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Getting the balance right - universal versus targeted funding
Author: Clare Wells
Category: ECE Taskforce
Created: 09:11 AM, Friday 09 September, 2011
Comments: 0
While we support a number of the Taskforce’s recommendations, we have some concerns about what is proposed, particularly the proposal to introduce a new funding system. The Taskforce recommends that the current 20 hours ECE be replaced by a subsidy, that... 
ECE Taskforce Report - Tensions and contradictions
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 11:52 AM, Tuesday 28 June, 2011
Comments: 0
The ECE Taskforce Report ‘An Agenda for Amazing Children’ is out for consultation until 8 August. The Minister of Education wants to know what people think of the report and its 65 recommendations....
Quality ECE - Worth the Investment
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 12:25 PM, Thursday 19 May, 2011
Comments: 0
When we started the ‘great start 100%’ promotion almost a year ago, it was with the sole aim of promoting the benefits of high quality Early Childhood Education. That aim hasn’t changed, and while it may sound repetitive, the benefits of quality ECE simpl...
Taking issue with the PM’s assertion about the impact of ECE funding
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Funding cuts
Created: 02:35 PM, Wednesday 23 February, 2011
Comments: 0
1 February marked the Early Childhood Education (ECE) funding cuts coming into effect – around $400 million cut from the sector....
ECE Taskforce - Have your say
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 09:01 PM, Friday 24 December, 2010
Comments: 0
In October, the Minister of Education set up the ECE Taskforce. Its role is to review the ‘effectiveness and efficiency’ of government spending and to propose new innovative ideas to support children’s learning.
Setting up this Taskforce was an intere...
Hitting the streets in opposition to ECE cuts
Over the past few months, thousands of people have hit the streets around New Zealand in opposition to the cuts to ECE funding that come into effect from February next year. Peaceful protest marches have been held in Napier, Tauranga, Nelson and Dunedin –...
Reality of less funding hits home
The reality of less funding to early childhood education services has hit home with the first decrease in funding coming through this week. Services receive funding from the Government four months in advance so the payment on Monday included the reduced f...
UNESCO World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 08:59 AM, Monday 20 September, 2010
Comments: 0
At the end of September, people from around the world will gather in Moscow for the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education. This conference is a first for UNESCO, whic...
The important role that ECE plays in adolescence and beyond
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 10:52 AM, Tuesday 24 August, 2010
Comments: 1
On TV One’s Q + A programme recently, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman was interviewed about what needs to happen to ensure young people get through adolescence successfully. The key point Sir Peter made was that th...
The importance of having qualified teachers in ECE services
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Teaching profession
Created: 01:01 PM, Monday 16 August, 2010
Comments: 0
Recently, an international study highlighted the importance of having qualified teachers in ECE services. Amongst the findings in the study, undertaken by economists at Harvard University, were the many benefits to children participating in quality ECE se...
Fostering the successful transition to school and the role of ECE
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 03:16 PM, Tuesday 03 August, 2010
Comments: 1
Moving from kindergarten to school is a major step. A positive transition gives children and their families, a great start to school. The Ministry of Education recently commissioned a review, focusing on what successful transitions to school look like, th...
Literacy in early childhood education
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 10:56 AM, Friday 23 July, 2010
Comments: 0
Quality ECE has a positive impact on literacy -
The government is keen to improve literacy. In the blog this week, Clare reminds us that literacy is part of a child’s life from the start – not just from when they start school....
Treasury's advice to government on early childhood education
Treasury's advice to the government as it prepared its 2010 budget was that the government needs to shift the balance "between public and private funding to better reflect public and private benefits", which Treasury points out "involves shifting costs fr...
Maintaining our reputation as a world leader in ECE
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 01:54 PM, Wednesday 30 June, 2010
Comments: 1
As a not-for-profit service, every cent of government funding to kindergarten goes into supporting high quality early childhood education. We are working on ways to ensure our commitment to high quality services and 100% qualified teachers and to affordab...
Some Positive News
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 04:19 PM, Thursday 24 June, 2010
Comments: 2
In some positive news, the last few weeks have seen three new kindergartens officially open their doors: Tai Tamariki and Toru Fetu Kindergartens in Wellington, and Maungarangi Kindergarten in the Coromandel. Each of these three Kindergartens is differen...
Promoting quality in Early Childhood Education
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Early Childhood Education
Created: 12:46 PM, Tuesday 15 June, 2010
Comments: 1
We set up this website as a way of promoting quality early childhood education and what we value in kindergarten. Kindergarten, with our policy of employing 100% qualified and registered teachers, sums up perfectly how serious we are about quality early c...
A vision for the teaching profession
Author: Clare Wells
Category: Teaching profession
Created: 03:05 PM, Thursday 10 June, 2010
Comments: 3
The Minister of Education, Hon Anne Tolley, released ‘A Vision for the Teaching Profession’ this morning. This document talks about the integral role of the teaching profession in shaping the next generation of NZ citizens and the need to attract and reta...
Cuts hit early childhood education hard
The government currently funds services at different rates according to how many qualified teachers are employed. That will stop in February 2011 when the two highest rates are cut altogether. ECE services will receive funding for 80% qualified staff. If...