Minimum teacher-to-child ratios are not good enough for two-year-olds, groups representing early childhood teachers and services say.
They have told the Ministry for Regulation to improve the rules.
Currently, early learning services must have at least one teacher for every five children under the age of two, and one for every 10 children over two.
In submissions to the ministry Kindergartens New Zealand, the Educational Institute, and Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand called for different ratios.
Te Rito Maioha, which represents several hundred ECE services and also provides teacher education, said current ratios and funding rates were not fair for two-year-olds.
“Children/tamariki under three years old are infants, yet our current model creates an arbitrary cut off age of two which leaves tamariki in the two- to three-year-old bracket as the lowest funded group,” it said.
“These children/tamariki have all the needs of under two-year-old children/tamariki (nappy changing, developing language and social skills), yet not the same level of support in terms of funding or teaching ratios.”
Kindergartens New Zealand said the rules should change to require one teacher for every four children under the age of three.
“Many ECE services operate above the minimum ratios particularly for children under three years old because of the known benefits. Good ratios facilitate good relationships and meaningful interactions — both factors being critical to optimise children’s learning and development, and to support their safety and wellbeing,” it said.
Kindergartens New Zealand also recommended the review increase the requirement that at least 50% of staff working with children must be qualified teachers to 80% “immediately, with a view to increasing to 100% by 2027”.
The Educational Institute, which represents mostly kindergarten teachers, also called for the percentage of qualified teachers to be raised to 80% and to 100% by 2027.
It said ratios should be changed to 1:3 for under-twos and 1:5 for over-twos.
Independent advisory group the Office of Early Childhood said the review should increase the minimum requirement for indoor space in centre-based services from 2.5 square metres per child to 5sqm per child.
It also said that people who were not teaching, such as cleaners, should not be counted when services were calculating the ratio of teachers to children.
All of the organisations recommended the ministry reverse a recent change that allowed people without teaching qualifications to be the “person responsible” at each service.
The Ministry for Regulation was analysing submissions and was expected to report back to the government in November or December.
The Early Childhood Council, which represents ECE service owners, recently criticised ratio regulations as being unworkable.
rnz.co.nz
