There is relief among Playcentre participants in the Western Bay of Plenty following the government's assurance funding will not be cut to the early childhood education sector.

Playcentre mums and children at Memorial Park today to show the early childhood education sector has a voice.

About 100 Playcentre children and parents met at Memorial Park this morning for a planned protest, coined the ‘big play', over concerns government was planning to cut their sector's funding by about 63 per cent.

Tauriko Playcentre president, and spokesperson of the Western Bay of Plenty Playcentre Association, Kate Barnett, says the government's assurance last week that their funding would remain has brought relief.

'Playcentre is a really important service and parents should have the choice to join one,” says Kate.

Had their funding been cut, Kate says Playcentres would have had to have increased fees, from their current rate of an average of $30 per term at the 13 centres in the Western Bay.

'Our fees would have to go up and that's not what Playcentres are all about.”

She says they are community centred organisations, which provide positive learning and social environments for children.

Education Minister Anne Tolley agrees and says there is value in their operation.

'The government is committed to high-quality early childhood education, we are investing a record $1.4 billion in this sector in the year ahead, and we want to make sure it works for all children and families in New Zealand,” says Anne.

The initial fear of the funding cut was stirred by the government's Early Childhood Education Taskforce report.

The public consultation period for this document closes today and the organised protest at Memorial Park was scheduled to coincide with this.

There were more than 1600 public submissions made on this document with Kate saying the process appeared a good one.

'We feel like we have been heard.”