Kindergartens go digital with Educa

Kindergartens go digital with Educa

Wellington, April 20, 2016

After 6 months of research into ePortfolios, South Canterbury Kindergarten Association has chosen to use Educa e-portfolios in their 11 Kindergartens.

Kidsfirst Kindergartens is also planning to roll out Educa in a further seven of their kindergartens this year. Oamaru Kindergarten and Waimate Kindergarten Association have also decided to join Educa in 2016 after a successful trial period.

Kidsfirst Kindergartens have been using Educa for the last 3 years with all 63 kindergartens and early learning centres offering Educa to their parents and whanau.

Educa is an early education software product for documenting & sharing learning with families online. Using Educa, teachers can create a private e-portfolio for each child, recording milestones and sharing special moments with families privately using photos, videos and written updates.

Raewyn Penman, Education Services Manager at Kidsfirst says, “The feedback from parents and extended family members all around the world has been extraordinary. Parents tell us they feel they now have a greater knowledge and understanding of their child’s learning. The feedback from parents and whānau means that teachers gain rich information about the child, their interests and learning in other settings, and are able to link to and build on this in the programme. The positive ongoing feedback from parents has inspired teachers and shown how much their learning stories are valued.”

Dave Hawkey, General Manager of Canterbury Kindergartens is also looking forward to giving families access to their children’s learning and providing an easy way for families to stay involved.

“We are excited about the introduction of Educa into our 11 kindergartens in 2016. We are looking forward to the being in a position where each child’s immediate and wider family can have continual access to the child’s learning portfolio, and be able to contribute and to respond directly. This level of access and involvement will certainly elevate the use and connection to family,” Dave commented.

Educa CEO Grant Richardson said, “It’s great to see so many New Zealand Kindergartens joining the Educa community, and to see organisations like Kidsfirst continue to grow. These are Kindergartens who are truly passionate about partnering with families and strengthening that connection between home and centre to support learning.”

ENDS

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