29 Jan 2009

Funding crisis at Kidicorp

6:04 am on 29 January 2009

The largest private provider of pre-school services and after school programmes in New Zealand says it has a funding crisis.

Kidicorp owner Wayne Wright says 24 programmes need more Government funding.

He says some afterschool care services will have to close unless the problem is addressed.

Mr Wright says parents are encouraged to work but there's no proper support for those with children at primary school.

He says Kidicorp is facing a loss of $400,000 loss this year. Because funding is contestable, he says there's no guarantee that current programmes will continue to be funded.

Mr Wright believes smaller afterschool care operators fail because of what he calls lack of certainty around the funding formula.