Policy Parenting & Parent Engagement in ECE Parents' Choices of Childcare/Early Childhood Education Following the Christchurch Earthquakes
Parents' Choices of Childcare/Early Childhood Education Following the Christchurch Earthquakes
by Arwen Hann
Copyright ChildForum
I do feel frustrated with not knowing what is to be the fate of the pre-school but am selfishly happy that as a mum I get to enjoy this quality time with my babies. (Nicky, whose son's preschool closed after the Feb 2011 quake and is now using Playcentre for both her children)
In September 2010 Christchurch was rocked by a violent earthquake. At the time while there was disruption the city’s residents counted themselves lucky that more damage had not been done. On February 22nd 2011 the city was rocked again, this time with more devastating consequences. Parts of Christchurch crumbled and with it the life and routines that many of its residents knew and loved. At the time it seemed things might never be normal again, but now a new normal is beginning to emerge. Daily routines are re-emerging but there have been changes that have had far reaching effects both practically and emotionally.
For the city’s young children and their parents it has been a time of upheaval. Some families have been forced to move because of damage to their homes while others have chosen to move either within the city or to a whole new town or even country.
Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Christchurch has also been affected. Some services in the red zone have closed, some have seen falling rolls while others have welcomed new families into their services. For Christchurch parents it has been a difficult time. In this article parents share their stories with ChildForum and we look at the different childcare and ECE decisions choices and decisions made.
To view the full article and read comments please Login with your ChildForum member username and password.
If you are a member but your login is not working:
(a) check that your membership is current and renew by taking out a further 12 months of membership.
(b) contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to reset your login if your membership is current.