11 February, 2008 For immediate release
Early childhood group calls all political parties to develop policy to get more men into preschools
An early childhood sector leader has labelled the absence of men from early childhood education 'a tragedy for thousands
of New Zealand children', and called for political parties to announce election policy to address the problem.
Speaking after constitution of the 'Men in Early Childhood Network New Zealand' (in Wellington yesterday, 10 February),
the group's new President Russell Ballantyne called for 'ten per cent in ten years', to have ten per cent of preschool
teachers men by 2018.
The current Government had acknowledged the problem and done some good recent work creating booklets and a dvd inviting
men into early childhood education, Mr Ballantyne said. But more was needed.
Men were currently only 1% of New Zealand early childhood teachers, down from almost 2.5% in 1992, he said, with 1%
being one of the worst rates in the developed world.
'As a result many thousands who have no man at home, find no man at preschool and no man at primary school, and never
meet a stable, reliable male figure in all their preteen years.
'Girls never experience nurturing from a trusted older male. Boys, cared for only by women, learn that nurturing is no
part of the male job description. And in the absence of reliable men, too many of these boys learn their male role from
violent television and music videos, and on the street.'
Politicians calling for solutions to the problem of youth crime 'might consider this', Mr Ballantyne said.
More male teachers would bring male styles of interaction to early childhood learning, he said. They would provide
valuable encounters with safe and caring males for mothers who had had negative experiences of men. They would encourage
more fathers to take part in the education and development of their children. And they would provide a pool of new
teachers for a sector chronically short of workers.
The summit to constitute Men in Early Childhood Network New Zealand (held at Whitirea Community Polytechnic,
Porirua, 9
and 10 February) was attended by 55 male childcare teachers from throughout New Zealand – a third of the entire male
workforce.
ENDS