RADIO NEW ZEALAND: The National Party says it will retain the policy of 20 hours free early childhood education if it wins the general election, but will make some changes.
National released its policy on Friday, saying parents are not getting the 20 hours "free" under the current system, so the party will rename it "20 hours ECE".
The party's early childhood spokeswoman, Paula Bennett, says National would also remove the current limit, whereby children can attend a centre for a maximum of six hours a day.
Ms Bennett says the name change does not mean parents may face extra payments in the future, as the current subsidies and fee controls will be retained.
She says if Labour extended the scheme, either to younger children or by increasing the number of hours, National would not match it.
The party estimates the policy will cost about $7 million.
However, Prime Minister Helen Clark says her interpretation of National's policy could see the scheme "gone by lunchtime" and it gives no guarantee to those already making use of the scheme.
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