ECE Regulation Review At Risk Of Being Captured By One Vested Interest

The inaugural review by the new Regulations Ministry is currently underway with over 2,320 submissions received. Concerningly, media releases have indicated one lobby group representing owners of ECE services want to remove the education component of Early Childhood Education after six hours.

“There’s a real difference between a ‘regulations review’ which looks to remove excessive red tape and strike an improved balance between quality ECE and safety, and the proposal to remove the educational component from ECE after six hours,” says Te Rito Maioha CE Kathy Wolfe.

“We need to go back to first principles. ECE should focus on what’s good for our children and their education. There is a mountain of research showing the impact quality education in the early years has on long-term educational outcomes at primary and secondary school, and we would not want to see a separation of care and education in New Zealand that creates inequitable outcomes for children,” says Kelly Seaburg from Advocates for Early Learning Excellence.

“Aotearoa has a world class ECE curriculum and highly qualified teachers that deliver early learning across all ECE services,” says Mrs Wolfe. “Therefore, we need to ensure that all early childhood providers and services operate within a regulatory framework that both protects and ensures children are safe and well educated.”

“If we want our children to have the best chance of thriving, that requires qualified teachers that understand how to build relationships with a number of children at the same time. Currently, the ratios are 1-5 for under twos and then 2-10 for two-year-olds and above. That means there can be twenty, two-year-olds in a room with two qualified teachers. Any parent will tell you that to care and educate a child in those settings is challenging, which is why Te Rito Maioha and Childspace have called for a new ratio of 1-4 for under threes and appeared in front of a Select Committee last week to advocate for this change,” says Mrs Wolfe.

“To read in the media that ‘child ratios were "ineffective," and it was impossible for the Ministry of Education to monitor whether centres were complying’ should be setting off alarm bells. Any implied suggestion that we remove the ratio of children to teachers will undermine quality ECE, create additional stress for children and generate even more challenging work environments for teachers. But worse than that, such a move would all but ensure an unsafe environment,” says Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand CE Cathy Wilson.

“Further, a proposal to create a new ‘assistant teacher’ should also be concerning,” says Mrs Wolfe. “Teachers are qualified and undergo extensive training in understanding the development and education required for 0–5-year-olds. Initial teacher training is three years for those who chose the degree to become teachers. Rather than give up and allow teachers to be replaced with unqualified staff who have no formal training and cannot be held accountable by the professional body, the Teaching Council of New Zealand, the government should be focusing on ensuring we are graduating increased numbers of teachers, and lifting the status of teachers, not holding up the white flag.”

“Quality is directly related to qualified teachers which is why Pay Parity is so critical. To value and compensate teachers for what they are worth helps to encourage recruitment and retention. Any movement away from Pay Parity for all qualified teachers, undermines the profession and the essence of quality ECE itself. A teacher, is a teacher, is a teacher no matter where in the education spectrum they teach and should be recognised and valued for their profession. We have potential significant barriers heading our way where the profession is being devalued across our education system and very soon, we will have no teachers in front of our children,” says Mrs Wolfe.

“The additional suggestion that teacher pay should be ‘deregulated’ is simply an appalling acknowledgement that for some submitters, the value in ECE is commoditising children rather than in providing a public good of world class education that every child in New Zealand has a right to access. We do not subscribe to that position,” says New Zealand Kindergarten CE Jill Bond.

“As sector leaders representing 68% of the ECE sector, we are asking the government to take a stand for our tamariki and ensure that quality ECE is not sacrificed on the basis of one lobby group who are hell bent on eroding it,” says Mrs Wolfe. “We have had positive input and conversations with the Ministry of Regulations thus far and hope the Regulation Review will achieve a balanced outcome based on all the voices who submitted.”

© Scoop Media