Race to fill early childcare demand
Playcentre parents from Ngaio to Pukerua Bay have ?smashed? last year?s record for the numbers graduating from the early childhood centres? training programme, placing the organisation in good stead to cater for growing demand. This year 127 parents graduated, including two parents completing a course four module. The Wellington Playcentre Association area has 21 centres. Association co-convenor Jude Pointon says some centres have waiting lists and are running five morning sessions and an afternoon session. Other centres have room to grow, such as Newlands, Tamariki and Waikanae Playcentres. ?We aim to ensure that all our centres are running efficiently and both the children and adults are enjoying the Playcentre experience. ??As Playcentre is a volunteer organisation run by parents and families it is costly both in time and money to open new centres,? Mrs Pointon says. Wellington Playcentre Association requires parents to be trained under the NZQA approved Playcentre training programme in order to run sessions so any new centre requires long term planning and community buy-in. New Zealand's nearly 500 Playcentres will have the option of joining the 20 hours early childhood education scheme in July next year, if all goes to plan, she says. ?There are no new Playcentres planned in the next year. ?Where there are waiting lists children who have siblings at the centre have first priority, as do returning families where the parents are already qualified in the NZQA registered Playcentre parents education system,? says Mrs Pointon. When individual Playcentres feel able they open new sessions to cope with demand. Formerly Lower Hutt Public Service Childcare, Nga Tamariki in Alicetown has qualified and registered teachers but is operated as a community based, parent cooperative centre. The 20 hour-free childcare for children over 3 years-old has affected their centre, but they are unable to expand. ?It has been more affordable for families to bring their children to us, but being such a small centre we can?t increase the number we take. ?We are a very small centre with a very long waiting list,? says Nga Tamariki manager Helen Cutler. Licensed for 28 children with up to eight under two years-olds, Mrs Cutler says expansion would be difficult because of the non-profit, charitable status of the centre. ?We would like to expand to cater for more children but at this stage our money goes towards operating costs, resources and maintaining the building we have. ?Some parents are registering with us before their child is even born,? Mrs Cutler says.
