Education Minister Anne Tolley says there has been a great response from the public and the early childhood education sector to calls for submissions during consultation on the independent ECE Taskforce report.
"The eight-week consultation began in June, and so far there have been 1637 submissions, which is extremely encouraging," says Mrs Tolley.
"Consultation closes on 8 August, and I would urge everyone - parents, families, whānau, employers and the ECE sector - to make sure their voice is heard.
"The Government is committed to high-quality early childhood education, we are investing a record $1.4 billion in this sector in the year ahead, and we want to make sure it works for all children and families in New Zealand.
"It's disappointing that there has been some scaremongering over the future of Playcentres and Kohanga Reo.
"The Government supports diversity in this sector, and we extended 20 Hours ECE to Playcentres and Kohanga Reo last year.
"This year the Kohanga Reo trust is receiving $76 million in taxpayer funding, while over $14 million is going to Playcentres.
"This is why it's important that everyone who has a view on the future of early childhood education should make a submission on the independent Taskforce report."
The Taskforce was established to review the effectiveness of ECE spending and to make recommendations on proposed improvements, including changes to funding and policy settings.
The ECE Taskforce report can be viewed at www.taskforce.ece.govt.nz [2]
Information about the consultation process and how to take part is available at:
http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/LeadHome/ManagementInformation/RecentAnnounc... [3]