Early Childhood Education Update
This is the second time the early childhood education Update publication has appeared in the Education Gazette. We're really excited to be able to bring you Update through the Education Gazette and we've received fantastic feedback on the 25 August issue, which is great. The next early childhood Update will appear in Volume 87 Issue 19, which is available from Monday, 27 October 2008.
Evaluation reports show positive progress in early childhood education
A recent Ministry of Education evaluation of early childhood education shows that almost threequarters of children in the evaluation attended services rated as 'very good' or 'good' quality by the evaluators.
This finding is from one of a group of reports released by the ministry in late August showing initiatives aimed at quality improvements are having a positive effect in early childhood education services.
A separate Ministry of Education evaluation of the early childhood education strategic plan Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki shows that services studied are improving the quality of teaching and learning, employing more registered teachers and implementing Te Whariki (the early childhood education curriculum) more effectively. The evaluation is in the form of three reports and collectively shows early childhood education services' progress against the strategic plan.
The ministry also released a study into the introduction of the 20 Hours Free ECE scheme in July 2007, which found that the majority of services were the same or better off financially. The study also concluded that many services had seen increased revenue, increased demand for their service or both since the scheme was launched on 1 July 2007.
The studies together show that the sector as a whole is improving in quality, is more sustainable and services have responded well to the implementation of 20 Hours Free ECE.
The reports are:
Locality-based Evaluation of Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki: Stage 1 Baseline Report
Author: Linda Mitchell, Arapera Royal Tangaere, Diane Mara & Cathy Wylie (New Zealand Council for Educational Research and Te Kohanga Reo National Trust).
Published: August 2008. This report presents findings from the first phase of data collection for the Stage 1 evaluation of the early childhood education strategic plan Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki. The report describes the localities and 46 services participating in the evaluation and provides a baseline picture of how things were in mid-2004 in relation to the participation, quality and collaborative relationships goals of the plan.
Locality-based Evaluation of Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki: Stage 1 Report
Author: Linda Mitchell and Edith Hodgen (New Zealand Council for Educational Research).
Published: August 2008.
This is the second and final report from the Stage 1 evaluation of the early childhood education strategic plan Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki. The report updates progress towards the three goals of the strategic plan and identifies changes that have occurred since baseline data was collected in mid-2004.
Evaluation of the Sustainability of Early Childhood Education Services During the Implementation of Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki
Author: Julian King (Health Outcomes International).
Published: August 2008.
This report assesses the sustainability of early childhood education services during the early implementation of the early childhood education strategic plan Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki. The report complements the locality-based evaluation undertaken by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research and the Te Kohanga Reo National Trust.
Early Effects of Free Early Childhood Education
Author: Natalie Froese (MartinJenkins).
Published: August 2008.
This study was undertaken soon after services began to offer 20 Hours Free Early Childhood Education (Free ECE). The report focuses on the early effects of Free ECE on participating services' practices, policies, costs and revenues. Sixty services participated in the study.
Impact of Free ECE on Playcentres 2008
Author: Demographic and Statistical Analysis Unit (Ministry of Education).
Published: August 2008.
In November 2007, a survey was sent to a sample of Playcentres to assess the extent to which Free ECE may have affected Playcentres. This report presents data from the questionnaire, as well as data collected through the annual RS61 census and other Ministry of Education data to see how recent changes differ from long-term trends.
Each study discussed can be downloaded from www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ece ; hard copies can be requested free of charge from research.info@minedu.govt.nz
TeachNZ scholarships and study grants extended to all initial teacher education providers
In August, the Minister of Education extended the eligibility for TeachNZ Teacher Recruitment scholarships (Early Childhood) and study grants to all private training providers that offer early childhood education teacher training programmes.
Student teachers at early childhood education initial teacher education providers will be eligible to apply for these initiatives from 2009 onwards.
The early childhood education initial teacher education providers are:
• Auckland University of Technology
• Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (Tauranga)
• Eastern Institute of Technology
• Manukau Institute of Technology
• Massey University
• New Zealand College of Early Childhood Education (Christchurch)
• New Zealand Tertiary College (Auckland)
• Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College (Christchurch)
• Te Tari Puna Ora O Aotearoa/New Zealand Childcare Association
• Te Wananga-o-Raukawa (Otaki)
• Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi (Whakatane)
• The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
• Unitec Institute of Technology
• University of Auckland
• University of Canterbury
• University of Otago
• University of Waikato
• Victoria University of Wellington
• Waiariki Institute of Technology
• Waikato Institute of Technology
• Whitireia Community Polytechnic
Incentive Grants 2009
Incentive Grants support early childhood education services to assist staff to gain their first early childhood education qualification, leading to registration as a teacher. Services must use the full amount of the Incentive Grant (less GST) and the type of support offered must be discussed and agreed with the staff member.
