Child Care News
Kindys, playcentres plan powerful national bodies
Radio NZ - John Gerritsen - August 28, 2018Kindergartens and playcentres are planning to form multi-million dollar national organisations to help create more financial clout and counter falling enrolments.The move follows years of falling enrolments and complaints about inadequate government funding for both groups...
Where will the children play? Kindergartens are losing out video
Stuff NZ - Hadley McLachlan - August 28, 2018According to the Ministry of Education, the proportion of pre-schoolers in kindergartens versus other centres has gone from 27 per cent in 2005 to 15 per cent in 2017, whereas childcare centres have increased their share from 51 per cent to 65 per cent. This is not a surprising trend...
Overhaul for home-based early childhood education
Radio NZ - John Gerritsen - August 28, 2018Doubts about the quality of home-based early childhood services and concern over some companies' financial arrangements are driving an overhaul of the sector, government documents show. The government has proposed major changes including introducing a minimum qualification...
Subsidies and work pressure fuel childcare growth
Stuff NZ - Jo Lines-MacKenzie - August 27, 2018A new childcare centre springs up nearly every two months in Hamilton with the city at the forefront of a national explosion in the subsidy-driven industry. Ministry of Education figures show the number of private childcare providers rose by almost a quarter, or 1168 centres, nationally since 2002...
Tighter regulations signalled for in-home child care
Stuff NZ - Catherine Harris - August 27, 2018Home-based early childhood educators have reacted cautiously to a government review of its industry, including a controversial look to whether contractors should be directly employed instead. Education Minister Chris Hipkins released some findings last week from a review of the fast-growing home-based early childhood education sector. Key issues...
Corrections' sex offenders village near schools and childcare centres
Stuff NZ - Tom Hunt and Ruby MacAndrew - August 24, 2018The Department of Corrections has set up a paedophile village – outside the wire and a short walk from multiple schools – at Rimutaka Prison. While the move has shocked a nearby parent who only found out after it was a done deal, a prison expert says Corrections is dealing with the tricky...
Thames childcare centre part of rising trend of licence suspensions against such facilities
Stuff NZ - Jacke McKee Cagney - August 25, 2018A Thames childcare facility under investigation by the Ministry of Education is one of 37 such centres to have had its licence suspended this year. Sealey Street Childcare, in Thames, had its license suspended by the Ministry of Education on July 20. Ministry of Education enablement...
Te Rito NZ supports proposed changes to home Child education
Scoop NZ - August 22, 2018Te Rito Maioha is pleased by the Ministry of Education's proposed changes to home-based early childhood education. 'The proposals are all about raising the overall quality of early childhood education and improving our young tamariki's experience in their first 1000 days,'' says Te Rito Maioha...
New proposals for home-based early childhood education
Beehive - Hon. Chris Hipkins - August 21, 2018The Government is seeking feedback on proposed changes to home-based early childhood education, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. Home-based early childhood education is the fastest growing part of the early learning sector, and has changed significantly since it was first...
Barnardos on home-based early childhood education
Scoop NZ - August 23, 2018Barnardos says proposals on home-based early childhood education are a step in the right direction. Barnardos welcomes Government's proposals published this week to improve home-based early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand. These reflect many of the themes Barnardos...
Whanganui parents frustrated teacher brings baby to class, childcare expert says it's 'an opportunity' to learn
TV NZ - August 22, 2018Doctor Sarah Alexander from the Child Forum believes the school made "a very practical choice." "There's a labour shortage in New Zealand across a lot of sectors including education, it is difficult to recruit teachers, difficult to recruit highly skilled teachers," she told TVNZ 1's Breakfast...
New proposals for home-based early childhood education
Scoop NZ - August 21, 2018The Government is seeking feedback on proposed changes to home-based early childhood education, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today.Home-based early childhood education is the fastest growing part of the early learning sector, and has changed significantly since...
'The rot needs to stop': school dental services failing New Zealand children
Stuff NZ - Hannah Martin - August 20, 2018More than 96,000 New Zealand children are waiting on overdue checks under a "failing" school dental system, an expert says. At the annual New Zealand Dental Association conference last week, president Dr Bill O'Connor said the Community Oral Health Service was failing New Zealand...
Hacker uses fake invoice to steal $53,000 earmarked for child care centre
Stuff NZ - Mike Watson - August 21, 2018A woman building a child care centre lost $53,700 after a computer hacker posed as a contractor and sent her a fake invoice. Anna Ryder of Lepperton in North Taranaki, had made the payment to her father, Paddy Bradford, who was paying suppliers and contractors from...
Not enough schools to accommodate relocated Ambae children
Radio NZ - August 20, 2018The number of early childhood and primary schools on Vanuatu's Maewo cannot accommodate about 800 children relocated there due to the Ambae volcanic eruption. Most of Ambae's 10,000 residents, who were evacuated this month, have relocated to Maewo and Santo...
