KEY POINTS:
National says Labour is overstating the number of children who will benefit from the 20 free hours of early childhood education by making "guess-timates" and counting some twice.
Initial numbers of centres to sign up for the new policy showed 62 per cent of eligible centres had so far signed up to offer it to an estimated 65,147 children - 70 per cent of the 92,600 3 and 4-year-olds who were enrolled in childcare centres in July 2006.
National Party early childhood education spokeswoman Paula Bennett said the ministry was simply making "guess-timates" of the number of children and was counting any that split their 20 free hours between two centres twice.
Ministry of Education senior policy adviser Karl Le Quesne said a "negligible" number of children would be counted twice in the total figure, which was based on what centres themselves estimated enrolments to be under the scheme when they were applying for advance funding.
He said very few children were enrolled at more than one centre, and any that were double counted would also be counted twice in the 92,600 figure - which was figured out from the rolls of all centres in July 2006.
He said the proportion of children getting the funding compared to those not covered remained the same.
"We are comparing apples with apples."
Ms Bennett said the numbers were simply "plucked from the air" because centres were asked to "project" how many children might take the funding.
"They need to admit that after two years of planning, they actually have no idea how many children will access the scheme." Mr Le Quesne said some centres would end up with more children than they initially estimated, which would balance out any over-estimates by other centres.
Centres were given advance funding based on the number of children they expected to have under the scheme. When actual numbers were known later in the year, the remainder of the funding would be adjusted according to whether they had more or fewer children than they estimated.
The ministry will survey all centres in September to find out what extra optional charges or fee increases were used, and how the policy had impacted on the centre's finances.
The conception of the policy has been dogged by controversy over whether it meets centres' actual costs and whether it is "free" if centres are adding extra charges.
Numerous parents indicated disappointment yesterday on the Herald website's feedback forum.
One, based in Auckland where only half the centres have signed up, said he had shopped around for a centre offering it but the only one with the free hours was out of his area and had a 3 1/2-year waiting list.
"Well done the Government for a poorly thought out and executed scheme. Free for a 3-year-old does not exist in my part of Auckland."
Some welcomed the savings, saying they would make a big difference to the household budget.One said savings of $160 a week would go "for mortgage payments and to offset KiwiSaver."
However, another man said he was saving $25 a week from the $170 he currently paid for full-day care, "so I've told our childcare centre that I choose to opt out of the scheme because I do not want them to receive payment for 20 hours of 'free' childcare if they are not going to pass that on to me."
