What is the 20 hours free policy?

The “20 hours policy” otherwise known as the “20 hours free policy”, was introduced by the Labour Government on the 2^nd of July 2007, just before the general election.

The 20 hours free policy was aimed at making early childhood education (ECE) more accessible and affordable for all parents/caregivers. This policy funding was directed at quality teacher lead (qualified or registered teachers) ECE services for young children aged three to five years old. Young children would qualify for up to twenty hours a week of funded early childhood care no matter what their parents/caregivers income was or ethnic group they belonged to.

To find out more about the definition of the 20 hours free policy and what it set out to do, please click on this following link: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/29928 and download the FAQ 20 Hours Free ECE.pdf file.
Reference

Clark, H. (2007). Celebrate the start of 20 hours free ECE. Retrieved March 6, from http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/29928

I have chosen to discuss the 20 hours policy as I feel this is an important social issue effecting the development of quality early childhood education services.