Child Care News
New Zealand childcare good quality but unaffordable - Unicef report
NZ Herald - Tom Kitchin, RNZ - June 18, 2021A new report shows that while New Zealand has the third-best childcare in the OCED and EU, it is one of the most expensive. A Unicef survey titled "Where do rich countries stand on childcare?" ranked Aotearoa at 33 out of 44 in the report. Countries were judged on leave, access, quality and affordability.
One in 10 toddlers gets three hours of screen time a day, Growing Up in NZ study finds
Stuff - Hannah Martin - June 15, 2021More than 10 per cent of 2-year-olds are spending three or more hours a day on screens, a study has found. Two recently published studies using information from the Growing Up in New Zealand study – the country’s largest longitudinal study – looked at preschoolers’ screen time...
Howick children at the forefront of making Auckland pest free
Our Auckland - June 14, 2021For the last few months, school children and preschool toddlers in Howick ward have been behind a mammoth hunt that yielded monumental results. The hunt was for the moth plant - a pest plant that is an enemy of our native trees and environment. The massive operation ...
Early childhood pay equity scheme 'unaffordable' - centres
RNZ - June 12, 2021Many early childhood centres say they can't afford to access a government fund provided to improve teachers' pay parity. About 80 percent of respondents to a survey by the Early Childhood Council said they believed a government pay parity fund would ultimately cost ...
Boy, 4, lay tangled in cord at bottom of slide for unknown amount of time, Coroner finds
Stuff - Danielle Clent - June 8, 2021It is not known how long a four-year-old boy was unconscious with a cord around his neck at the bottom of a slide at his childcare centre, a Coroner has found. Aldrich Viju died after being found unresponsive at Angels Childcare in Takapuna, on Auckland’s North Shore ...
90% Of Early Learning Centres Say Funding Increase Won’t Cover Skyrocketing Costs
Scoop - Early Childhood Council - June 5, 2021The 1.2% increase in per-child subsides on offer to community and privately owned early learning centres won’t cover rising costs, according to an Early Childhood Council survey. 90% of centres surveyed sad the 1.2% funding boost falls far behind the rising cost of rent, relief ...
Timaru District Council orders some residents to evacuate immediately as floodwaters rise
TVNZ - June 1, 2021Ministry of Education Deputy Secretary Sector Enablement and Support says 97 out of 292 of the region's schools and kura are closed today. Fifty of the region's 544 early learning services are also closed. "We are working closely with those schools, kura and early learning services ...
Central Hawke's Bay community rallies together after supermarket fire
Stuff - Georgia-May Gilbertson - May 31, 2021The Central Hawke's Bay community has come together after a fire destroyed its only supermarket early on Sunday morning. There was also significant water damage to childcare centre Lulu and Max, which was based in the same building. It would temporarily be based ...
Schools And Early Learning Services Decide On Closure Due To Flooding
Scoop - Ministry of Education - May 31, 2021Any closures of schools and early learning services tomorrow, due to heavy rainfall and flooding in Canterbury, are a matter for each School Board or service manager to decide on a case by case basis, the Ministry of Education confirmed tonight. Students, parents and whānau ...
Invercargill's city block development on track for May 2022 opening
Stuff - Logan Savory - May 30, 2021Invercargill’s major CBD development is on track for a May 2022 opening. Invercargill Central Ltd project director Geoff Cotton has confirmed they are on schedule to get the Farmers department store and surrounding retail stores open in 12 months. A childcare centre will be ...
Don’t Trojan Horse Kindergarten Conditions Into Centres
Scoop - Early Childhood Council - May 27, 2021Community and privately-owned early learning centres are worried conditions they didn’t sign up for will be forced upon them under the latest teacher Pay Parity policy. To keep moving toward Pay Parity, centres must opt in to the Kindergarten Teachers Collective Agreement...
Slow Police Vetting Increases Teacher Crisis In Early Childhood
Scoop Education - Press Release: ep.education - May 26, 2021Slow Police vetting of people who want to work in early childhood education is aggravating the worst shortage of early childhood teachers in a decade, says the head of New Zealand’s largest education recruiters. Stuart Birch, the chief executive of ep.education...
NZ Budget 2021: women left behind despite the focus on well-being
The Conversation - Jennifer Curtin, Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Suzy Morrissey, Udari Herath - May 21, 2021Finance Minister Grant Robertson called this a recovery budget for “all New Zealanders”. But was it an inclusive budget? Research also shows women need child care to support their labour market participation, and increasing child care places increases jobs (usually for women) ...
Better Childcare Assistance For Low And Middle Income Families
Scoop - New Zealand Government - May 20, 2021· The indexation of Childcare Assistance income thresholds to increases in the average wage will benefit 1,000 families, or around 1,500 children · 3,300 extra places in Out of School Care and Recreation Service. The Government is improving childcare assistance for low and ...
Budget 2021 Delivers On Education Plan
Scoop - New Zealand Government - May 20, 2021“$185.3 million in operating and $53.8 million in capital expenditure over the next four years allows us to get cracking to begin to reform our system of support for schools and early learning,” Chris Hipkins said. The education service agency will be established to deliver new supports ...
