7 days ago
New Changes To Family Boost A Win For Working Families
Families across New Zealand will now receive a significant helping hand with the cost of early childhood education, thanks to major improvements to the Government's Family Boost scheme.
From this quarter, eligible parents can now claim up to 40% of their early childhood education (ECE) fees, and the household income threshold has increased significantly —meaning more families than ever will qualify for the rebate. These changes will result in more generous payments, making it well worth families' time to apply.
ECE service owner and sector advocate Kelly Seaburg is welcoming the change and encouraging families to make the most of it.
'This is great news for working parents,' says Seaburg. 'With the cost of providing high-quality early learning on the rise, especially as centres move to pay qualified teachers fairly under the Government's pay parity scheme, many services will need to increase fees beyond CPI. The expanded Family Boost will be vital to help offset those increases so I encourage parents to make the most of expanded Family Boost.'
Seaburg says ECE services are ready to help families access their entitlements:
'Families should absolutely take advantage of this support. If you're unsure how to apply, just ask your ECE service or go to the IRD website. Centres will provide quarterly fee statements that parents can quickly upload as part of the application process.'
The changes are expected to reduce financial pressure on families and support parents returning to the workforce, while ensuring children continue to benefit from high-quality early learning experiences.
