ECE Update

Early Childhood Education Update 2009

Welcome to this issue of the early childhood education Update.

2008 REGULATIONS UPDATE

On 26 November 2008 the Minister of Education announced a review of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, which came into effect on 1 December 2008.

The purpose of the review is to ensure that the 2008 regulations and criteria do not place unnecessary burdens on early childhood education services or compromise the health, safety and quality of early childhood education provided to young children.

The 2008 regulations review consultation period has now closed; the Ministry of Education received a solid response from the early childhood education sector over the consultation period.

Parents of young children enrolled in early childhood education services have also provided their feedback on the 2008 regulations through regional focus groups.

A Working Group has been established to consider the feedback received during the consultation period. The Working Group will also consider the feedback received in the 2007 round of consultation and the views gathered from the parent focus groups.

The Working Group members are:

• Glennie Oborn from Kindercare
• Hellen Puhipuhi from Born and Raised Pasifika
• Penelope Janes from Barnados New Zealand
• Tony Waho from Te Kohanga Reo o Mana Tamariki.

The above people were selected from individuals the Minister of Education invited to put their names forward and from nominations received from the sector.

At the invitation of the Minister of Education Kathy Smith has accepted the role of Independent Chair of the Working Group. Kathy has had extensive education experience and is currently Chair of the Teachers Council of New Zealand.

The Working Group is tasked with reviewing the consultation feedback and developing recommendations for the Minister of Education on changes to early childhood education regulations and will meet on 30 March 2009. It is anticipated that the Working Group will report back to the Minister in mid-April.

It is intended that any new early childhood education regulations will be in place by 1 July 2009.

The ministry will continue to provide updates on www.lead.ece.govt.nz

Kei Tua O Te Pae

The third series of books in the Kei Tua o te Pae collection of teaching resources have now been printed.

This series is called Symbol systems and Technologies for making meaning and there are five books:

16. An Introduction

17. Literacy (oral, visual and written)

18. Mathematics

19. The Arts

20. Information and Communication Technology.

This collection of Kei Tua o te Pae books builds on the assessment practices of noticing, recognising and responding and the Te Whariki Dimensions of Strength – introduced in books 11 to 15 – and introduces a new symbol systems and technologies lens.

The books have already been sent directly to all early childhood education services and new entrant classes. If you have not received your copy please contact Wickliffe on 0800 660 662.

Signature Homes

The Ministry of Education is pleased to announce that Signature Homes has been appointed as the preferred service provider for the design and build of early childhood education services all across New Zealand. Signature Homes has been the ministry’s preferred early childhood education design and build contractor since 2002.

Signature Homes has demonstrated that they have both the technical expertise and the professional support structures to support the ministry and services nationally.

The ministry is also pleased to confirm that our relationship is with Signature Homes Head Office, ensuring that early childhood education services will receive consistent service right across the country.

The design and build scheme

To make it easier and more affordable for people all across New Zealand to develop an early childhood education service the Ministry of Education has developed a scheme which enables anyone to order the planning, supply and delivery of an early childhood education building – complete with site development and interior fit-out – ready for use.

Through the Design and Build Scheme the ministry seeks to fill a need for quality early childhood education buildings at an affordable and up-front price, without the need for services themselves to arrange for consultants and tradespeople on a project-by-project basis.

The scheme gives services the opportunity to select a quality 30 or 50 child place building design from a range of design concepts that are based on best practice service solutions. The scheme, and the designs, do provide the flexibility to cater for each service’s unique needs. The designs have also been developed to meet the ministry’s licensing requirements.

Signature Homes has been appointed as the Ministry’s preferred provider to deliver the design and build service.

More information about the Design and Build Scheme can be found at www.lead.ece.govt.nz/Funding/DiscretionaryGrantsScheme/default

More information about Signature Homes can be found at www.signaturehomes.co.nz

Important To Note

Services that have received a Discretionary Grant Scheme grant and choose to build an early childhood education service from the Signature Homes design and build range will not be required to provide multiple quotes for the development of their new service.

Services do have the option of having their new early childhood education service built by another building contractor, however, services will be required to provide three separate quotes for the design and build of their new service

Software For Learning Website

The Software for Learning website – a website developed by the Ministry of Education – informs and supports educators to select and integrate software as one part of a dynamic and diverse learning environment.

