Latest news with #EarlyChildhoodEducation
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Early childhood sector facing 'dark future', pay parity to freeze for two years
Early Childhood Education teachers play a crucial role in educating young children, the Teaching Council says. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly The Teaching Council has spoken out, after the government watered down early childhood teachers' pay-parity arrangements. The professional body for teachers said the government must take care not to undermine a well-qualified early childhood sector. Chief executive Lesley Hoskin said early childhood teachers played a crucial role in educating young children. "We urge the government to proceed with caution with any changes that could make education and care centres less attractive places to work in for the qualified teachers that our children need. "Unless they are based upon a strong focus on meeting young children's learning needs, changes in this area risk undermining educational outcomes at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. They could also create a two-tier system, where only families that can afford higher costs receive better learning opportunities." Last year, the government cut relief teachers from pay parity and, this week, it announced newly qualified teachers could be placed on the lowest salary step , regardless of prior qualifications and experience. It also introduced a two-year moratorium to prevent services moving from a lower-paid to higher-paid tier of the graduated parity system. Early Childhood New Zealand Te Rio Maioha, which represented hundreds of early childhood centre owners and managers, said the sector faced a dark future as a result of the changes and the budget's below-inflation 0.5 percent increase to the sector's subsidies. Organisation chief executive Kathy Wolfe said the government demonstrated that it did not believe decades of evidence that showed high-quality ECE led to better outcomes for children. "This government appears to be saying that experience and education no longer matter, that quality early childhood education can be sacrificed in the name of government cost-cutting," she said. "The announcement to freeze pay parity for two years is also a further sign that the government's aim is to reduce their future investment commitments. "This is purely a fiscal decision for the government. Employers now cannot opt into funded higher parity options to value their teaching staff." Some ECE centre owners said pay parity was difficult to afford , because the associated government subsidies were inadequate. However, Ministry of Education figures showed the number of centres opting into the highest tier of parity had increased by 400 since 2023 to 1484 in March 2025. They also showed the sector employed 23,699 qualified teachers last year and 9610 people who worked with children in teaching roles, but were not qualified. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Pay Parity Back Pedal A Kick In The Teeth For ECE Kaiako
Press Release – Green Party Driving down wages means more teachers walking away, and its our tamariki and their whnau who will pay the price. We cant gamble with their futures by short-changing the very people who shape them,' says Early Childhood Education, Benjamin Doyle. The Government's latest move to unwind the 'pay parity' regime carefully negotiated between government and the sector is a kick in the teeth for already undervalued and underpaid kaiako. 'Make no mistake, this is a move by the Government to ensure that pay increases for teachers stay low, while cutting costs to employers,' says the Green Party spokesperson for Early Childhood Education, Benjamin Doyle (they/them). 'Today, the Ministry of Education announced that, following a decision by Minister Seymour, centres in the pay parity scheme don't have to offer new teachers pay parity rates. So while they can't cut the pay of their existing workers, they don't have to maintain these rates for new employees – meaning reduction in wages over time. 'This is another blow to kaiako – already undervalued and let down by this government by the pay equity debacle. Slashing pay sends a clear message that teachers don't matter. 'Driving down wages means more teachers walking away, and it's our tamariki and their whānau who will pay the price. We can't gamble with their futures by short-changing the very people who shape them. 'This news comes less than a fortnight after we learned the dire state of sector's confidence in the direction the Government is taking ECE, with 82 per cent of those at the coalface saying it's going in the wrong direction. 'Every child in Aotearoa deserves the best start in life. That demands an ECE system that places tamariki at its core by supporting and valuing the important work of teachers and educators. 'Our Green Budget has shown that we can pay every ECE teacher fairly—if we make the sector not-for-profit, public, and community-led. 'Take out the corporate greed and put every dollar into tamariki and kaiako – that's how we can lower costs for parents and pay teachers what they deserve,' says Benjamin Doyle.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Early childhood educators need to take care of themselves during appreciation week, association says
It's Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Week in Newfoundland and Labrador. The association that supports them says it's important for educators to advocate for quality care while also advocating for themselves.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Report suggests new coordinating entity for East Baton Rouge early childhood education
