TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 76

9.4

(i)

(j)

payment of child care centre and kindergarten fees for families on public assistance; and

assistance from the Lotteries Fund towards the capital costs of fitting out non-profit-making child care centres.

Subventions to suitable voluntary agencies for the running of day care centres are paid on the basis of an agreed unit cost per place which is currently $230 per month, with the Government contributing $140, the agency $10 and the parent $80. The subvention is intended for children from families whose total family income is within the limit of 1% times the public assistance level and where there is a social need for children to be cared for in such centres. Family circumstances producing such a need include: a working mother, illness, imprisonment, desertion, drug addiction, death or other family problems resulting in the inadequate care of the child. The responsi- bility for ensuring that only children from eligible families are admitted into subvented centres rests with the operators of these centres. A survey carried out by the Social Welfare Department in February 1978 showed that only 69% of the children occupying subvented places were in fact eligible at the time of admission. The number of eligible children fell to 54% after admission because of the additional income obtained by their mothers through employment. In most cases, the total family income was between 1% times and twice public assistance levels. It is obvious that subvented child care centres are not strictly observing the eligibility criteria for admission. This is almost certainly because they do not have the facilities for carrying out means- testing. It seems likely that the children of genuinely needy families are sometimes deprived of subvented places because these are occupied by children from ineligible families.

Need for Assistance

+

9.5

The Government believes that in order to help agencies both meet the demand for child care centre places and comply with the standards laid down in the Child Care Centres Ordinance and Regulations, some form of financial assistance should continue to be given. Since kindergartens and child care centres serve an overlapping population and meet similar objectives, a common scheme of assistance is desirable. The present system of subvention for child care centres has not in practice worked satisfactorily. Moreover, the practice of subventing centres means that children who are socially and economically

This disadvantaged are grouped together and isolated from other children. practice is undesirable and such segregation has been avoided in other sectors of education. In general it is felt that all children would benefit from a greater degree of social mixing, whether they are in kindergartens or child care centres.

9.6

Elsewhere in this Green Paper proposals have been made to improve the standards of kindergartens, including reducing the maximum class size and ensuring that teachers are trained and consequently better paid. In order to effect these improvements it is expected that kindergartens will increase fees. The scheme of fee assistance proposed takes this into account and is designed to ensure that the resulting fee increases do not place kindergartens beyond the means of low income families.

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