Media Releases

Early Childhood Council Warns Of Teacher Shortages - 4 May 2008

Early Childhood Council CEO Sue Thorne has today warned that workforce pressures – particularly teacher shortages – are the biggest challenge facing the early childhood sector.
In her keynote address to the 685 delegates at the country’s largest annual conference for early childhood professionals, Mrs Thorne said that “how we deal with this challenge will determine the future of early childhood education in this election year and beyond. New Zealand has to address the workforce issues in our sector as a matter of urgency. If we don’t, educational quality and participation will suffer.” 03/05/08  more >

New Zealand’s Largest Early Childhood Conference “Will Have A Real Impact”

New Zealand’s largest annual conference for early childhood professionals starts in Wellington tomorrow with 685 delegates booked to attend a packed three day programme. Early Childhood Council CEO Sue Thorne says the unprecedented level of interest shows the conference and the organisation are going from strength to strength. 01/05/08  more >

Early Childhood Conference Sold Out

Six weeks before the event, New Zealand’s largest annual conference for early childhood professionals has already sold out, with 650 delegates booked to attend the three-day conference in Wellington and many more disappointed teachers missing out.
25/03/08  more >

Media Release - ECC Publishes Guidebook For Boards Of Community-based Early Childhood Centres

This record contains a media release announcing the soon-to-released 'Early Childhood Council Good Governance Guide and Toolkit'. It details the positive contributions the guide and toolkit can make to community-run centres and the solutions it offers to the main problems boards face. 14/03/08  more >

ECC Media Release - 12 February 2008

The largest representative body of licensed early childhood centres in New Zealand has spoken in support of Salvation Army concerns that availability of early childhood education is 'heavily biased against poorer urban
communities'. 13/02/08  more >

Community Centres

Community and private early childhood centres are opting out of the Government’s 20 free scheme in similar numbers, and for the same reasons, according to an Early Childhood Council survey that was closed off today (01 July). 02/07/07  more >

Centres Opt In By Transferring Charges

Hundreds of early childhood education centres are able to afford to opt into Free ECE only because they are using charging methods advocated by the Ministry of Education, but ruled out by the Minister, a survey of education and care centres published today has revealed. 02/07/07  more >

Parents Paying For ‘free’ ECE By Variety Of Methods

Parents will be paying for their ‘free’ early childhood education by a variety of methods, according to an Early Childhood Council survey that was closed off today (01 July).
02/07/07  more >

ECC Recommends Free ECE Be Resisted

The Early Childhood Council put out a media release regarding the Free ECE news brief it sent to the education and care sector last week. The brief highlighted the ECC's concerns over the policy and urged centres to resist taking it up. ECC President Margie Blackwood said the move was made with great reluctance and followed 18 months of pleading with Government to change the policy. This record contains the ECC's media release.
27/04/07  more >

Media Release: Uptake Of 20 Hours Free Low And Likely To Get Lower

A media release from the Early Childhood Council today (30 March 2007), raises serious concerns about the likely uptake of the Government's Free ECE policy for three and four year olds. 30/03/07  more >

Survey Reveals Many Set To Miss Out On Free Early Childhood Education

This record contains a news release describing the results of a survey that asked early childhood centres whether or not they intended to take part in the Government’s scheme to offer 20 hours free early childhood education to three and four years olds. The table attached to this release makes clear which areas of New Zealand are likely to suffer the highest levels of centre opt out and therefore which areas are most likely to have large numbers of families missing out on free early childhood education. 01/02/07  more >

Media Release: Downsides Of Flexibility Law

In response to the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill, ECC CEO Sue Thorne said in a media release that employers and employees already have the ability to negotiate flexible working hours and there is no need for a flexibility law. 10/11/06  more >

Minister Moves To Ease 2007 Qualification Deadline

The Early Childhood Council (ECC) has thanked Minister of Education, Steve Maharey, for extending the deadline for early childhood centres to achieve 50 per cent qualified staff.
The deadline has been extended from January 2007 to 31 December 2007.
ECC Chief Executive Sue Thorne said today’s announcement was ‘the result of this Minister being prepared to listen to those actually working with the children’. 19/10/06  more >

MEDIA RELEASE: Absence Of Men From Childcare 'a National Disgrace'

The Early Childhood Council has called for a partnership between Government and childcare organisations to encourage more men into childcare. The call follows an episode of Sunday (24 September, on ONE) which
revealed men were more than two per cent of those working in early childhood care in 1992, but less than one per cent today – and falling. 25/09/06  more >

20 Free Hours Policy, In Current Form, Will Force Best Early Childhood Centres To Close

Labour's '20 hours a week free' policy, unless modified, will force New Zealand's best early childhood centres to either slash quality or close, says research released today (26 January 2006). The research assesses Labour's election promise of free early childhood education for three and four years olds at teacher-led centres. It concludes that if Government subsidises all centres at the same rate, low-cost centres will make ‘windfall profits’. But high-cost centres will 'either go out of business (or) reduce service levels’. 26/01/06  more >

