Early Childhood Education Services in New Zealand

Preschool

General Information on Preschools

Preschools in New Zealand provide all day and half day care for children age 0 to 6 years and can be both nationally and internationally owned. Most preschools have a nursery area for 0-2 years and a preschool area for 3-5 year olds some preschools provide a separate area for toddler aged children of 2-3 years. The operating hours of preschool can differentiate but you can expect to find preschools to be opened from 7.30am to 6pm.

Preschool Fees can range from $25.00 for a half day session to $55+ a day for a full day session. Some preschools offer optional charges which cover food, uniform or a teaching room where others include everything in the one price. It is possible for causal preschool attendance but usually a minimum of four hours is required. Some preschools provide cooked meals which are considerate of food allergies, cultural beliefs and nutritional values otherwise a packed lunch is required.

Preschool daily programmes will be different between each setting but generally each preschool will allocate time for a mat time, music and movement session and a group session catering for different age groups. Throughout the day table top activities are provided as well as core learning areas for children to explore much the same as Kindergartens, including, science & nature, literacy, numeracy, carpentry, music, sensory play, technology, sand, art & collage, books & quiet area, dramatic play, fine & gross motor resources, construction and a multi-cultural area. All preschools base their programme on Te Whaariki the New Zealand early childhood curriculum and should provide each child with an individual profile book that displays photos, art work, observations, learning stories, class trips and any other special achievements of the individual child.

Kindergartens

General Information on Kindergartens

Kindergarten (literal translation: child garden) or more commonly known as Kindy are government-funded organisations which operate as charitable trusts. Kindergartens cater for children aged 2.5-5 years. Not all Kindergartens run the same daily timetable with some running a full day session of 6 hours or half day sessions of 3 hours with younger children attending three afternoon sessions then transitioning into 5 mornings a week. Teacher to child ratio in a Kindergarten is 1:15 but parents are welcomed to stay for the Kindergarten session and help out where needed. Kindy costs roughly $2 - $5 per session; most Kindergartens are supplemented by parent donations and fundraisers.

Kindergartens base their learning programme on Te Whaariki . Qualified and registered teachers also observe the children following their interests and linking these interests into the session programme this is referred to as the emergent curriculum. As well as the emergent curriculum table top activities and core learning areas much the same as preschool are provided to explore. These include science & nature, literacy, numeracy, carpentry, music, sensory play, technology, sand, art & collage, books & quiet area, dramatic play, fine & gross motor resources, construction and multi-cultural areas.

All kindergarten children receive a profile book which provides parents and family an insight into their child's learning journey at Kindy. It will provide learning stories, art work, special achievements, events and photos.

Play Center

General Information on Play Centers

Play centre is a parent run early childhood service where the philosophy is based on parents as first educators. Whanau/family is valued as the vital part of children’s education. Each play centre is unique to its area with parents deciding how the centre will be run. Parents set up activities and provide learning resources for the children where they can independently select their own play materials. Children are encouraged to take charge of their own learning with parents extended and guiding them along the way.

Play centre is for all children aged birth to school age, there is normally a morning and afternoon session of mixed ages. The ratio at Play centre is 1 adult to 3-5 children. Although Play centres are mainly government funded they set their own fees according to the community but on average you would find that the cost of attending would be $00.00-$50.00 per 10 week term. Play centre also focuses on offering parents the opportunity to participate in an education programme. This course covers child development, play and learning, parenting skills, planning and delivering early childhood education programmes, group and facilitation skills and management skills.

For a play centre to run efficiently it requires parents to be involved and attend sessions, enrol in some play centre education courses, attend a planning meetings (one or two a term) and help out where necessary such as volunteer to part of the office holders (president or co-ordinator, secretary, treasurer etc)

http://www.minedu.govt.nz

The three simple rules in Playcentre are:

• respect the play of others
• respect property
• respect the rights of others

Home Based Care

General Information on Home Based Care

Home based care is where your child is cared for in the child's home or a permitted educator's home. Home based care generally works on a series of networks, the caregiver/educator, co-coordinator and the parent. Caregivers or Educators are the carers of the children and provide care in either their own home or the child's home. They plan a daily programme for the children and meet the needs of each individual child. Like other early childhood services such as preschools, kindergartens and play center's home base carer's develop programmes using Te Whaariki.

