Friday, 10 February 2012, 11:27 am
Press Release: New Zealand Government

Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Education

10 February 2012       Media Statement      

Taking action to raise quality in early childhood education

Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the establishment of two working groups to improve quality early childhood education for young children.

“We are taking action to make sure all early childhood education services are of the highest possible quality,” says Ms Parata.

“The early years of children’s lives are crucial for learning and development, and every single one of our children deserves the best education they can get.

“Some services are of very good quality but to make sure quality is improved throughout all services in New Zealand, we need the experience of experts within the sector to help us get this right.”

Ms Parata says the independent ECE Taskforce report An Agenda for Amazing Children, released in June 2011, emphasised the absolute need for all early childhood education to be of a consistent high quality.

“Children need this and parents and whanau need this. Parents told us during consultation that they want to know their children are being educated and cared for in the best possible environment.  They want stronger action where services are poor quality, and they want more information and service accountability,” says Ms Parata.

The ECE advisory groups will provide advice on improving quality of ECE services sector-wide and improving quality of ECE services for under two year–olds.

“To achieve the changes we need experts from within the sector to help us find solutions,” says Ms Parata.

“The advisory groups are made up of people who understand the issues and challenges of early childhood education due to their experience and expertise.

“I look forward to the practical and workable solutions the advisory groups propose.”

Members were selected based on a number of factors, including experience knowledge and understanding of the sector. The first meetings will take place in late February, and the advisory groups will report back to the Government in April.

Any consequent change in respect of kōhanga reo will be the subject of consultation with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board, including what results from the Trust Board’s claim before the Tribunal.

Improving quality of ECE services sector-wide advisory group members:
Nancy Bell
Clare Wells
Carol Stovold
Alex Gunn
Fiona Hughes
Maureen Woodhams
Janice Taouma
Karla Tardieu

Improving quality of ECE services for children aged less than two years advisory group members:
Jayne White
Dr Janis Carroll-Lind
Jean Rockel
Karen Shields
Natasha Kibble
Lorraine Sands
Carmen Dalli
Nadine Wishnowsky

This report looks at the increasing number of children who spend time in daycare in NZ and claims attending daycare for extended periods of time could have potential long-term consequences for children’s mental and physical health as adults.  Dr Sigman says children in centre-based care produce a higher level of cortisol which is the stress hormone produced in response to fear and uncertainty, and too much of it has been linked to a lowered immune system.

Key points raised by the Taskforce were that ECE is a valuable investment that should be available to all children but targeted to those from disadvantaged backgrounds; quality should be raised; and a new funding system is required.  The ECE Taskforce report can be found on the ECE Taskforce website.

There was an eight week public consultation period on the recommendations made in the ECE Taskforce report. Parents, whānau, employers and the ECE sector were encouraged to take part so the Government could consider public feedback before working through the recommendations.

The consultation began on 15 June 2011 and ended on 8 August 2011. There were 3,928 responses received to an online survey:

• Just over half were from parents.
• Most of the others were connected with the ECE sector – over a quarter of respondents were ECE teachers or educators.
• Of the 1,723 respondents who identified which service their children attended, 59% were from Playcentre, 30% were from home-based ECE, 20% were from kindergarten, and 20% education and care.

In addition to the survey 304 submissions were received.

Consultation feedback echoed the need for high-quality ECE, but many requested a clearer definition of what constitutes quality. There were calls for stronger action and advice for poor-quality services. There was strong support for greater accountability, support for the role of ERO, and requests for better information for parents.

Most respondents supported maintaining the current funding system, including subsidising universal access. Many stressed the need for flexibility, and to recognise the role of parents.

The Ministry of Education has released two reports on the responses:

1. Consultation on the ECE Taskforce Report, An Agenda for Amazing Children: Detailed Findings; and
2. Consultation on the ECE Taskforce Report, An Agenda for Amazing Children: Key Findings.

These reports can be found on the Ministry of Education ECE Lead website.