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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2325 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

That policy was developed because there were anomalies and problems with the previous system, problems such as a cut-off date in July for re-enrolments. It was done over a series of months. It was done to achieve a much fairer situation. It is something that impacts right across our system. I will come to the problems that will arise if Mr Berry's motion is accepted. It will flow on to the rest of the system. It also is a reason why the Government was very careful in its decisions for 1999, following those criteria right across the board. Although the viability guide for part-time preschools is 17, which is a 68 per cent utilisation for teachers, the ideal class size for preschools is 25.

The Government recognises that preschool education is important. The system has sufficient space and spare capacity to accommodate all four-year-olds, including any students who need to repeat and any students who might come into the system late. We have a 10 per cent excess capacity right across Canberra to take those students.

Mr Berry, I too have seen figures for enrolments since 2 September. If your motion is unsuccessful, there will be ample space in the three nearby preschools for not only any Downer students but any other students who may come into town or who have not been counted yet. After extensive consultation with the community, a cut-off date for registrations of early September was agreed. This year that is the 2 September census.

Preschool staffing decisions are based on the cluster of preschools in an area rather than on individual preschool units. I think it is important that I read out the factors endorsed in consultation with the community and table them. Members will find them in "The future provision of preschool education" report. Those factors are:

. socioeconomic areas, where it is considered that if the preschool is not available, the families would not be able to transport the children to another suburb;

. where a cluster of rental housing impacts on numbers during the year in cases when family relocations are made (eg Defence) after the annual survey is completed;

. where an existing Early Intervention Unit is operating and concurrent groups are needed for integration;

. minimum size to ensure a viable group to deliver a quality program;

. location of the preschool in order to maintain support to staff and the community;

. past enrolment patterns and configuration of preschools in close proximity ... ; and

. viability number being a threshold of 17 registrations for a part-time preschool and 34 for a full-time preschool used only in conjunction with other factors.

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