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In this week’s Newsletter:

1. The “Six Signs of Quality” and Standards for Quality ECE
2. Help with Examples of Equitable Treatment for Staff (Male and Female) and an Ethic of Care
3. Dates to Save for your Diary or Work Planner
4. Free Checklist Looking at Money Management and Accounting
5. Gifted Children in the Early Years: Feedback on a Survey
6. Advisory Group on Gifted on Gifted Education
7. Emergency - Your Centre Can't Remain Open but You Want/Need to Continue Providing for Children
8. Developing New Skills to Support Young Children
9. Kindercare Battles ABC for Market Share
10. Online Video Clip – More Choice for Parents Advocated
11. Facebook communication

1. The “Six Signs of Quality” and Standards for Quality ECE

What is Quality?  What should you look for?  How can you distinguish between the quality of one service and another?  In an online article we provide the “Six Signs of Quality”. 

Also included are the standards NZ legislates for, and should regulate, which are to key mechanisms for helping to enable quality to happen (there are 4 key standards that are absolutely essential). This will give you an idea for what the minimum conditions, are and what NZ early childhood regulations might and might not guarantee to be present in an early childhood service.  

* READ MORE:  Six Signs of Quality and Standards

2.  Help with Examples of Equitable Treatment for Staff (Male and Female) and an Ethic of Care

Last week’s Being Informed newsletter discussed reactions to the sick days ‘once a month’ comment from the Employers and Manufacturers Association.

Early childhood groups and employers who belong to EMA to represent their viewpoints and engage in political lobbying on their behalf have had reason to pause and think whether or not they want to be seen to have a continued association with EMA (Air New Zealand is reported to have terminated its membership of EMA).

EMA’s comment encourages us to think about the equitable treatment of men and women in employment. In today’s workplaces it is expected that all employees are treated as individuals, and this extends beyond equal pay for equal work to also fairness, respect, and having an ethic of care embedded throughout employment policies and practices.

Employers know that to retain staff and enable them to carry out their responsibilities and duties well it simply makes good common sense to treat every employee as an individual with dignity and respect. Here’s one example of good employer practice from a ChildForum member: 

After a teacher had a miscarriage, she fell pregnant again 2-3 months later. At 6 weeks she had some spotting at work; she ended up crying in the toilets and we firstly supported her and then sent her home from there, without returning to the floor. We cancelled non-contacts to maintain teacher ratio until a reliever could arrive.

Have you got a story or example that shows an ethic of care?  Also what policies have you got or have you experienced that you think are really good?  For example, one centre provides teachers with young children a guaranteed place if they wish it, and reduced fees for the child.

E-mail your examples to us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    We will compile the best examples into an article and share this with you.

3.  Dates to Save

1st Sept 2011 - The National Early Childhood Management Forum 2011

For the ongoing success of your early childhood service, this is the only national networking event for finding out new and essential information. Hear from relevant and leading speakers about what you need to know and things that are important to your service.  This event is for the whole of the early childhood sector – including parent and teacher led services. Bring your management and leadership team if you wish.

* READ MORE:  National Management Forum 2011     

26 – 28 Jan 2012 - The 13th NZ Early Childhood Research Conference

This is the largest single gathering of early childhood researchers - a fabulous networking and educational event not to be missed!  Students and teachers seeking professional development are warmly invited to join in this research conference to keep yourself updated with the latest knowledge and thinking.

The call for papers closes on 1st Sept.  For a copy of the call for papers and workshops email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or go to our website at www.childforum.com to download and print a copy of the call for papers.

Registrations for the Conference open in October.  Let us know if you would like your name added to the mailing list now to receive conference registration information and updates.  

4. Free Checklist Looking at Money Management and Accounting

In response to many ChildForum members’ enquiries about money and audit matters we are pleased to be able to offer a free self-check list. We are in the process of emailing this out.  If you have not yet received the checklist it has also been posted online (click on the link below) for you to download or refer to at any time. 

Accounting and Business coach guru Bevin Fitzsimons and Breakthrough Strategies Ltd are kindly offering free independent professional and confidential comment on your ECE service’s situation.  Just complete and send the checklist confidentially to Bevin, add your own questions, and he will get back to you.

* READ MORE -  Free Self-Check List 

* READ MORE -  About the ChildForum Audit Ready Kits for Community & Private Services  

5.  Gifted Children in the Early Years: Feedback on a Survey

A survey was conducted about the education of young gifted children to gather information and sector views to help inform policy and practices for young gifted children and those who work with them. The survey was made available through ChildForum and giftEDnz networks. Low-risk ethics approval was provided by Massey University.  The purpose of this paper is to provide initial feedback on the survey results for participants, and to give everyone with an interest in gifted education a preliminary indication of some of the key findings.  

* READ MORE:  Summary of Feedback from “Gifted Children in the Early Years” Survey   

6. Advisory Group on Gifted on Gifted Education

This week, with Ministerial support, the advisory group on gifted education met over three days to really nut out a plan for gifted education. An advisory group has existed at different times over many years in different forms for different ministers and governments. Sarah Farquhar (ChildForum) participated and provided a voice for the early childhood years.

A draft vision statement was prepared along with a set of principles for gifted education and recommendations. It is very, very exciting because the focus was on the child/student/learner in education and not as can be the case on budgets and provider and stakeholder self-interests. This is now going through the Ministry processes. And it is a case of ‘watch this space’.

7. Emergency - Your Centre Can't Remain Open but You Want/Need to Continue Providing for Children

A natural disaster, a fire, or other unplanned event may mean your early childhood centre building can not be used. Parents need help with childcare, and you want to continue business but what can you do?  Read about this and share what you might do if/when this happens to you.

* READ MORE – Building Not Able To be Used  

8. Developing New Skills to Support Young Children

In the past we developed the idea that brushing our teeth was important for the health and hygiene of our mouth and teeth. Today there is a new message regarding the health of our minds and emotions and this is that regular practices of mindfulness will keep us mentally healthy and emotionally strong. As our country is dealing with the stress and trauma of earthquakes, global instability, family breakups, and increasing rates of child abuse it is indeed timely that we as early childhood educators have some new skills to support our children.

* READ MORE – Mindfulness in the Early Years   

9. Kindercare Battles ABC for Market Share

Kindercare complained last year that ABC’s radio advertising replicated the concept first used by them. The arguments made by ABC, Kindercare, and their advertising agents with the decision made by the Complaints Board will be helpful for any ECE service owner, board, and promotions staff to study.

* READ MORE – Code for Comparative Advertising and Truthful Presentation

10.  Online Video Clip – More Choice for Parents Advocated

At the end of the day education policy should be about supporting parental care in the first 12 months of a child’s life, according to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. See this video clip on YouTube from the launch of the report on an inquiry into non-parental early childhood education for infants and toddlers. Add your comments – do you agree that it would be good for parents to have more of a choice as to whether to use childcare or stay home and be their child’s carer and educator?  Or do you think that emphasis in government policy should be on getting more parents into paid work earlier and increasing the participation of infants and toddlers in teacher-led ECE.

*TO VIEW AND ADD YOUR COMMENTS:  Inquiry into Non-Parental ECE  

11.   Facebook Friends

Join Sarah Farquhar’s Facebook page for ChildForum and get alerts of new articles and things happening in the early childhood world.

* GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE – ChildForum Facebook page

The information provided by ChildForum in this newsletter is general information only. No responsibility is taken for any errors. If you spot an error, please inform us so that it can be corrected. 

ChildForum Early Childcare and Education National Organisation
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Postal:  PO Box 58-078, Porirua 5245, New Zealand