Whangārei early childhood leaders reveal a sector in crisis

Shelley Shennan is concerned about the struggles the ECE sector is currently facing. Photo / Tania Whyte

Early childcare educators are sounding the alarm about unsafe working and learning conditions as the sector struggles to meet demand.

Educators say issues of unworkable ratios, crowd control, workload pressures and other health and safety concerns put the country’s youngest learners in a vulnerable position.

Teachers are skipping breaks in order to make sure they stay within the regulated ratio of child to teacher while also worrying about meeting health and safety requirements.

Northland early childhood leaders say parents and caregivers should all be concerned about the issues plaguing the sector.

A recent Te Riu Roa NZEI report that was completed by 4174 early childhood education teachers countrywide revealed hard-hitting statistics that highlighted long-standing issues.

Unworkable ratios were highlighted in the survey as a major concern as 90 per cent of respondents agreeing that regulated ratios are not fit for purpose and compromise on quality learning.

The survey found that 43 per cent of respondents were skipping breaks to stay within the ratio.

Parihaka Kindergarten’s Head Teacher Shelley Shennan said that ratio is a “main concern” because it impacts massively on children’s learning and relationship building.

She said building a sense of trust comes from tamariki [children] having a sense of belonging which takes one-on-one time. The model for under-two-year-old’s is a ratio of 1 teacher to every five children.

Shennan said the ratio for children two and under was a stark contrast to children over two years old. They have to adjust “overnight” to a ratio of one teacher to every 10 children.

“They come into an environment where there are four teachers and 40 children.”

She said building a “sense of trust” and connections is then much harder.

Shennan claimed children with high learning needs also suffered under the current ratio model. She had a large number of children at her centre with learning needs.

Those students need one-on-one learning time but when teachers do that it takes the ratio up to 1:20 for other kaiako [teachers], she said.

“Our ability to meet their needs become stretched because the funding isn’t available,” she said.

Shennan said “a lot more” teachers are having to do work in their own time. Further fuel to the fire is the teacher shortage.

Te Rito Maihoa board member Clare Wells of Waipū said the sector has been calling for a 100 per cent qualified workforce for “decades”.

“Twenty years ago we had a plan to have a 100 per cent qualified teaching workforce by 2012. We’re still not there,” she said.

Early Childhood New Zealand council member Clare Wells, of Waipū wants to see better ratios put in place in ECE.

Regulations allow for 50 per cent qualified staff but there were not enough people training as teachers, Wells said.

NZEI also reported concern about the privatisation of childcare. Parents are seeking more free childcare during the cost of living crisis, resulting in huge waitlists such as at the fees-free Parihaka Kindergarten.

For some parents, paying high fees is the only choice when they work full-time, as kindergarten hours do not fit with working hours, Shennan explained.

Wells explained while government funding is the same across the board, private childcare charges extra for transport, meals, employing more teachers to get a better ratio, or even maintaining their profit margins.

Shennan is vying for “structural” change to occur for the sake of ECE, families and their tamariki.

“I think we need to look at the way early childhood is funded,” she said. This would then ensure “transparency and accountability” of public funds.

Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie recently graduated from Massey University and has a special interest in the environment and investigative reporting.