MONDAY, JUNE 25, 1979
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MRS. CHAN SAID INTEGRATING HANDICAPPED CHILDREN WITH NORMAL CHILDREN IN CHILD CARE CENTRES WAS A VERY NEW CONCEPT AND SOME PARENTS SEEMED TO ACCEPT THIS BETTER THAN OTHERS, WHILE THE CHILDREN THEMSELVES APPEARED TO HAVE LITTLE RESERVATION.
+PERHAPS THIS IS AN AREA WHERE SOME EDUCATION OF THE PARENTS MIGHT DO SOME GOOD, SHE SAID.
IN ASKING WHETHER CHILD CARE FACILITIES SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE LARGELY GOVERNMENT-FINANCED AND RESTRICTED TO CHILDREN OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, MRS. CHAN SAID THERE SEEMED NO REASON WHY A VIABLE PRIVATE SECTOR COULD NOT BE DEVELOPED IN THIS AREA IN THE SAME WAY AS IT HAD IN KINDERGARTENS.
SHE SAID SUBVENTED CHILD CARE PLACES WERE INTENDED FOR CHILDREN OF FAMILIES WITH A SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL NEED FOR SUCH PLACES, BUT A SURVEY LAST YEAR INDICATED THAT ONLY HALF THE CHILDREN OCCUPYING SUBVENTED PLACES WERE IN FACT ELIGIBLE.
FINANCIAL NEED IS DEFINED AS A TOTAL FAMILY INCOME NOT EXCEEDING THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE LEVEL PLUS ONE-THIRD, BUT THIS RIGID INCOME CUT-OFF POINT MAY ALSO RESULT IN HARDSHIP TO FAMILIES WHOSE INCOME ARE JUST MARGINALLY HIGHER, SHE SAID.
MOREOVER, SHE SAID, THE PRESENT CONCEPT OF SUBVENTING CHILD CARE CENTRES MEANS THAT CHILDREN WHO ARE SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ARE PLACED TOGETHER AND ISOLATED FROM OTHER CHILDREN, WHEN THERE SHOULD BE A GREATER DEGREE OF MIXING.
TO OVERCOME THESE DRAWBACKS OF THE EXISTING SUBVENTION SYSTEM, SHE SAID A FEE ASSISTANCE SCHEME BASED ON A SLIDING SCALE MIGHT BE A BETTER ALTERNATIVE.
+MEANS-TESTING WOULD HAVE TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT AND IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO MOVE AWAY FROM SUBVENTING CENTRES AS SUCH TO ASSISTING LOW-INCOME FAMILIES TO MEET THE APPROVED FEES CHARGED BY EACH INSTITUTION, SHE SAID.
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