Minister makes questionable claims over quality ECE

Minister makes questionable claims over quality early childhood education

NZEI Te Riu Roa is challenging the statement today by Education Minister Hekia Parata that 96 percent of children starting school in September this year “had already participated in some form of quality ECE”.

NZEI president Judith Nowotarski said there was a big question mark over the word “quality”, as not all early childhood services are equal.

“A recent investigation by Education Aotearoa* found numerous reports of vulnerable children being subject to poor quality care and education in large, for-profit centres,” said Ms Nowotarski.

The Education Ministry’s September Briefing to Incoming Minister said, “We need to…concentrate our action so that every ECE service delivers high-quality early learning. Quality ECE responds to and extends children’s learning interests, especially language, culture and identity; and makes connections with children’s lives.” (P25)

The briefing goes on to say (p26) that “the sector’s effectiveness in preparing children for future learning success” will rely on the engagement of children, how much time they spend in ECE, the ability of services to implement Te Whaariki (the ECE curriculum) and the quality of teaching and relationships with children and their whanau.

Ms Nowotarski said the government’s ambition to increase ECE participation to 98% was laudable, but it was quality that made the difference in preparing children for a lifetime of learning.

“We urge the government to turn their focus now to quality and ensuring every child can attend a centre with fully qualified teachers and good teacher-child ratios,” she said.

Since 2010, the government no longer funds ECE centres for 100% qualified teaching staff. Centres that continue to employ more than 80% of floor staff as qualified teachers must make up the funding shortfall. The legal minimum is 50% qualified teachers and many for-profit services operate at little more than the minimum required level.

*Education Aotearoa is a quarterly magazine published by NZEI Te Riu Roa and distributed to 51,000 educators in the ECE and primary sectors.

ENDS

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