Early Childhood Education in NZ

After most of a year teaching in ECE in NZ, I thought I would give you some information about how it works here, because it is quite different than the US or Canada (which are also different from each other, but not as much, and that's its own story).

We'll start with some general ECE information, then move on to Kindergartens and Early Learning Centres (ELCs) individually.

All ECE in NZ:
~ Based in Te Whāriki Bicultural Curriculum, to which I will devote an entire post sometime soon. For now, just know that it is very holistic, inclusive, and awesome.
~ Play based - children make their own choices of how to explore the materials available, and are not expected to sit down and do assigned work. Teachers explore and learn alongside the children, and work hard to structure the environment to provide appropriate learning experiences and to support the children in having positive interactions with each other and the broader world.
~ A minimum of 80% of teachers in each centre must be qualified teachers.
~ With few exceptions, children have free movement between inside outside, and usually some kind of in-between space, like a verandah, deck, porch, etc.
~ There are national safety requirements, but they leave plenty of space for risk taking, which is great.
~ Teachers and parents seem to have a good understand that even in the safest setting, children do get hurt sometimes, and that we don't have to get too stressed about that. No one seems to have a desire to bubble-wrap the children.
~ All 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 20 hours of free ECE per week. This can be used for home caregivers, kindergarten, or ELCs, and can be divided up between them if that's helpful to the family. And when I say free, I mean free. No charge.
~ The first year of school is Year 1 (with Kindergarten being public ECE and not in a school).
~ Children go to school the day after they turn five, regardless of when that is during the school year. I found this hard to wrap my brain around at first, as it means that children are joining the Year 1 class every week of the year, but Kiwis find it equally hard to imagine the first day of school entailing 25-30 new children that teachers have to settle in all at once. I can see the benefit of both ways, and my limited experience seems to indicate that both work pretty well.
~ Regulated by the Educational Review Office (ERO), which comes and assesses them on a 1, 2, 3, or 4 year cycle, depending on how well they do. The better you are doing, the longer they feel you can go without getting checked up on.

Early Learning Centres (ELCs) in NZ:
~ Privately owned, but there are some huge corporations, like Kiddie Corp, which owns centres all over NZ.
~ Can care for children from birth to age five, but usually only have children who are at least 6 months old, due to longer maternity leave in NZ. Some choose to only have 3- and 4-year-olds, but it is up to them to choose what license to apply for.
~ Usually children can attend full time. They can use up their 20 free hours, and then pay for whatever additional hours they use. The ELC where I worked in Whanganui charged $4.60/hour for the additional hours.
~ Usually have a manager who takes care of administration and a director who oversees the teachers.
~ Open year-round, except for public holidays.
~ ELCs are quite varied, just like they are in the US. Some are in converted homes, some in purpose-built centres, some have many classrooms, some just one, etc.
             (Note: I have actually been forbidden to say "classroom" when meaning an ECE space, because people here perceive that word as describing sit-down desks and worksheets, which is obviously not what we go for in ECE. However, I have yet to find the right word to replace it, and am therefore a bit stuck. I am really trying to avoid it, though, because I was told that my use of it in interviews made people a bit nervous about hiring me, because they thought I wouldn't be play-based and would want to stand in front of the children and lecture. Word choice is more influential than we often think!)

Kindergartens in NZ:
~ Public, government funded.
~ Usually 3, 4, or 6 hours per day. Children can use up their 20 free hours and then pay for whatever additional hours they use. If they use all 20 hours at kindergarten, then it is $1.00/hour for the additional hours. If they don't use all 20 at kindergarten, it is $4.60/hour for the rest.
~ With few exceptions, only 3- and 4-year-olds go to kindergarten.
~ Teachers are responsible for administration as well as teaching, and therefore spend more time "off the floor" (without the children) doing other jobs. This is considered a good think, because being more involved in the running of the kindergarten increases ownership, and having a balance of office time and teaching time helps keep you motivated and refreshed for both.
~ Run on a school year schedule, meaning they are closed for school holidays (10-11 weeks per year). Teachers get part of this time off, and part of it is used for professional development and special projects.
~ Usually in purpose-built centres that are very well established. Most that I have learned about are 35-60 years old, which I love because they have great big trees grown up and fantastic outdoor environments in general that have been cultivated and perfected over many years.
~ Kindergartens are under the umbrellas of Associations, which cover their region (e.g. Whanganui Free Kindergarten Association, Kindergarten Tarakanki).
~ Kindergartens and Kindergarten Associations are overseen by committees of parents and community members (a big one at the Association level, and smaller ones for each kindergarten).
~ Kindergarten teachers have pay equity with primary and secondary school teachers, which means they are paid more than ELC teachers, and have quite decent salaries.

~ This is just my personal experience, but it seems to me that kindergartens have very good reputations, and people tend to have more professional respect for kindergarten teachers than ELC teachers. This might be a skewed sampling because I personally like teaching in kindergarten best, but I do think that it seems to be the way people lean. That being said, I taught with great teachers in ELCs, and think that everyone just needs to find what fits them best, and that will be different for different people.

For your viewing pleasure, I have included some pictures of several other kindergartens in Taranaki that I have visited. I just think that their outdoor environment are so wonderful! While you're at it, don't forget to look back at mine and be appreciative again! :)

http://mercierkiwiadventures.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/wow-i-am-finally-posting-long-awaited.html

Small but gorgeous sandpit.

Special place for bugs to stay. I will do a post sometime about the one that I made with my kids sometime soon.

Lovely little pathway, and great murals along the back fence.

Mahau (shade structure) for dramatic play and bicultural inclusion.

Stunning stage for all kinds of exciting performances.

Climbing structures with an amazing view of Mount Taranaki in the background. Too bad it was covered in clouds the day I visited, but you can still tell what a great spot they have!

Huge and well-stocked carpentry area.

Clay tools and other "making" materials.

This skirt is called a piupiu, and is a fundamental part of any dress-up area in NZ, but this was the first time I'd seen one in baby doll size, and I thought it was so cool, I just had to include it!