Anne Tolley

Wellington, June 25 NZPA - A survey of early childhood centres has found more than a quarter are looking at leaving the 20 hours free scheme because of cuts in the May budget.

The Early Childhood Council results, carried in daily papers today, asked 526 centres if they intended to remain in the scheme where they are subsidised to offer children aged three to five 20 hours of free care each week. In the May budget the Government dropped extra funding for centres that had 100 percent of staff qualified teachers and set the bar at 80 percent.

Most of the centres surveyed were those with high numbers of qualified staff and they expected to lose between $20,000 and $80,000 a year.

Many centres were looking at cutting costs but many intended to raise fees by up to $40 a week.

More than a quarter were considering the future of the 20 hours scheme.

Education Minister Anne Tolley said she did not think it was necessary to charge parents more.

"Any centres which have taken a knee-jerk reaction to think about raising fees should consider their customers," she told The New Zealand Herald.