earnings to cover the cost of 20 hours a week in a private or community run
daycare or kindy. Families could use those earnings elsewhere if the Government
honoured its promise. In addition, families not currently in a financial position to offer their 3 or 4 year old early childhood education would be able to provide this to them if the fees were met by the Government.

We need your signature to get action.

With July 1 rapidly approaching, we need to put pressure on the Government to fulfil their pledge and either allocate more funding or allow top-up fees so that all centres are willing to participate.

We are aiming to get 5,000 signatures by 1 June 2007 to petition the Government to honour their word. We need your help now because every signature counts.

How four minutes can make years of difference to families.

Please print off the attached petition right now (if you don't have a printer, email this to a friend who does), sign it and post it back to 20 Hours Free. Please, Private Bag MBEMI07, Auckland 1142. Please note: to create a valid petition, emailed or faxed forms are not accepted; and forward this email on to your friends and family (don’t forget to attach the petition!). If you'd like to help further, print out this form and take it around people you know (people with or without children). We need as many people as possible to create a loud voice.

It will only take four minutes, but it will create a better future for your family now and others in the future. New Zealand is a great country where we as kiwis can make a difference. Please don't let apathy win, speak up by signing up.

If you'd like more detailed information or to voice your opinion, go to http://20hoursfree.blogspot.com/ or email us at 20hoursfree@gmail.com

Thank you for your time and your help.

20 Hours Free.