Childcare for growing area moves closer

By Carly Udy and Anna Bowden
Plans are under way to open a new childcare centre in Papamoa to cater for the area's booming population - but hundreds of teens will still have to bus to secondary schools elsewhere until maximum capacity is reached.
The Ministry of Education has indicated there are sufficient families with pre-school aged children in the area to begin planning to open a new childcare centre by 2008.
Papamoa East parents in particular are pressing Government to build a new kindergarten as some are having to travel to Te Puke because Papamoa central kindergartens are full.
Madeleine Tce resident and mother of two, Vanessa Moore, has been forced to travel to Te Puke Kindergarten in order to prepare her eldest daughter Maxine, 4, for school.
"Principals have told me you can tell the difference in kids coming from morning kindy who are used to being away from mum five mornings a week," she said.
Te Puke Kindergarten acting head teacher Kathy Lawson said about six Papamoa children attended the kindergarten which did not impact on places for Te Puke children.
"The way Papamoa (East) is growing, I agree there is probably a need for a kindergarten," she said.
Priority One chief executive Ross Stanway said there was a clear need for educational provisions in order for Papamoa East to align with the SmartEconomy strategy.
"It's a given that there will be significant growth. One of the key issues is to ensure existing schools that have spare capacity are used," he said.
"I'm sure both those schools would see an opportunity to attract growth."
Ministry of Education network provision manager Derek Devoy said the ministry consulted the Papamoa East community last year about the establishment of a centre on the future school site at Golden Sands in Papamoa East.
Registrations are being sought from community-based organisations interested in working with the ministry to establish and manage the early childhood centre.
Mr Devoy said questionnaires distributed in Papamoa East indicated the majority of children would attend every day, almost one third would attend more than four hours a day and almost half would be under two-years of age.
The successful provider would be able to apply for a planning grant this year and a new early childhood service could open by 2008.
Mrs Moore said fellow parents in her area wanted a kindergarten rather than a daycare centre.
"It is a better education for your child and it's giving parents a choice. There will be three daycares in Papamoa if we get another one."
But Mr Devoy said current government policy was aimed at children participating in quality early childhood education.
All early childhood centres, "whether they be private or community-based", were required to meet the same quality standard.
"It is hoped that a wide range of community based organisations apply, including the Tauranga Regional Free Kindergarten Association," he said.
In the past other community groups have expressed concern there was no dedicated secondary school for teenagers in Papamoa, with hundreds travelling by bus to Te Puke High School and Mount Maunganui College.
Mr Devoy said when school rolls were finalised in March, the ministry would have a clear idea of when planning could begin for a new secondary school at Papamoa.
A Tara Rd site is one of six in the Western Bay earmarked to cater for future roll growth. Mr Devoy said there were about 400 places yet to be filled at Te Puke High School and Mount Maunganui College.