Software for Learning lists quality software – which includes social software, freeware and non-freeware – recommended by New Zealand educators for use in schools and early childhood education programmes.

To look at information relevant to early childhood education first go to http://softwareforlearning.tki.org.nz and click on the BROWSE SOFTWARE tab and look under BROWSE BY LEARNING FOCUS AREA,  and then select EARLY LEARNING.

All software can be used to support creative collaborative learning experiences that can be shared with family and whānau. Why not try Kar2ouche or Tux Paint with your children.

Early childhood educators are encouraged to leave a review or recommend software that has engaged children so that the Software for Learning site can be further developed to meet the needs of early childhood educators.

Establishment Funding

Establishment Funding is a pool of funding available to community-based groups in the process of establishing a licensed service, and existing services significantly increasing their licensed child places due to a building extension.  It provides a contribution to assist services with the operational costs associated with meeting licensing requirements. 

The funding is available to meet two types of operational costs:

• equipment and resources
• staffing and recruitment costs for qualified and registered staff.

Establishment Funding is allocated in four rounds each financial year; applications for round four close on Thursday 30 April 2009 at 5.00pm.

More information about Establishment Funding can be found at www.lead.ece.govt.nz/Funding/EstablishmentFunding

Ngā Haeata Mātauranga – the annual report on Māori education 2007/2008

Ngā Haeata Mātauranga – The Annual Report on Māori Education 2007/08, published in February 2009, is the Ministry of Education’s one-stop-shop for data, evidence and information about Māori education.

Ngā Haeata Mātauranga starts the process of reporting on Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success, which sets out the ministry’s strategic approach to achieving education success for, and with, Māori learners.

The data, evidence and information in the Ngā Haeata Mātauranga report shows us that we are slowly seeing evidence of young Maori and their whanau increasingly more involved in early childhood education. The latest figures show that 91 percent of Māori children starting school have participated in early childhood education, compared to 86 percent in 2002.

However, the latest figures also show there are still many challenges ahead. 

Māori children are still less likely – compared to their non-Māori peers – to attend early childhood education services for sustained periods of time.  Māori children also continue to be over-represented in lower literacy achievement levels and under-represented in higher levels, starting at school entry and generally increasing throughout school.

The ministry is encouraging all early childhood educators to use Ngā Haeata Mātauranga – The Annual Report on Māori Education 2007/08 to make a difference for, and with, Māori children at their services.

Early childhood education services can order a copy of the report by emailing ka.hikitia@minedu.govt.nz or read the report online at www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/nga_haeata_matauranga/35307.

New Unit Standards in Pacific Island Early Childhood Education

Pasifika cultures are more clearly reflected in a series of new early childhood education standards.

NZQA National Qualifications Services has completed the development of new unit standards in the following domains:

• Cook Islands – Te Punanga Reo Kuki Airani
• Fiji – Na I Taukei Mai Viti
• Niue – Kautaha Aoga Niue
• Samoa – A’Oga Amata
• Tokelau – Ofaga o te Gagana Tokelau
• Tonga – Akoteu.

These early childhood education standards were developed after stakeholders asked for standards that reflected the philosophy, protocols and culture of each Pacific Island group. A panel, with representatives of each Island group, worked alongside NZQA to develop them.

The new Pacific Island Unit Standards embrace the principles of Te Whāriki and promote the holistic development of Pasifika children attending early childhood education services.

For more information phone NZQA on 04 463 3286 or email them on providers@nzqa.govt.nz

THINGS TO NOTE

NEXT ISSUE OF UPDATE

The next early childhood education Update will appear in Volume 88 Issue 7, which is available from Monday 27 April 2009.

PAST ISSUES OF UPDATE

Have you missed an issue of Update?

Past issues of the early childhood education Update can be found at www.minedu.govt.nz/educationSectors/EarlyChildhood/PublicationsAndResources/EarlyChildhoodEducationUpdate

NATIONAL CONFERENCES

A calendar of early childhood education conferences scheduled for 2009 can be found at www.lead.ece.govt.nz/NewsAndEvents/ECENationalConferences

If you would like to have your conference added to this list please email us on ece.info@mined.govt.nz