Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan Consultation Document

Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Education Consultation Document

ISSUED BY:

The Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan Working Group

November 2000

A vision for children

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child contains a vision for children. That "... the child should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, ... and [grow] up in the spirit of ... peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity." (Preamble)

The Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Education Working Group adds: that children should be able to explore and learn about our dual heritages, and about people, places and things, in Aotearoa/New Zealand, with adults who respect and cherish them. We want to affirm:

• Expressive and creative children
• Playful and caring children
• Thriving and competent children who love to learn.

The working group believes that the best interests of the child are served when every child and whänau/family can participate in early childhood education within a society that values its children.

The purpose of early childhood education

The key principle is Whakamana:
(Empowerment)
 
Mä te whäriki o te köhanga reo e whakatö te kaha ki roto i te mokopuna, ki te ako, kia pakari ai tana tipu.
(Early childhood education is to empower children to learn and grow.)
 
The early childhood curriculum in Aotearoa/New Zealand is founded on the following aspirations for children:

to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society. (Te Whäriki, 1996)

These aspirations inform the strands of curriculum work in early childhood settings:

Mana atua                   Well-being
Mana whenua              Belonging
Mana aotuuroa            Exploration
Mana reo                    Communication
Mana tangata              Contribution

The nature of early childhood education

Educators, with expertise in early education, build on each child's prior knowledge and understanding and on the experiences that children have within their whänau/ families and communities. They:

• provide opportunities and experiences that nurture and foster learning for children/whänau/family
• affirm the language and cultural heritage of the child
• create an environment where whänau/families are valued as educators of their children
• ensure that both the environment, and people who work within it, support the holistic development of the child.

Opportunities also abound for adult and community learning in early childhood settings.

Values underpinning the strategic plan

The working group proposes that the strategic plan should rest on the following values:

• honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by respecting Maori views and choices, and their rights as tangata whenua of Aotearoa/ New Zealand
• observe the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child
• facilitate fair, inclusive, and equitable early childhood education
• promote high quality early education and responsible and responsive educators
• accept early childhood education as equal in status with other education sectors
• respect diversity of services, philosophies and pedagogies
• address the interests of the child, whänau/family, and society in a balanced way
• benefit the whole child
• foster collaboration between children, adults, and organisations.

Strategic goals for policy for early childhood education

Two strategic goals are contained within the terms of reference for the working group. They are:

1 To improve the quality of early childhood education, and

2 To increase participation in quality early childhood education.

The working group is considering a third strategic goal:

3 To facilitate "communities of learning" around early childhood services, where children, whänau, parents, schools and others in the community learn alongside each other. Thus, more early childhood services would become crossroads of learning.

Terms of Reference

Preamble

The Government is committed to the development of a strategic plan for early childhood education. The purpose of the plan is to provide strategic goals and a framework for policy that will give stability to the sector as to the future direction of early childhood education in New Zealand.

The Government's broad early childhood education aims are to:

• improve access to, participation in and quality in early childhood education; and
• Close the Gaps in participation in quality early childhood education between Mäori and non-Mäori, and Pacific and non-Pacific children.

Treaty of Waitangi

The strategic plan working group is to recognise that the Crown and Mäori have a special relationship through the Treaty of Waitangi, and to use structures and processes aimed at enhancing this relationship.

Guiding principles

The strategic plan working group is to:

a develop a plan that recognises the educational needs of children in the context of whänau/family development as paramount;

b consult with a wide range of relevant parties, paying particular attention to underrepresented populations; and

c identify and take into account relationships between government policy in early childhood education and other government policy goals, particularly those in education, labour market, health, welfare and Closing the Gaps policies.

