An Early Childhood Education (ECE) centre owner is “delighted” the Government is changing sector regulations that tell teachers to “tick off whether the fridge is at the right temperature” or what type of milk to buy.
Other sector professionals have spoken of a “massive shortfall” in Government funding as parents have been “screaming” about fee increases.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour addressed the Early Childhood Council conference at Rotorua’s Distinction Hotel today.
It follows a Ministry of Regulation review of the ECE sector that found “excessive and confusing” regulations, outdated settings limiting service supply and “weak pressure on low-quality” providers to improve.
In his speech, Seymour said he heard examples of teachers writing reports on “absurd things”, including the risk of apples falling from a tree in the playground.
This had contributed to demand outstripping supply, higher costs for parents, longer waitlists and professionals saying “it’s just too hard”.
“That’s why we’re trying to modernise the ECE regulations.
“When you make compliance king, you’re forced to focus on ticking boxes more than children’s learning and wellbeing.”
Seymour said the coalition was changing the 98 licensing criteria, some of which were “a bit quirky”.
“Any one of them could close a centre overnight ... we’re changing that.”
Seymour said new “streamlined” criteria would be announced by September.
“The end result is that we get on to real risks to children’s safety and wellbeing rather than arbitrary measures.”
Seymour said it would introduce “graduated enforcement” from mid-next year.
A “full range” of responses from guidance and early intervention for minor breaches to serious penalties for serious issues would be available.
Seymour said the Government invested $2.7 billion in ECE annually, a sector “critical to the future of New Zealand”.
Seymour accepted questions from the audience after his speech.
One ECE owner-operator said there was a “massive shortfall” in funding.
“There comes a point where you can only tap your parents out for so much and I would say my centres are in a reasonable middle-class demographic and I’ve had them screaming ... for a couple of months now about fee increases,” they said.
“Where do we find this extra money if your parents are tapped out and the Government’s tapped out?”
In response, Seymour said the Government acknowledged this challenge for parents and centres that were already “deeply squeezed”.
“I’d love to be able to say that I’ve got the ability to make the Government increase its funding contribution.
“Unfortunately ... I just know that we have a real challenge.”
Another person said ECEs were “only funded for six hours a day” and some centres were open for up to 10 hours.
“Our children are having to attend much longer so that families can provide for their own families.”
Seymour said this was one of the things that would be addressed in the sector’s independent funding review, which was under way.
Red Beach Early Learning Centre owner Cathy Zuill told the Rotorua Daily Post she was “delighted” Seymour was “managing to effect change so quickly”.
Zuill, who opened the Auckland centre in 1998, said she was passionate about children’s safety but was discontent with “all the small things that need to be ticked”.
“You’re talking about mature people who are able to take care of children. They’re trained, they’re teachers, even if they’re in training, they’re still going to be in that environment where they’re working with professionals.
“They don’t need to be told that they need to tick off whether the fridge is at the right temperature, or if they get milk, they can get it in a carton of long-life milk but they can’t get fresh milk, even though they both end up in a fridge.”
She said an audit determined a puddle outside was a “water hazard”.
“A puddle is not a water hazard.
“Anything that’s streamlining that ... with a really professional lens, this is important.
“I’m really happy to see that at least a minister has made some deliberate change with consultation.”
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.