I
SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1980
$32 MILLION SUBVENTION FOR CHILD CARE CENTRES THIS YEAR
*******
THE GOVERNMENT IS PROVIDING MORE SUBVENTIONS FOR CHILD CARE CENTRES, WITH THE AMOUNT REACHING MORE THAN $32 MILLION FOR THIS YEAR COMPARED WITH THE $10 000 23 YEARS AGO.
THIS WAS SAID TODAY (SATURDAY) BY THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR THOMAS LEE, WHILE OPENING A NURSERY RUN BY THE SALVATION ARMY IN WO CHE ESTATE, SHA TIN.
MR LEE SAID GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY FOR EACH CHILD IN A SUBVENTED NURSERY HAS NOW RISEN TO $171 A MONTH FROM $10 IN 1967.
HE SAID THERE WAS AN EVER-INCREASING DEMAND FOR CHILD CARE CENTRES AS MORE MARRIED WOMEN WERE TAKING UP JOBS IN THE LIGHT OF RAPID INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
THE GREEN PAPER ON PRIMARY EDUCATION AND PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES ESTIMATES THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILD CARE PLACES REQUIRED BY 1990-91 WOULD REACH OVER 67 000, HE SAID.
AT PRESENT, HE ADDED, ABOUT 16 000 CHILDREN ARE UNDER THE PROPER CARE OF MORE THAN 200 CHILD CARE CENTRES.
MR LEE SAID THAT GOVERNMENT-SUBVENTED CHILD CARE CENTRES NOW CATER FOR CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES ONLY.
*WITH CHANGES IN THE ROLE OF CHILD CARE CENTRES ARISING FROM CHANGES IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE, THE GREEN PAPER HAS PROPOSED AN OVERALL REVIEW OF SUBVENTION BY EXTENDING CHILD CARE SERVICE TO ALL WALKS OF LIFE, HE SAID.
IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHERE THERE HAS BEEN RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND INCREASE IN POPULATION, MR LEE SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT CHILD CARE SERVICE WAS PROVIDED TO MEET THE NEED OF THE NEW TOWN RESIDENTS.
+OF THE EXISTING SUBVENTED CHILD CARE PLACES, ONE-THIRD ARE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THREE-FIFTH OF THE ADDITIONAL SUBVENTED PLACES PLANNED FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WILL BE IN THE NEW TOWNS AS WELL, HE SAID.
MR LEE STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN GROWING UP IN A SAFE, FULLY EQUIPPED AND HYGIENIC ENVIRONMENT IN ORDER TO ENSURE A BALANCED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT.
TO THIS END, HE SAID, CHILD CARE LEGISLATION WAS ENACTED IN 1975 AND A CHILD CARE CENTRES ADVISORY INSPECTORATE WAS SET UP ONE YEAR LATER WITHIN THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT TO PROMOTE THE STANDARDS OF CHILD CARE SERVICE.
HE PRAISED THE WORK OF THE SALVATION ARMY WHICH HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN A WIDE RANGE OF SOCIAL SERVICES INCLUDING CHILD CARE.
/THE SALVATION