Key Tasks to be achieved by Strategic Plan Working Group

The strategic plan working group is to:

• develop a 10-year strategic plan to fulfil Government's broad aims for early childhood education that contains strategic goals and a framework for policy for early childhood education;
• advise, in a responsible manner, on the implementation and resourcing of the strategic plan for early childhood education;
• develop three strands: Mäori, Pacific and "mainstream" in preparing the plan that are later woven together in the final report. Issues for Mäori and Pacific children and their families in both "mainstream" and language-immersion services should be addressed;
• harmonise the goals and strategies for Mäori children with those contained in 'Whakaaro Mätauranga' and those which arise from the Ministry of Education's Hui Taumata;
• harmonise the goals and strategies for Pacific children with those contained in 'Ko E Ako 'a e Kakai Pasifika';
• develop and implement a consultation process to facilitate the involvement of the following in the development of the strategic plan for early childhood education:
• the early childhood sector;
• Mäori and Pacific communities;
• "unrepresented interests" (communities - geographic and population-based - that have little access to early childhood education, and providers not represented by national organisations);
• rural groups;
• parents;
• the school sector; and
• training and professional development providers.

process should include Ministry of Education mechanisms and other approaches that will be effective in reaching the relevant groups;

• address issues to do with barriers to participation and/or access for communities that are underrepresented in early childhood education services (when compared with the rate of the general community);
• focus on closing the gaps between Mäori and non-Mäori, Pacific and non-Pacific children in early childhood education;
• identify barriers to access to culturally appropriate services for Mäori and Pacific children and their families, including the responsiveness of "mainstream" services to these communities;
• examine issues related to quality early childhood education and recommend approaches to improving quality. The role of providers of teacher training, registration and the Education Council may need to be considered;
• advise on how government agencies and mechanisms could be used to progress the strategic goals for early childhood education; and
• report on progress to the Ministry of Education about every 6 weeks, present a draft report to the Minister of Education for his consideration by April, 2001, and prepare a final report by the end of August 2001 for consideration by the Minister of Education and Cabinet.

Reflective questions

Please respond to some or all of the following and send your views to Dr Anne Meade, P O Box 12 271, Wellington, fax 04-471 2887, email anne.meade@attglobal.net by 28 February 2001.

1 Please share your ideas about the vision, values, purpose and nature of early childhood education in the twenty first century.

Improving quality

2 What does quality early childhood education mean to you? 

3 Many Government policies are designed to help improve the quality of early childhood education, e.g., early childhood and home-based care regulations, Desirable Objectives and Practices (DOPs), Rate 2 (Quality) funding, Te Whaariki, qualifications and training, professional development, early childhood research.

Which Government policies, if any, should be changed or added to improve quality early childhood education in the next 10 years?

How?

Increasing participation in quality early childhood services

4 Should the goal be to increase enrolment numbers and/or increase the amount of participation for children and whänau/families who can't or don't access much?

How?

5 There are Government policies designed to help increase participation in quality early childhood education, e.g., subsidies for services, childcare subsidy, grants for facilities, early childhood research.

Which Government policies, if any, should be changed or added to increase participation of those who can't or don't participate much? 

How?

Ask the children

6 When you asked young children what they think about "better" and/ or "more" early childhood education, what did they say? 

Facilitating "communities of learning"

7 a How do you react to the possible strategic goal: to facilitate "communities of learning" around early childhood services? 

b If applicable, what points would you like us to consider in relation to making such a goal a success?

 
c Do you have any comments on the relationship between early childhood services and schools?

Reviewing the role of government agencies

8 How could government agencies (e.g., Ministry of Education, Education Review Office, Department of Work and Income, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Early Childhood Development, Specialist Education Services, Teacher Registration Board, Health Protection Offices) do more to help to fulfil the strategic goals?

Which agency/s? 
 
How?

9 Any other issues, ideas and comments? (Add another page if you wish.)

Your profile

a Are you replying as:

[ ] an individual?  [ ] a group? (how many in the group?)
[ ] parent/s of children under the age of five?
[ ] early childhood educator/s? 
[ ] manager/owner of a service?
[ ] involved in ECE in some other way?
[ ] involved in another aspect of education?
[ ] none of the above

b Do you live in:

[ ] a city?
[ ] town?
[ ] rural area?
 

c Please describe your ethnic background (optional)

Thank you for your contributions. They are very much appreciated.