Our views were ignored, say pre-school owners
PRE-SCHOOL owners' views have been ignored, they said yesterday, as they continued to criticise Education's plans for free education for three- and four-year-olds.
The Pre-School Learning Association spoke out against Education, Sport & Culture, saying it had put forward a fairer alternative, but the committee had rejected it.
Owners now felt they were in a 'no win' situation and were forced to sign up out of fear of losing business.
Caroline Blondel, vice-chair of the Guernsey Pre-School Learning Association, who is also on the Education Link Committee, the link between the owners and the committee, as well as being the owner of Monkey Puzzle at Kings and the Monkey Puzzle Montessori School, said the association had offered a 'more equitable' option.
Education, Sport & Culture said the £5.90 per hour being offered to private providers who wish to be part of the scheme compared 'very favourably' with other jurisdictions, with Jersey offering £5.19 per hour, and said the majority of local providers currently charged less than £5.90.
The association's counter-proposal would give parents a £5 voucher to be used at their chosen provider, and the 90p would be put in a 'catch' fund, so if a child needed extra support or unexpected circumstances arose, the fund could help with this.
If parents chose a provider that cost more than £5, they would pay the difference.
