Campaign group attacks ministers' nursery plans

Saturday 24 September 2016

“Discriminatory, regressive, and potentially devastating," are just three comments a group that promotes early learning in the Island has to say about Ministerial plans to reduce subsidies for nursery places.

The Council of Ministers wants to means-test parents who want to send their youngsters to private sector and charity nurseries, as a way of cutting budgets. The plans are due to be discussed next week as part of the 'Medium Term Financial Plan Addition' - effectively the States financial plans for the next three years.

But on the eve of the debate, the Jersey Early Years Association (JEYA) has strongly criticised those plans saying: “The Education Minister and his Chief Officer is out to eradicate the private/charity early years sector in Jersey....the collaborative relationship established over many years has been dismantled by the current Minister for Education and his Chief Officer, and replaced with a dominant English style of management where the history, awareness and respect of Jersey culture is completely disregarded.” 

Currently, the Education Department, the private sector, and charities provide a range of nursery and pre-school facilities. In 2008 the States agreed all children – no matter which facility they went to, would get 20 hours a week ‘free’ in the year prior to going on to school. Now they want to change that.

Under the proposals children attending State-run nurseries and pre-schools will still continue to get their free 20 hours – although they do have to pay for any hours over that.

The big change will come for parents who want to send their children to private establishments – the plan now is to means test them. How much they earn will dictate the number of free hours they get.

Commercial nurseries feel all children should get free places and that parents should be free to choose where their youngsters go. But, the Jersey Early Years Association say if parents are to be means tested, it should apply to all parents irrespective of where they send their children. Otherwise, they say, the situation is unfair on both parents and taxpayers. Wealthy families will still be able to send their children to Education-run establishments without having to submit any information about how much they earn. JEYA argues this goes against the principle of targeting those in most need.