Co-ordinators help parents to find the right carer/educator for their child and ensure that children are being cared for in the highest quality by making home visits, observing the carer in practice, providing support to the carer and parent and making routine safety checks of the house and supervision.

The ratio is kept small (usually 1:4) and is for age groups 0-5. Home based care allows children to develop and grow in a homely environment with plenty of 1:1 interactions. Carers are able to take children on excursions of choice, meet with play groups and carry out a day that to what a parent would. Fees can range from $1.13 (with WINZ child care subsidy) - $9.00 an hour.

Language Nest

General Information on Language Nest

A language nest is an early childhood service which cares and educates children in their native language and culture. There are many languages nests across the country one that are more commonly known is the Kohanga reo language nest.
Kohanga reo is a Maori language nest and is known for its full immersion of te reo (Maori language) and culture within the centre. Kohanga reo was first founded in 1981 by the Department of Maori affairs due to concern of the survival of the Maori language. Since then Kohanga reo language nests have flourished throughout New Zealand. Centres are a community based but are overseen by the Te Kohnaga Reo National Trust Teacher ratios are 1:5 for 0-2years olds and 1:6 for 2-5 years. The daily programme runs similar to that of a normal preschool or kindergarten, using Te Whaariki and providing all core learning areas for children to explore but with the difference being that only Maori language and traditional Maori ways of educating and caring for are experienced by the children.

Families are encouraged to be involved and take part in the daily programme and to make donations or give a koha (gift) as ways of paying for their child to attend the service.

Nanny Agency

General Information on Nanny Agencies

Nanny agencies provide parents with the choice to pick one individual to care for their child in their own home. Nannies are generally qualified with a child care certificate or a teaching qualification although you can expect to find some that are not.

It is the agencies responsibility to ensure that the nanny has had a police check and at least two referees checked in order ensure she is of fit character.

It is up to the nanny and the family to decide and agree on what her role is but generally her tasks are related to the care of the family's children this includes all domestic tasks relating to the child such as cleaning of children's rooms, laundry and cooking meals. Depending on the hours of the nanny and whether she lives with the family or not her responsibilities may also include getting the child ready for the day/school, running simple errands, visiting play groups, preparing children's dinner, helping with homework and end of day routines such as bath and sleep time.

Pay rates of nannies differentiate especially if the nanny is a live in or live out, it will also depend on whether she is qualified or not. Prices can range from $14.00 to $23ph this will range from region to region it is more likely that you will pay more for a nanny if you are living in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch. It is also important to remember that there is an agency placement cost to consider.

Learning Stories

General Information on Learning Stories

Learning stories:
Most early childhood services provide children with a personal profile book, which over their time spent in the setting will be filled with various documents such as learning stories, photos and art work.

Learning stories are a form of assessment in early childhood education which is linked to the learning dispositions in Te Whaariki, New Zealand's early childhood curriculum. Teachers observe children aged 0-6 as they go about their play, watching as they interact with peers or play alone, reach milestones, make discoveries, persist in a tricky activity or lend a helping hand. These learning moments are captured by the teacher who will then write a story about what happened. Learning stories should always be about what the child can do and not what they cannot do.

Early Childhood Education in New Zealand

Early childhood education also known as ECE is the formal care and education of young children usually outside of their home.

There are various types of centre-based early childhood education services in New Zealand some of these include; Play centre, Montessori, Preschool, Child Care Centres, Kindergartens, Crèches, a'oga amata, Rudolf Steiner, Kohanga reo/language nests and Home Based Care.

These services operate in a specific property/facility and be must be licensed in accordance with the Education Act 1989 under the Education (Early Childhood Education Services) Regulations 2008.

All licensed early childhood education services are bound by the requirements set out in the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.These regulations guide centres in the road of providing a standard of high quality care and education. For example, the Ministry of Education requires that early childhood education centres have one teacher to every five infants and toddlers (1:5) and one teacher to every 10 children over two years of age (1:10).

Early Childhood education services provide children in New Zealand an environment and learning programme in which young children aged 0-6years of age can extend their social, physical and cognitive skills. Each early childhood education providers will have its very own and unique programme that will reflect their personal philosophy.

Not all early childhood education services are the same. It is important that parents search for the right service that will best suit their child and their needs.