ECE spending

NZPA report:

Labour is pledging to restore $400 million the Government has cut from early childhood education (ECE)

You really do have to wonder what sort of fiscal fairyland Labour are living in.

It gets even worse when you realise that the so called cuts, are in fact due to their miscalculation of costs. To quote the Minister:

Education Minister Anne Tolley says the Government’s investment in early childhood education (ECE) in the coming year will be $100 million above the original Budget 2010 allocation, bringing the total spend to $1.4 billion.

“This is the most ever spent by any Government on early childhood education, reflecting the importance we place on the future of our young children,” says Mrs Tolley.

$1.4b on ECE is not an insignificant amount of money.

“We are now at the stage where the taxpayer is subsidising ECE centres at an average of $7600 per child per year.

“This compares to an average of $5528 for a primary school student, and $6733 for a student at secondary school.

I understand it is possible for some children to cost the taxpayer almost $60,000 in ECE costs befiore they reach primary school.

“It makes no sense that ECE funding has trebled over the last five years, while the number of children starting school with some form of ECE has increased by only around one per cent.

Remember that figure – funding has trebled in five years. We are borrowing $300 million a week and Labour still says it is not enough and we must spend an extra $400 million. Goffynomics will lead to a credit downgrade very quickly.