ECE advocacy group calls for more qualified teachers, better ratios for under twos, and funding for pay parity

Election manifesto 2011

An agenda for quality early childhood education

Our manifesto for the 2011 election has now been released. You can download your copy here.

Our manifesto, asks all political parties to deliver the following early childhood education (ECE) policies. We believe these policies are critical to ensuring a great future for every young New Zealander.

Our priorities for the general election are:

• Commitment to regulating the 80% qualified teacher target as the next step towards a 100% qualified teaching workforce in the future in all teacher led services. Our members place a 100% qualified teaching workforce as their highest priority, but this must be supported by adequate government funding.

• Improving teacher:child ratios for children aged two and under. By international best practice standards, our teacher:child ratios for under two year olds are poor. Research shows that the long-term impact of ECE is greatest on under three year olds and it must be of high quality. We would like to see the ratio for children two years and under reduced initially to 1-4 and eventually to 1-3.

• Maintaining universal access to high quality ECE for three and four year olds with a minimum of 20 hours no-cost ECE for all. This requires a robust funding regime and greater planning of ECE services with active intervention where there are insufficient places in a community.

• Work towards funding pay parity for all ECE teachers so that teachers who have the same qualifications and do the same work are paid the same.

As an association, we represent the views of our members. Members of NZCA were surveyed about the issues they thought affected them the most. Our members are at the frontline of ECE teaching and their views are shaped by their experience as employers, managers and teachers. Our members want to offer the highest possible standard of ECE for all children in New Zealand.

Information on how to pass your views to the politicial parties are in the manifesto.

Children in childcare deserve 100%

In order to constrain public expenditure, the 2010 budget contained massive changes to the way in which early childhood education was funded. The changes will have repercussions to the quality of services across New Zealand. We're calling together our members, teachers in the sector and the parents who will be most affected by the cuts to let government know what this means.

What is Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association calling for?

We want the government to ensure the following for our early childhood services -

1. Reinstatement of the subsidies for 100% qualified teachers
2. The government to legislate the 80% qualified teacher target
3. Reinstatement of the previous funding subsidies for early childhood education

These mechanisms help maintain the standard of quality in early childhood services. Quality early childhood ensures the best possible start for our children.

What is quality early childhood education?

Research shows quality early childhood education makes a positive difference. The effects of ECE last as long as the teen years. Quality early education means qualified teachers, good teacher-child ratios and small group sizes. 

What is the situation with qualified teachers now?

The government and sector developed a strategic plan for ECE.  The plan includes targets to increase qualified teachers from one person, to 50% of teachers then to 80% to 100%. 

Over two thousand services reached 80% and over 900 services reached 100%.  As a result of Budget 2010, these services will have their funding cut.

What happened in the 2010 budget?

The government is reducing public expenditure by investing less in early childhood education. It doesn't believe that all ECE teachers should be qualified and suggests centres should replace some teachers with unqualified staff, or pass costs to parents.

This assumes that parents using childcare are able to pay more.

What does this mean for my family?

The quality of our ECE will be eroded as the teaching workforce gets ‘dumbed down’. If parents want quality, they will be expected to pay more.

What can I do?

Join us in advocating for 100% qualified teachers and the reinstatement of funding subsidies which make this possible. Write to your MP and government, tell them that this decision will affect your vote. Join our facebook group and tell us what you think, the more supporters we have, the more powerful our voice.

Download and use our advocacy letters - send them to your local MP and central government. Let them know how the cuts will affect you. These letters are proformas. Simply fill in the blanks and send them on.

Parent letters

Letter from a parent to local MP (*.doc)
Letter from a parent to local MP requesting a meeting (*.doc)
Letter from a parent to Hon Anne Tolley MP (*.doc)

ECE Centre letters

Letter from centre to local MP (*.doc)
Letter from centre to Anne Tolley MP (*.doc)