Education policy Q&A: Preschool promises

After question and answer sessions with Education Minister Trevor Mallard, National spokesman Bill English and NZ First spokesman Brian Donnelly held by the Herald, Labour effectively doubled its election promise of an extra 20 hours of preschool education each week. The policy had applied only to community-owned centres but on Monday Labour announced it would cover private centres too.

We went back to the three education spokesmen to ask them about the revised policy and how it compared to National's promise of tax rebates on childcare of up to $1650 a child.

1. Why has Labour changed its mind and decided it will now pay for preschool education at private centres?

* TREVOR MALLARD: The expansion to more teacher-led early childhood education services than originally planned was possible due to the stronger than expected government accounts which came to light recently - and well after the May budget. This is part of ongoing improvements we are making as government finances allow. Kindergartens have traditionally been free, the next step was to include community-owned centres, and now all licensed, teacher-led centres will be included.

* BILL ENGLISH: Labour underestimated just how much importance parents place on their right to choose the type and style of childcare to suit their personal circumstances. Mallard thought he could dictate to parents what type of childcare arrangements they should choose, but he was totally out of step with mainstream New Zealanders. This astonishing u-turn won't alter Labour's ideological and policy bias against private centres.

* BRIAN DONNELLY: After steadfastly refusing to include private centres in the free 20 hours policy, Labour has inexplicably flip-flopped. This radical change of position is motivated largely by pork-barrel political considerations. However, it also indicates that the Government realises it lacks the capacity to meet its targets and this move has to be seen against the need for private capital to expand capacity.

2. How will this affect families with 3- and 4-year-olds?

* TREVOR MALLARD: This policy nearly doubles the number of services where 3- and 4-year-olds will be able to access quality early childhood education and has been widely praised. Families, teachers and centres do recognise that Labour's plan to lift quality is a major gain for children. Children who receive a regular and high-quality early childhood education do much better in their education later on, than children who do not.

* BILL ENGLISH: Only about 26,000 children will benefit from this most recent policy shift. The tens of thousands of families that already access free or near-free care at a kindergarten or other centre won't notice much change. Thousands of families who send their children to centres which aren't supervised by a registered teacher, playcentres and kohanga reo, for example, will continue to miss out on free care because Labour doesn't approve of their childcare choice. Other families will find that this policy pushes up fees for their younger children and for care that exceeds 20 hours a week.

* BRIAN DONNELLY: Effectively, it will mean that families which need to make use of private childcare facilities to enable parents to work will pay less for those services. It will enhance the capacity for both parents to work or solo parents to do so.

3. How does Labour's revised policy compare with National's tax rebate on childcare?

* TREVOR MALLARD: Labour's policy will be worth about $90 a week or $4680 a year for Kiwi families, compared to National's tax rebates which will be worth a maximum of $1650 a year, received three to 15 months after payment, and will require people to hang on to receipts and fill out forms. Labour's policy also funds quality early childhood education - while under National, untrained people looking after kids in their backyards attract the rebate.

* BILL ENGLISH: National's childcare tax rebate of $1650 per child will afford families total flexibility in their childcare arrangements. It is available for all children, not just 3- and 4-year-olds, and it can be paid for all types of childcare. National has pledged to maintain all existing childcare subsidies so parents who already receive free or heavily subsidised childcare will continue to do so. National's policy will allow parents to use childcare of their choice, for the hours they want, when and where they want it. For many families 20 hours in a centre of the Government's choosing simply isn't enough and National's policy recognises that.

* BRIAN DONNELLY: It will save the compliance costs of filing for tax rebates. The actual amount of difference of money in the pocket from the two scenarios is negligible, with Labour's adapted policy providing relatively greater help to those on lower incomes.