Education Minister Anne Tolley has been reassuring the early childhood education sector on the future of its services, as consultation on an independent task force's report comes to a close.
The Early Childhood Education Taskforce was established to report to the Government about spending and learning support in the sector.
Concern about some of its recommendations, including creating a funding model which split services into "core" and "non-core" levels, resulted in the Otago Playcentre Association holding a rally in Dunedin last month.
If the recommendation went ahead, services like playcentre, Kohanga Reo and home-based childcare would have funding cut by up to 70%.
However, Education Minister Anne Tolley this week said funding would not be cut to parent-led services like playcentre and Kohanga Reo, as the Government valued a diverse ECE sector.
Her comments left Dunedin Community Childcare Association director Jo Ellis confused, as the consultation process was not complete, and wondering if home-based services would receive the same reprieve.
The association had 200 families using its home-based care services, which were teacher-led, while 17,000 children were enrolled in services throughout New Zealand.
If funding was cut, the association's service "would not be viable" and the option would become "unaffordable and inequitable for parents", Ms Ellis said.
When asked by the Otago Daily Times if home-based services could be reassured of their funding levels, Mrs Tolley said the services "won't be disadvantaged" and would "continue to play an important role".
Ms Ellis urged people to have their say on the task force's report, with consultation ending on Monday.