New Research Says 20 Free Hours Should Focus On Disadvantaged

New Zealand's most disadvantaged children will continue to miss out on early childhood education if Labour's '20 free hours a week' policy is not modified, says research released today. (26 January 2006) The research assesses Labour's election promise of free early childhood education for all three and four year olds at teacher-led centres. It says disadvantaged children are most likely to benefit from early childhood education, but most likely also to miss out under current proposals. And it recommends the 20 free hours policy be modified to ensure disadvantaged children are able to access preschool education. 26/01/06  more >

Labour's Extension Of 20 Hours Free Policy Praised By Former Critics

The Minister of Education Trevor Mallard is being praised by former critics for announcing today that he will extend an offer of free early childhood education from children attending community-owned centres only to those attending privately-owned centres also.
Early Childhood Council chief executive Sue Thorne said today that Labour's announcement ‘will redress an inequity that would have given free early childhood education to millionaires in some parts of New Zealand and nothing to battlers in others’. 22/08/05  more >

Funding That Better Reflects Today’s Realities Will Get Best Results For Pre-schoolers 31/7/05

More targeted funding to at-risk families, subsidies that reflect the reality of working parent’s lives and subsidies based on centres’ performance, not their ownership, will get the best results for pre-schoolers, a major new report has found. 30/07/05  more >

Performance, Not Ownership, Of Centres Is Key For Success Of ECE Sector, New Report Finds 31/7/05

Abolishing early childhood subsidies based on centre ownership – including abolishing the ‘20 free hours’ policy – and replacing them with performance standards will bring better and fairer outcomes for children, a new report has found. 30/07/05  more >

'Free’ For A Few - 24 July 2005

"The mounting concern over the Government’s 20 'free' hours early childhood education is hardly a surprise, as the realisation of the pitfalls in the policy sink in" said Sue Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, Early Childhood Council.
Recent concerns expressed include:
• Playcentre worried about their survival as the Government encourages families away from parent-led services into teacher-led services
• Auckland Kindergarten Association unsure how they can practically offer the free 20 hours
• New Zealand Childcare Association admitting that coverage will be patchy
• Neither the Government nor the Ministry of Education able to explain in detail how the policy will work
• Huge regional variations in the number of ‘free’ places available in all-day centres 24/07/05  more >

ECE Policy Differences Patently Clear 15 July 2005

National’s support for the Early Childhood Strategic Plan is welcomed by the early childhood sector.
“We are thrilled that the National Party have stated categorically their commitment to the Plan and the budgeted increases in the levels of funding” said Mrs Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, Early Childhood Council. 15/07/05  more >

Families Better Off Under Nats Policy 7 July 2005

The introduction of a substantial childcare tax rebate from April next year under a National-led Government would provide much needed assistance towards the costs of childcare for working parents of preschoolers. 07/07/05  more >

ECE Funding Increase Welcomed

The increase in the early childhood universal subsidy for all children and raising of the income thresholds for targeted assistance for low-medium income families announced in the Budget has been welcomed by the early childhood sector. 20/05/05  more >

Early Childhood Funding System Adds To Compliance Burden 24/02/05

The multitude of complicated recording, reporting and record-keeping requirements for the new early childhood funding system has the country’s 1800 education and care centres in a scramble to get up to speed by its implementation date of 1 April 2005.
The final version of the new funding rules was released by the Ministry of Education just two weeks ago. 23/02/05  more >

Childcare Crisis Grabs The PM's Attention 1/2/05

The Prime Minister correctly identifies quality childcare as an important ingredient in her recipe for economic growth.
She has a right to be concerned about the ongoing availability of affordable, quality childcare and to be stepping in to find solutions to the crisis in the early childhood sector.
Her Minister responsible for early childhood is making it as difficult as possible for early childhood centres to continue to provide the quality care and education that parents of under fives need to be able to participate in the workforce. 01/02/05  more >

Fee Cap Will Reduce Quality And Choice 23/01/05

The cracks in the Government's much flaunted 'Free 20 hours ECE' policy are starting to appear already and the bandaids are coming out.
The Minister of Education, Trevor Mallard has announced that he intends monitoring childcare fees through the CPI with a view to capping fees charged by community-based centres if they are higher than he likes. This move highlights one of the significant flaws in his 'Free 20 hours early childhood education for 3 and 4 year olds' policy and the dilemma the Minister has in trying to deliver on his promise. 23/01/05  more >

Breastfeeding In ECE Centres 13/12/2004

A report on Breastfeeding released today in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education academic journal highlights the important role that early childhood services play in both nurturing our youngest children and supporting their parents.
"Clearly in the best interests of the child, early childhood services that care for infants should respect a mother's choice to continue to breastfeed her baby and provide what ever practical support they can to assist her to do so" said Sue Thorne, Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood Council. 13/12/04  more >

