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Early Learning Resilience Being Severely Tested

“Our sector is happy to play its part in re-opening the economy, but we’re under pressure on multiple fronts. Fewer children can attend in Level 3, which creates staffing challenges and can make reopening impossible,” said Early Childhood Council CEO Simon Laube.Yesterday’s move to expand bubbles from ten to 20 children will mean more juggling for Auckland and Waikato centres in Level 3, but falls far short of what the ECC recommended. On top of this, mandatory vaccination requirements i...

75% Of Early Learning Providers Worse Off By Accepting Pay Parity Offer

Damning feedback shows the offer designed to close the gap between kindergarten and centre teacher pay is missing the mark, including:- 75% of respondents said the Minister’s increased funding rates would not cover the increased staff wages costs for their centre- The average shortfall between Pay Parity increased funding and new wage rates was $35,000- 70% of respondents said the last-minute adjustments to the offer made no difference to their decision, even though removing the top pay band w...