Toku Pa Harekeke - Toku Pu Kurakura

(the family: the education cornerstone)

Many Whanganui mokopuna and their families will remember Jayne Marshall as the woman who introduced them to early childhood education. Jayne - a tenacious supporter of early childhood education - died from cancer late last year. She spent her final days fulfilling her role as a promoting participation project coordinator for Whanganui.

Her daughter, Karleen, says she initially felt frustrated with Jayne's unrelenting commitment to her job. In the five weeks Karleen spent with her mum before she died, they compiled survey data and finished Jayne's last milestone report. Now, says Karleen, she realises it was simply a part of Jayne's passion for education, and it was important she finished what she started.

As a co-ordinator Jayne's job was to identify and encourage mokopuna, and their whänau, to participate in early childhood education. The Promoting Early Childhood Education Participation Project is part of an overall strategy to boost Mäori participation in early childhood education.

As at September last year 2,427 Mäori children have been introduced to early childhood education since the project started in 2001.

Karleen says: "As I understand it, mum's first step was to rally around the local köhanga reo, visiting them all, getting lists of their rolls and plugging into local communities with babies. She tapped into her extended family, and friends, asking: "So, who's having a baby?"

"She'd tell everyone about the importance of early childhood education, she was very assertive."

Jayne's detective work uncovered a group of five non-participating children, and their whänau, who met occasionally at their local marae. Their informal köhanga reo was about to end with the retirement of their kaiako. Together, with The Correspondence School, Jayne came up with a parent-led distance learning programme to involve the whänau.

Christine Dew, The Correspondence School early childhood principal, recalls the first whänau hui held in May last year: "Jayne was amazingly positive about what we could do - she believed in our curriculum's bicultural approach and believed it could improve society."

Since then, the school has worked with those five families - and others introduced through Jayne - regularly mailing them education packs and linking them to early childhood teacher, Kayte Edwards. Packs include resource sheets, tapes, games, puzzles, books and art equipment. Kayte also offers tips on integrating education into everyday household activities.

"It can be as simple - and as inexpensive - as getting mum to identify the colours or number of pegs as they hang out the washing."

Kayte works with parents to tailor education packs to suit each individual child's interests, as well as mum, dad, nana or auntie's teaching style. She does this through writing letters, email or talking over the phone, each time asking what the children enjoyed, or didn't enjoy, in their previous pack.

The programme involves face-to-face communication, giving families the opportunity to learn about early childhood education. It also recognises the expertise and knowledge of families and the central role they play in their child's education. Christine says one of the keys to their programme's success is a reflective teaching style that allows for a variety of parenting styles.

"It's important to work with parents, to understand their pressures, and to take the programme at their pace."

"Removing the barriers to participation is what it's about," she says.

"We are committed to continuing to develop partnerships with families and communities to support them in the role they play in their family's learning and development. We feel humbled to be part of this process."

"We're very keen to keep up our links with the participation project and local tangata whenua," says Christine. "Jayne is sorely missed by us all."