Early childhood education services can use the Incentive Grant for a single purpose or in several different ways, including:
• paying the staff member for days away from work if they are not usually paid, e.g. on practicum, or days on campus/in class, study leave;
• contributing to a staff member's teacher education programme fees;
• purchasing study resources, where the staff member would not be able to complete their programme of study without the resource (e.g. textbooks, computer access); contributing towards additional tuition,
• contributing towards costs incurred by travelling to and from study;
• paying for a reliever while the staff member is away from the early childhood education service due to study commitments.
In 2008, 2147 Incentive Grants were approved; this resulted in 2147 staff members in 1115 early childhood education services receiving support to become qualified early childhood education teachers. This is the largest number of Incentive Grants approved since the first round in 2001.
The next Incentive Grant round opens on 1 March 2009; information packs and application forms will be posted to teacher-led services by this date.
More information can be found at www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/ig2009 or contact Kelly McMurtrie on kelly.mcmurtrie@minedu.govt.nz
Clarification of the support grant for provisionally registered teachers
The support grant for provisionally registered teachers provides additional funding and is available to all teacher-led services. The grant is to encourage and support permanently employed provisionally registered teachers to become fully registered.
The grant is paid to the employing service and must be used to provide support for provisionally registered teachers in working towards full registration. The grant can be claimed for up to two years or until the teacher becomes fully registered, whichever comes first.
The service is accountable for how the grant is used and should discuss the type of support to be provided with the individual teacher. All agreements need to be reached before any monies are spent.
Feedback received from services suggests that, where a consumable item has been purchased to support the teacher registration process, the registering teacher has prime access to the resource until they reach full registration status. At that point the resource becomes available for general use in the service.
More information can be found in the Ministry of Education Funding Handbook 2005 or at www.lead.ece.govt.nz/Funding/FundingHandbook/Chapter5/2SupportGrantForProvisionallyRegisteredTeachers.htm
B4 School Check
The B4 School Check, announced in August 2007, is a free health check for four-year-olds that is being introduced during 2008. Delivery of the Checks started with four district health boards in June 2008 – Waikato, Nelson Marlborough, MidCentral and Lakes. Phased delivery among the remaining district health boards begins from September 2008.
The B4 School Check aims to identify and address any health, behavioural, social or developmental concerns which could affect a child's ability to learn, such as a hearing problem or communication difficulty. The Check is part of the Well Child Tamariki Ora checks offered to all children and their families from birth to five years.
The B4 School Check provides a significant opportunity for the health sector, parents/caregivers and educators to work together to promote health and enhance the wellbeing of children. The Check is also designed to support and empower families to enhance their children's ability to participate and learn. It provides an opportunity to identify any support needs of children not engaged with early childhood education and provides an opportunity to engage these children with education. For information on when B4 School Checks are offered in your area, contact your local district health board.
More information can be found at http://www.moh.govt.nz/b4schoolcheck
2008 Regulations
Free information evenings Regional Ministry of Education staff will be scheduling free information evenings during late September and October. Services are encouraged to attend these free sessions on the 2008 regulations, to ensure they receive accurate information directly from the ministry. For more information about these free sessions, please contact your local Ministry of Education office.
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets have been developed to provide quick and accurate information about the 2008 regulations and licensing criteria.
A new Fact Sheet has been developed to clarify issues about Sleep Rooms, also known as criterion Premises and Facilities 37, which is available online at www.lead.ece.govt.nz
Sleep Room criteria only apply to all-day centre-based services licensed for children under the age of two.
For additional information on centre-based early childhood education services, please refer to the 2008 Regulatory System Fact Sheet for ECE Centres available from www. lead.ece.govt.nz
How do I get a copy of the regulations?
Hard copies of the regulations are available from Bennetts or Whitcoulls from approximately $3.00-$5.00, and online at the following links:
• The Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008: www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2008/0204/latest/DLM1412501.html
• The Education (Playgroups) Regulations 2008:
www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2008/0205/latest/DLM1396401.html
How do I get a copy of the criteria for my service type?
Electronic copies of the criteria are available now at www.lead.ece.govt.nz and can be downloaded free of charge. Once published, each early childhood education service will receive a copy of the criteria that applies to their service type in the mail. Additional hard copies will be available for purchase from Wickliffe on 0800 660 662. Fact sheets outlining the differences for each service type and a set of frequently asked questions can be found at www.lead.ece.govt.nz
Empowered to Learn DVDs
Two invaluable video resources designed to assist teachers with Te Whariki have been transferred to DVD:
• Empowered to Learn/Whakamana ki to Ako: Te Whariki for Infants and Toddlers.
• Empowered to Learn/Whakamana ki to Ako: Te Whariki for Young Children.
These resources form part of a package of materials called Te Whariki: Policy to Practice and have been developed to support Te Whariki: He Whariki Matauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa/Early Childhood Curriculum.
Each DVD presents a series of scenarios in which teachers demonstrate their use of Te Whariki to develop and implement the curriculum for early childhood education.
Each DVD, and the accompanying booklet, also provides suggestions for workshop discussion and suggested readings that explore the pedagogical practice demonstrated. The DVDs are available from Wickliffe on 0800 660 662.