Playcentre is ready to welcome an influx of new charges from today as changes to the welfare system come into effect.

Playcentres are welcoming the increase in children after welfare changes were announced.

From yesterday all parents or caregivers on a benefit with dependent children are now obliged to put their children in early childhood for 15 hours a week from age three, attend school from age five or six and enrol with a public health organisation, Integrated Family Health Centre or GP, complete WellChild/Tamariki Ora checks.

New Zealand Playcentre Foundation co-president Maureen Woodhams says Playcentre is prepared for the increase, but has reservations about the way it has come about.

'Any method that encourages all families to be involved in a caring community in their neighbourhood that's going to help them be the best parent they can be and for their kids to be interacting with bunch of people who care about them, it's a great thing,” says Maureen.

On the other hand negative attitudes can be created if people are forced to do things, she says.

'The thing which is a concern right across the early childhood sector, is we are worried if parents are told you must go and do that thing, then they are going to have their hackles raised from the outset.

'Early education works best when there is a trusting and warm relationship between the teachers or supervisors, and the parents.

'So if people don't really want to be there they are going to miss the point, and miss all the benefits. That's why having a stick approach is possibly counterproductive.

'We try and sew positive messages into people's lives so hopefully that will counter some of the negatives they get from a society that gives them stick, basically for the circumstances that they just happen to be in.”

A key Playcentre philosophy is that parents are the first teachers and primary influence on their children, says Maureen. Playcentre provides parent education and mentoring to help them develop in this essential role.

The Ministry of Education confirmed last year that Playcentre's unique ECE model, where parents are the teachers, qualifies for the ECE attendance criteria under the Government's social obligation policy for beneficiaries released yesterday.

The Ministry also confirms it is the parent's choice which kind of service to enrol their child in, and beneficiaries will not be required to increase hours of enrolment or change to a different service kind because of this policy initiative.

Playcentre thinks it's important for all families to be networked into a caring community that helps them parent.

'We don't care what their income is or their source of income, everybody needs help to be a parent. It's not something you are born knowing, it's something you learn,” says Maureen.

'And sometime you need information so you can make good choices about raising kids. So Playcentre helps people get good information about raising kids.”

Positive ways of interacting with children are learned by hanging out with people who have positive ways of interacting with children, says Maureen

'By investing time with their children, parents who are not currently in full-time paid work can make an important contribution to New Zealand's social capital, benefiting both their own family and neighbouring families. That's what the Playcentre movement is all about.

'Playcentre's parent-led and community-based model of ECE creates resilient families and communities by ensuring families are not isolated.

'We believe membership of a learning community like a Playcentre is important for all families, and we certainly welcome new families who are looking at ECE for their child.”