Child Care News
Call for more help for preschoolers
Otago Daily Times - John Lewis - March 22, 2021A Dunedin kindergarten is calling for organisations which help primary schools to expand their support to include preschoolers who are turning up hungry and in ill-fitting clothes. Brockville Kindergarten head teacher Julie Baird said her staff spent a lot of time applying for grants and sourcing ...
Early Childhood Teachers Experiencing Teacher Shortage, Fear Situation Could Worsen
Scoop - NZEI Te Riu Roa - March 22, 2021A survey of early childhood educators has revealed significant concerns about the impacts of teacher shortages on teachers and children, and suggests the situation is worsening. The survey, conducted by NZEI Te Riu Roa union's 'ECE Voice' campaign, showed that 92% of teachers believe ...
Solution To ECE Teacher Shortage Stuck Overseas
Scoop - Early Childhood Council - March 22, 2021Early Childhood Education is the latest sector to be hit by managed isolation holdups. Qualified early learning educators set to help solve New Zealand’s early learning teacher shortage are way down the list for spots in MIQ. “The teacher shortage was critical before COVID-19 ...
Child poverty: As a preschool teacher, I see Kiwi families struggling every day
Stuff - March 19, 2021OPINION: Our community is pretty vulnerable. There’s a lack of warm, affordable housing here, and it’s not uncommon for families in our early childhood centre to be living in someone’s garage. Others, homeless, have been split up as a family because it’s easier to find ...
'Elitism', 'double dipping' accusations as councillors vote for access to childcare allowance
Stuff - Mike Mather - March 19, 2021Hamilton City councillors have narrowly voted to allow themselves to be able to claim for up to $6000 per child per year in childcare costs, as part of their pay and entitlements package. Although the potential quantum involved may not have been great, the issue sparked two hours ...
Hamilton school and kindergarten out of lockdown after reports of gun shots
TVNZ 1 news - March 16, 2021Police say they were alerted around 1:20pm to a report of possible gun shots in the Enderley area. A local school and kindergarten went into lockdown as a precaution. The principal of TKKM o Te Ara Rima middle school told 1 NEWS they were put in lockdown at 1:30pm...
Councillors could get $6K allowance for childcare - but no such luck for staff
Stuff - Mike Mather - March 16, 2021Hamilton City councillors who are the parents of young children might soon be able to claim a childcare allowance of up to $6000 per year per youngster. However, there is no such deal available for staff working at the organisation, who will have to continue to pay for their childcare ...
Timaru kindergarten's inaugural colour run raises nearly $1000
Stuff - Joanne Holden - March 14, 2021Families ran, walked, and crawled through a riot of colour to raise nearly $1000 for a Timaru kindergarten. The inaugural Hanan Kindergarten Colour Run attracted about 200 people to West End Park off Wai-iti Rd on Sunday, with organiser Nicole Rooney saying the surprisingly ...
Early childhood educator supports children and teachers to be their best
Stuff - George Heagney - March 10, 2021Providing the best outcomes for her pupils and teachers has always been a driving force for Manawatū early childhood educator Lorelei Dekker. Dekker is the educational leader at the Secret Garden Childcare, which has centres in Feilding and Palmerston North ...
Preschool awarded for its handling of Covid-19, terror attack and wildfire
Stuff - Lee Kenny - March 8, 2021Working with youngsters can be challenging at the best of times but staff at a Christchurch preschool have been praised for their handling of the Covid-19 lockdown and the support they provided after the March 15 terror attack and a recent wildfire. Moa Kids Community ...
Wellington teacher celebrated for pay parity advocacy for early childhood sector 'in crisis'
Stuff - Laura Wiltshire - March 8, 2021Just over a week after data from the Ministry of Education highlighted a worrying pay gap in New Zealand's early childhood sector, a Wellington teacher has been recognised for campaigning for fair pay. Early childhood teacher Mel Burgess, and the team from Adelaide ...
Bee project dear to heart of award-winning teacher
Otago Daily Times - John Lewis - March 7, 2021Antennae can often be seen atop bee-lover Rae Shurbutt’s head while she tends to her pupils and beehives. Now the Bayfield Kindergarten teacher is considering getting a black and yellow-striped cape to go with them, after winning an Early Childhood Education ...
Early childhood teachers hurting from 'unfair' pay disparity
RNZ - March 7, 2021Children's Day, marked today, is an opportunity to address pay inequities in the early childhood education sector, a union says.It's 'shocking' that ECE teachers are paid on average $16,000 a year less than teachers in primary schools, said NZEI Te Riu Roa's Early Childhood ...
Nation’s Early Childhood Heroes Recognised On Children’s Day
Scoop - Press Release: NZEI Te Riu Roa - March 7, 2021Innovation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, support that went above and beyond for families after the Christchurch shootings, mentoring children to be environmental enthusiasts, and tirelessly advocating for a better, more just early childhood education system are just a few ...
Covid-19: Parents frustrated early learning centre charging for lockdown absence
Stuff - Kendall Hutt - March 5, 2021Parents at a south Auckland early learning centre are frustrated they are being charged for absence during alert level 3 lockdown. Even though their children may not be at Lollipops Takanini this week, parents are being charged half of their normal fees – described by the centre ...
