**************************
Following is a question by Dr Hon Helena Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (May 11):
Question:
At present, kindergarten-cum-child care centres (KG-cum-CCCs) provide education and care services for children aged six or below. According to the information provided by the Government in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on November 6, 2013, the utilisation rate of whole-day places offered by KG-cum-CCCs across the territory was around 80 per cent in 2012. However, upon seeking verification from such KG-cum-CCCs, I have found that the utilisation rate does not reflect the fact that there has all along been an acute shortfall of whole-day child care places for children aged two to three as the Government has not stipulated the number of places to be allocated to children of different age groups. Some parents have expressed their worries that once the policy of free kindergarten education is implemented, KG-cum-CCCs will reduce the care services to be provided for children aged two to three, thereby aggravating the shortfall in such services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of whole-day places provided by KG-cum-CCCs for children aged two to three and their utilisation rate in each of the past three financial years, broken down by District Council district; how the authorities have arrived at such figures;
(2) of the measures put in place to ensure that the number of whole-day places being provided by KG-cum-CCCs for children aged two to three are sufficient to meet the demand, and the details of such measures; and
(3) whether it has assessed the impacts of the implementation of the policy of free kindergarten education on the provision of care services for children aged zero to three, including aspects such as the number of places, manpower and charges for the services; if it has assessed, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the three parts of the question raised by Dr Hon Helena Wong is as follows:
(1) The number of places and utilisation rates for full-day care service provided by kindergarten-cum-child care centres (KG-cum-CCCs) for children aged two to three by district in the past three financial years are set out at Annex.
In each school year, KG-cum-CCCs are required to report to the Joint Office for Kindergartens and Child Care Centres of the Education Bureau in September the total number of places and the number of utilised places for each class level (including the class level for children aged two to three). Based on the proportion of utilised places in each class level, the number of un-utilised places for each class level can be calculated. The utilisation rate for each class level can then be worked out. KG-cum-CCCs can flexibly deploy the un-utilised places among different class levels to meet the service need of children aged two to three.
(2) and (3) To support parents in meeting their family and work commitments, the Government has all along been providing various child care services for children aged between zero and three, including the provision of aided KG-cum-CCC and standalone CCC places etc. To further respond to the community's demand for child care services, the Government plans to increase the number of child care places for children aged below three in accordance with the needs in various districts, including the plan to set up an aided standalone CCC in Sha Tin to provide about 100 aided long full-day child care places in 2018-19; and also invites non-governmental organisations to establish social welfare facilities (including work-based CCCs) through the Special Scheme on Privately Owned Sites for Welfare Uses. Besides, from 2015-16 onwards, the Government would increase in phases the number of Extended Hours Service places by about 5 000 at aided CCCs and KG-cum-CCCs in districts with high demand (around 1 200 of such places were provided in 2015-16).
The Government will commission a consultancy study later this year to advise on the long-term development of child care services.
Ends/Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:43
NNNN