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A new report on East Baton Rouge Parish's early childhood education system makes recommendations and identifies existing challenges for families. The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Task Force Report was created after eight months of meetings, data-led strategy, partners' input, and national best practices to maximize public funding. The task force was formed in 2024 after findings from a data project showed that only half of children from low-income families are ready for kindergarten. Louisiana Pre K-12 education rises in national rankings, according to 'U.S. News & World Report' Parish leaders are recommended to establish a coordinating entity to focus and streamline building and executing community-wide, systems-level coordination with schools, early childhood education centers, family childcare providers, Head Start, Early Head Start, higher education agencies, government partners, and nonprofits. The system currently has four major organizations playing a part: EBR Schools, the City of Baton Rouge/Mayor's Office, YWCA, and Volunteers for America. Funding is received via a 'patchwork' of federal, state, and local money. 'We support the report's recommendations to establish a coordinated system that will expand access, enhance quality, and maximize funding for the children of our community. This report marks an important step forward— we are excited to continue leading this effort to build a stronger, more unified foundation for every child's success,' East Baton Rouge Parish School System Superintendent LaMont Cole said. The report states the parish 'has made significant progress' with early childhood education since EBR Schools took on coordination a decade ago. The task force believes its top recommendation to create a coordinating entity would aid the parish in accomplishing broader goals for early childhood education. The report identified funding as the biggest barrier to early care and education access for East Baton Rouge, much like other communities nationwide. The task force found that too many children are going into kindergarten unprepared, adding that there is a disconnect between Pre-K assessments and kindergarten readiness. Another finding suggested that families struggle to find information about early childhood education seats and how to apply. Focus groups identified high education costs and accessibility challenges that impacted their search. Survey: Louisiana parents struggle with child care costs, access Mayor-President Sid Edwards and Cole have asked the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) to gather a working group to analyze the next steps to create the coordinating entity. It's expected to take six to eight months to develop a plan. 'There is no greater investment we can make in the future of our community than investing as early as possible in our children and their families,' Edwards said. 'Communities across the country have developed similar models, and we have the chance to learn from their successes. I fully support the creation of a dedicated coordinating entity that can get all the right players to the table to improve education outcomes in Baton Rouge.' The working group will host a community meeting series with families and providers. BRAF said meeting dates are expected to be announced in the summer. East Baton Rouge Schools gets 'C' rating in new state education report Inflation rose in April, reversing March decline NFL player hosting football camp in Baton Rouge Schumer places hold on DOJ political nominees over Qatari jet gift to Trump Report suggests new coordinating entity for East Baton Rouge early childhood education Discounted tuition offered for EMS training in Louisiana Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Forum puts childcare access under election spotlight
A universal early childcare system is within reach for Australia, but MPs from across the political spectrum agree there are multiple steps needed to get there. Minister for Early Childhood Education Anne Aly, Liberal MP Angie Bell, Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May and independent MP Zoe Daniel took part in a forum on early childhood, held four days before the election. The forum was facilitated online by Early Childhood Australia. Ms Aly said Australia had the blueprint for a universal childcare system that was simple, affordable and accessible to every child. "We want to transform early childhood education and care to ensure educators and teachers are truly valued for what they do," she said. The discussion quickly turned to the childcare activity test, abolished by the Albanese government in the most recent budget. The activity test determined who was eligible for government-subsidised childcare based on the hours parents spent working, studying, volunteering or looking for work. The Productivity Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Women's Economic Equality Taskforce have previously called for the activity test to be abolished. It will be replaced with a three-day guarantee, allowing families to access 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, regardless of parents' level of work. The removal of the activity test is expected to benefit about 67,000 families and around 100,000 families will have access to more hours of subsidised care. "The activity test is retrograde, it's poorly designed policy and it makes it tougher for women," Ms Aly said. "Removing the activity test is crucial to making sure the most vulnerable children have access and the opportunity to thrive in early childhood education." But the coalition intends to reinstate the childcare subsidy activity test if re-elected. Coalition MP Angie Bell argued the childcare system was $16 billion of taxpayer funding and therefore access to it should be means tested. "It should go to those families who need it the most, and that is families who are working," she said. Ms Bell said the coalition had committed to improving access to childcare in rural and regional Australia, where families were often impacted by lack of availability. Quality standards of childcare centres were also discussed after an ABC investigation revealed shocking allegations of children being sexually abused, restrained for hours and served low-quality meals. The NSW government has launched a parliamentary inquiry into the childcare sector to investigate the widespread failings in the burgeoning for-profit childcare system. The Greens have gone a step further, calling for a royal commission into abuse in early childhood care to stamp out systemic issues across the board, while also reforming quality standards. "I've got a two-year-old who's still in early childhood education and care and I was deeply disturbed by the reports coming out about the abuse and neglect at some early childhood providers," Senator Hodgins-May said. Ms Daniel proposed the establishment of an early childhood commission, which would determine a national approach to regulatory standards. "We need to set a national standard and also weed out unscrupulous operators, while making sure that there is rigour in the oversight of the sector," she said. "An early childhood commission would also oversee the rolling out of a universal early childhood system where every child has access to quality, affordable, accessible care."
