Funding cuts for qualified ECE teachers gets support

Media Statement

May 16 2013 – for immediate release

Government funding cuts for qualified ECE teachers gets support

The New Zealand Home Early Learning Organisation is backing the Government’s budget cuts to current ECE teacher grants that pay for teachers to become “qualified”.

HELO president, Jenny Yule said the money can now be better spent on increasing ECE participation through giving parents more choice.

The Government has announced $14.856 million over four years in funding cuts to the ECE Service Provisionally Registered Teachers Initiative and $11.576 million over four years in funding cuts to the Early Childhood Education National Study Awards. This funding will be reallocated to help strengthen the quality of ECE provision in areas of low participation or with high Maori and Pasifika enrolments.

“HELO believes that quality learning and care comes from the strength of the relationship between the child, the family and the educator in a secure home environment – not a formal teaching qualification.

“We applaud the Government for recognising the need to support high priority families and Home-based ECE is well positioned to offer this flexible and responsive model to childcare which supports families’ values, beliefs and culture through the home-based childcare model.

“Educational environments are just not limited to teacher-led, centre-based services and we support the Minister’s intent to have parents engaged in their children’s early learning.

“HELO is committed to supporting flexible learning environments for a wide range of people to develop career pathways as home-based educators, nannies and au pairs.”

“By offering each family flexible and responsive home-based childcare options from birth ensures babies are raised in familiar home environments. Whanau and relatives are able to better support their children in the transition from informal to formal school education,” Ms Yule said.

ENDS

Notes:

The Teacher Education Grants (ECESTEG) are paid to teacher-led centre-based ECE services to contribute to the costs faced by the service when supporting staff members gain a first ECE teaching qualification. The ECE PRT support grant helps teacher-led ECE services to support their provisionally registered teachers to become fully registered. The ECESTEG is worth $3375 (GST inclusive) for each successful application.

The Early Childhood Education Provisionally Registers Teachers grant (PRT) was introduced to help services with the costs of supporting their provisionally registered teachers to become fully registered.

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