KEY POINTS:
A new type of Government-sponsored preschool is due to be announced today in a bid to get more South Auckland children into education earlier.
Nine existing primary, intermediate and high schools will get early childhood education services on-site at a $9 million cost, under the scheme to be unveiled by Education Minister Chris Carter.
It is understood the buildings will be owned by the state but community-based providers will be able to vie to operate the services.
Officials have in the past waited for groups to apply to set up centres rather than selecting sites - leading to a serious shortfall of places in some areas.
Figures showed just 43 per cent of Manukau children aged between 0 and 4 years went to preschool last year, compared with the 65 per cent national average. The project would provide 450 full-time equivalent places.
Manukau City Council councillor Colleen Brown was enthusiastic about the plan to build five of the centres in the Manurewa ward she represents but said more places would be needed to fill a shortfall for thousands of children.
"The scale of the issue for Manurewa sort of defies imagination," she said. "There's just not enough facilities."
Cost was a problem for poor families who might otherwise send children to private centres.
"When you've got principals who talk about children who don't know how to open a book, they haven't had stories read to them, they don't know how to sit on the mat, don't know what a letter is or a word," she said. "That's just such a huge disadvantage."
Mrs Brown said figures showed just a third of under-fives in the suburb went to preschool in March last year and one kindergarten currently had a waiting list of more than 100.
Mr Carter said the ministry would work with school boards of trustees and organisations that operate the services to ensure they attract and retain children from the target communities.
"We know that quality early childhood education gives our children the best possible chance of succeeding in school and later in life."
Final construction of services on the nine sites remained dependent on agreement with boards of trustees.
New schools:
Greenmeadows Intermediate
Homai Primary
James Cook High
Mangere Bridge School
Mangere East School
Mansell Senior School
Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate
Weymouth School
Manurewa West School
