8.3
CUNY
2.
The Government will continue to provide assistance in land allocation,
accommodation, reimbursement of rates and in the fitting out costs for child
care centres run by approved non-profit-making agencies. It is also intended
to continue to reimburse rates for non-profit-making kindergartens.
8.4
Agreement was recently reached with the Housing Authority on a pilot
project, whereby some kindergarten premises in public housing estates would be
let at concessionary rents to suitable educational bodies upon the recommendation
of the Director of Education. The concessionary rent level is set at about half
of the commercial rent for such premises. If the pilot project, which has
already started, is successful, it is expected that these arrangements will become
permanent and will be extended to all kindergartens. Existing profit-making
kindergartens in public housing estates will be encouraged to become non-profit-
making, although it is acknowledged that their conversion to non-profit-making status
may take some years.
Fee Assistance
8.5
The Government has modified the Green Paper proposals in respect
of the scheme of assistance whereby children from low income families would
have a proportion of the fees for a child care centre or kindergarten place paid
by the Government. This scheme proposed that such children attending child care
cantres or kindergartens should be eligible for fee assistance provided that, in
the case of child care centres, there was a social need for full day care. Maximum
assistance designed to cover the full notional fees would be available to all
families whose total income was at the public assistance level or below. Above
this income level there would be a sliding scale by which the assistance would
be gradually reduced. It is now intended that:
(1) the eligibility for assistance should be based on
family income after the rent paid for the family home
has been deducted, subject to a maximum deduction of 30%
of total income;
TAL