Kindies take up free time

From today all kindergartens will offer 20 free hours of early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-olds.

New Zealand Kindergartens president Jeremy Neild said the Government policy had proved popular with parents during its first three months, with over 95 per cent of kindergarten parents accessing the funding.

"The 20 hours' free funding has reduced kindergartens' reliance on parent contributions and fundraising and has helped many parents to access quality education for their pre-schoolers."

Around 45,000 children are enrolled in kindergartens nationwide.