Finally - Commonsense Prevails 3/12/04

The Minister of Education's announcement that he intends to avert the closure of nearly 400 early childhood centres by rushing through a regulatory amendment is welcomed with relief by the Early Childhood Council.
"Extending the time period for provisional licences from the current 3 months to 12 months will give breathing space to centres in hard to staff areas such as Auckland, smaller provincial towns and rural areas" said Mrs Thorne, Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood Council. 03/12/04  more >

Judge Throws A Lifeline To The Early Childhood Sector 26/11/04

The Secretary of Education is obliged to issue a licence to an early childhood centre, where it is unable to comply with new stringent staffing requirements, but it is likely to do so within 12 months.
This decision, handed down by Justice Young in the Hamilton High Court today, may prevent the Ministry of Education from permanently closing early childhood centres that cannot recruit staff with the new qualifications. 26/11/04  more >

High/Scope Foundation Coming To New Zealand 26/11/04

The Early Childhood Council is delighted to announce that Clay Shouse, Vice President of High/Scope Foundation (USA) will be visiting New Zealand in 2005.
Mr Shouse will be presenting a keynote address at the annual Early Childhood Council Conference in Wellington 13 - 15 May 2005.
The High/Scope Foundation is best known for the landmark, long-term study, The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study of the effects of high-quality early care and education on low-income three- and four-year-olds. 26/11/04  more >

A Step In The 'Right' Direction 24/11/04

"The new early childhood funding rates announced by the Minister of Education today are a major cause for celebration" said Sue Thorne, Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood Council.
For the first time children attending the country's 1700 education and care centres will have access to the same level of government subsidy as those attending kindergartens. 24/11/04  more >

Fair Funding For Children Welcomed 14/11/04

Don Brash's announcement that the National Party would put an end to the discrimination in early childhood funding is welcomed by the Early Childhood Council.
"We have strongly opposed the Labour Government's 20 free hours funding policy as it unfairly discriminates against children on the basis of the ownership of the early childhood service they attend," said Mrs Thorne, Chief Executive of the Early Childhood Council. 14/11/04  more >

Minister Receives Hospital Pass From NZEI 22/10/04

The recently heralded Consenting Parties Collective Agreement is not much more than a promise by employers to pay more, if and when the Minister of Education agrees to provide the "necessary" funding.
"NZEI's so called 'historic' announcement that the Government has given a commitment to funding pay parity for early childhood teachers over the next 4 years turns out to be a little bit of wishful thinking" said Mrs Thorne, Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood Council. 22/10/04  more >

EC Staffing Shambles 5/10/04

To see a small rural early childhood centre taking on the might of the Secretary and Minister of Education in the High Court is surprising but may be just the first of many legal challenges. Hundreds of centres around New Zealand are facing closure and they are getting angry and desperate.
The Kawhia PreSchool, like many others in and around New Zealand are well supported by their community. They are viable and have achieved good reviews from the ERO, yet the Minister’s qualification and staffing policies, as interpreted by the Secretary of Education, will result in the loss of their licence and funding, and consequent closure of the centre. 05/10/04  more >

Free Childcare For Some Will Cost Us Plenty 27/05/04

Budget-announced plans to give some three- and four-year olds 20 hours per week for free at community-based early childhood education services will disadvantage the many families who choose other types of providers for their children, says the Education Forum. 27/05/04  more >

ERA Amendments Not Welcome

The Bill introducing changes to the Employment Relations Act, was tabled in Parliament yesterday. It contains some of the worst elements stripped from the original Employment Relations Bill in 2000 - in particular promotion of collective agreements and multi employer agreements over individual agreements. This record is a media release from ECC on first reaction to the Bill. Further analysis of the Bill and the likely impact it will have on ECC members will be made in the coming weeks and a summary of the Bill's provisions and our analysis will be posted on HypertECC shortly. 04/12/03  more >

Robbing Peter To Bribe Paul

Already struggling to match the pay and conditions of teachers in the kindergarten sector, employers in the rest of the early childhood sector have taken another body blow with the introduction this month of the new taxpayer funded retirement scheme for public servants. Thanks to selective lobbying by NZEI, eligibility to the scheme includes registered teachers employed by free kindergarten associations. Whilst the $ for $ subsidy may be great news for these teachers and their employers (as the selective introduction of pay parity was), it can only make recruitment of teachers in the rest of the early childhood sector more difficult. One would wonder how any government could consider giving a commercial advantage of this sort to one group of employers over another in the same business.
Go to this record to find out more about how surpluses (arising from the Government collecting more tax than is needed) are being given to the teachers in the better funded free kindergarten sector at the expense of the rest of us. 17/11/03  more >

A New Deal: Making Education Work For All New Zealanders

On October 14, politicians from National, New Zealand First, ACT and United Future co-hosted the parliamentary launch of A New Deal, the Education Forum’s vision piece for New Zealand education.
ECC CEO Sue Thorne compares the "vision" for the compulsory sector with "reality" of the ECE sector in this media release issued at the time of the launch. 21/10/03  more >

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