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21 March 2011 ¬ for immediate release
Full report at www.occ.org.nz
Report into child care for under-two-year-olds released
Placing infants and toddlers in child care is not bad¹ for them - provided it is good quality, according to the
findings of a report released by Children¹s Commissioner John Angus today.
The report, Through their lens: An inquiry into non-parental education and care of infants and toddlers, suggests
quality is variable in this country and some improvements are needed. ³Children under two have very different needs to
older children so we can¹t take a one size fits all approach to child care.
Under 2-year-olds¹ rapid brain development, underdeveloped immunity and need for stable attachment mean they have very
specific educational and care needs. ³While we found that child care for very young children is not bad for them, the
quality has to be high.
Our report suggests changes are needed to ensure consistent high quality ¬ and that current policy, regulation and
training of staff is a bit underdone.
³This isn¹t surprising given that the education and care of under-2s is the fastest growing area in the provision of
early childhood services. ³Alongside this rapid growth is a lot of debate about funding and quality. It¹s a good time to
take a step back and consider these issues from the perspective of infants and toddlers.
³Our findings are consistent with a recent ERO report, which also suggested quality is variable. We¹ve made a number of
recommendations that would strengthen the service provided to very young children.
³These include reducing the number of under-2s in one group, increasing the ratio of staff per child and placing more
emphasis on the specific knowledge and skills needed to work with this age group. ³For example, the report highlights
the practice in some childcare centres of placing qualified staff with the 3 and 4-year-olds, while the infants and
toddlers are cared for by unqualified staff. Government needs to look at the way current regulations and funding
arrangements allow this.
³The report also finds that in an ideal world, care at home by parents or extended family is in the best interests of
infants under one-year-old. That¹s not about judging parents for returning to work or saying that all young infants
should be at home all the time.
That¹s not the reality for many of the parents we spoke to - who have financial, career and family pressures. ³But
there is room for government policy to better support parents who make a choice to stay at home, through more flexible
parental leave provisions.
I think it¹s time we revisited the mix of parental leave entitlements and subsidised child care to see how they can be
structured to best meet the needs of very young children. ³Rather than spend a large amount of tax payers¹ money on
subsidies for infants to be in child care, that money might be better put into supporting care at home by the parent.
For an under 2-year-old child in full time care, the taxpayer subsidy actually comes close to what a parent receives in
paid parental leave,² he said. The report makes a number of other recommendations across policy, regulation and practice
to strengthen the provision of formal care for infants and toddlers.
These include creating better connections with health professionals and improving access to quality education and care
in low socioeconomic areas.
³I¹m heartened by recent announcements from the Government that children are high on the priority list. I would like to
see them take a good look at this report. ³In particular, I would like to see a review of the current parental leave
provisions and consideration of quality issues in the delivery of child care for infants and toddlers.
Quality should not be left entirely to parents to monitor ¬ government needs to take a far greater role in ensuring
young children are getting a fair go. ³Improving the quality of care for our youngest citizens would give them the best
possible start in life,² he said.
Ends.
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