Child Care News
While we're looking at the quality of ECE centres, let's talk about childcare for school-aged kids
Stuff NZ - Eleanor Black - December 18, 2017There are at least two hours after the last school bell each day when your kids need to be employed doing something while you finish your work, be this a school-run babysitting programme, or sports or cultural enrichment activities like hip hop or painting classes. You may be lucky...
Childcare report lacks integrity - Early Childhood Council
Newstalk ZB - December 18, 2017A survey that paints a bleak picture of New Zealand early childhood centres is being rubbished by the Early Childhood Council. Lobby group Child Forum claims 27 percent of early childhood teachers wouldn't enrol their own kids at the centre they work at. Early Childhood Council chief...
Childcare workers speak out against 'factory farming' of children
NZ Herald - Simon Collins - December 18, 2017More than a quarter of childcare centre workers say they would not place their own children in the centres they work in, with some calling them "akin to factory farming of children". A new survey of 900 early childhood teachers by the lobby group Child Forum shows 27 per cent would not...
WorkSafe confirms charges filed against two parties after preschool tree incident
Stuff NZ - Marlene Singh - December 16, 2017Charges have been laid after four toddlers were injured by a falling tree at an Auckland daycare. The children were hurt - one critically - after the incident at Discoveries Educare in Newmarket in November 2016. The tree fell through the playground and squashed kids' bikes and...
What happened when 10 British preschoolers moved into an old folks' home
Stuff NZ - Rosa Silverman - December 15, 2017Earlier this year, 11 pensioners at a retirement home in the UK took part in an extraordinary social experiment, when 10 local preschool children were shepherded into the building for six weeks to form a temporary nursery. The two generations, separated in years by the span of a lifetime...
Labour government's response to teacher crisis well received
Education HQ - Danielle Kutchel - December 14, 2017In a statement, Kathy Wolfe, chief executive of Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand, said the Labour government's plan didn't go far enough to address issues facing the early childhood sector. "This package addresses primary and secondary school teacher shortages,"...
Families Package: What the Best Start payment means for you
Stuff NZ - Brad Flahive - December 14, 2017The package includes a payment scheme called Best Start, which would see families with babies born after July 1, 2018 receiving $60 a week for the child's first year - and for the subsequent two years if they earn $79,000 or less. The Best Start payment would not be paid at the same time...
Te Rito Maioha optimistic for early childhood education in 2018
Education HQ - Kathy Wolfe - December 12, 2017Kathy Wolfe, Chief Executive of Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand, shares her reflections on 2017 and thoughts on the year ahead. I will remember this year in education for… the change in government and formation of a three party coalition that wants the same positive...
Best Start Educare says it's a charity, but Taupō councillors aren't buying it
Stuff - Robert Steven - December 11, 2017The country's largest private early childhood education provider wants a council to reduce its rent by 95 per cent. Best Start Educare [BSE] runs 275 education centres across the country and employs 4000 staff. Previously known as Kidicorp, BCE registered as a charitable organisation...
Lisa Scott: For baby's brain to benefit, read the right books at the right time
NZ Herald - Lisa Scott - December 11, 2017What this ever-present advice to read with infants doesn't necessarily make clear, though, is that what''s on the pages may be just as important as the book-reading experience itself. Are all books created equal when it comes to early shared-book reading? Does it matter what you pick to read?...
Sunflower stars all over the country!
Community Scoop - December 8, 2017A love of gardening has taken root in more than 220 kindergartens nationwide thanks to the Daltons Sunflowers in Kindergartens Project. Over the past four months 11,700 kindergarten children have been working hard to grow the tallest sunflower and widest. Sunflower stars...
Poor teacher training blamed for NZ education decline
NZ Herald - Simon Collins - December 8, 2017A damning review has found a widespread lack of confidence in the capabilities of newly trained teachers as New Zealand's educational performance declines. The Education Review Office (ERO) review has found that many trained teachers are walking into their first jobs...
NZ's literacy score drops for first time in 15 years
Radio NZ - December 6, 2017Only three percent of the New Zealand children had not attended early childhood education and their average score of 507 points was much lower than the 549 points of the 60 percent of children who had at least three years of early education. Forty-four percent of children said they very...
Kindergarten revolt: Shift to fee-paying daycare scrapped
NZ Herald - Simon Collins - December 6, 2017A parents' revolt has forced a rethink of plans to turn Auckland's kindergartens into all-day centres. Pt Chevalier Kindergarten whānau chairman Stuart King said he was notified today that plans to hand over the kindy from January 1 to the kindergartens' subsidiary company KiNZ have been abandoned...
Population growth in West Auckland triggers demand for ECE services
Western Leader - Torika Takalau - December 1, 2017New early childhood centres are popping up across West Auckland due to the increasing demand from families. Seventeen resource consents were granted for early childhood education (ECE) centres in West Auckland in the year to July 2017, according to Auckland Council figures...
