In this Week's Newsletter

For educators and parents

1.  Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education 
2.  Subsidy Rates and Financial Assistance for families
3.  Men who Change Nappies Change the World 

For professional leaders, service managers, owners, committee members and administrators

4.  National Management Forum being held 1 Sept
5.  Childcare Workers to Leaders - New ECE Leadership Qualifications
6.  Tender for Early Childhood services on School Sites in the Counties Manukau region
7.  New Funding Rates
8.  GST "Extra Payments" Adjustments (Ministry funding notices)

For researchers

9.  Best Practice Research Management Workshop
10. NZ Early Childhood Research Conference
11. Beginning Your Journey as a Researcher 

For policy interested people

12. Bias in the ECE Taskforce Report - See Comments 
13. What has been the Impact of Funding Cutbacks for Centres with 80%+ qualified Teachers? 

 

1. Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education 

There are SPACE programmes throughout NZ.  Everyone who comes across SPACE speaks highly of it.  The Great Start Community House in Taita says "SPACE is a wonderful learning journey for parents and babies, it's a special, exciting and precious time of discovering miracles and exploring and learning together, with support".

* READ MORE: All About the SPACE Programme

2. Subsidy Rates and Financial Assistance for families 

Information on funding that early childhood services get in dollar amounts per hour/per child has been updated to reflect changes introduced this month.  We've included details about Work and Income Subsidy Entitlements.  A reminder also that families can receive a maximum tax credit of $310 if $940 or more was paid during the tax year in fees.

* READ MORE:   Money Matters

3.  Men who Change Nappies Change the World

Yes men who change nappies do change the world!  If you think about it, when a man decides to care for young children, especially a younger child, he is giving that child and people around him a message. It's a message of: I value that person, I care, and I want the world to be a better place.  And on a deeper level, we are making differences and statements about men and women's role in the world. If you think about it, what message do children receive when there are few men around children? Children are very smart and the message can only mean that either (a) men don't care about young children (which isn't true) or that (b) children aren't important enough for men to spend their time with.

* READ MORE:  Article by Bryan G. Nelson

4. Management National Forum

Register now to attend the Early Childhood Management national Forum on 1st Sept, 2011 in Wellington.  Only a small number of places are left.  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 team if you wish.  Please note that an exclusive discounted rate of $79.00 is available to childforum members (normally $139).        

*READ MORE:  Management national forum 2011 registration

5.  Childcare Workers to Leaders

Leadership qualifications for the childcare sector have been a long-time in coming. At a 2009 ECE Leadership Day organised by the NZ Teachers Council early childhood policy authority Anne Meade said that "childcare has been doing a giant catch-up with playcentre and kindergarten". Playcentre for example has had a model of emergent leadership. "But what are the models in childcare? There isn't a model".  The NZ Qualifications Authority has praised the NZ College of ECE (owned by ABC Learning Centres, NZ Ltd) for identifying a gap in the market for leadership qualifications and offering two new leadership qualifications which are studied part-time whilst working in a licensed ECE service.   

* READ MORE: Childcare Workers to Leaders

6. Tender for Early Childhood services on School Sites in the Counties Manukau region

The Ministry of Education have reissued a RFP to select providers to establish and manage an early childhood service located on prioritised school sites in the Counties Manukau region.  Are you interested?  Contact Elena Petrovska (Advisor Participation) Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for a copy of the RFP documents and to register your interest.   The deadline for applications is 25 July, 12pm.

7.  New Funding Rates For Different Service Types 

This month sees yet another change in funding rates.  We have compiled the information on the rates of funding for each type of early childhood services so you can see easily at a glance how your service might compare to the rates others get, and included an outline of different government grants services for additional funding.

* READ MORE:  ECE Service Funding Rates and Subsidies

8.  Accounting for GST "Extra Payments" Adjustments

Help is available to enter the adjustments properly into your service's grants summary for the GST "Extra Payments" adjustments in Nov 2010 and March 2011 (Ministry Funding Notices).  Bevin has prepared a guide to assist you.  This is available to holders of the Audit Ready Kit for Community-based Services or for Privately-Owned ECE Services.  If you don't already have an Audit Ready Kit - don't delay.  This will save you money, ensure you are prepared for MoE audits, and make financial management and accounting a breeze.

* FIND OUT MORE:  Early Childhood Licensed Services Audit Ready Kits 

9.  Best Practice Research Management Workshop 

University Research Offices of New Zealand are holding a Best Practice Research Management Workshop on 3 August at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland.  Session topics will be of interest to those with an interest in research and those undertaking research. Topics include research facilitation, research performance management and impact assessment.

* READ MORE:  Research Management Workshop

10.  The 13th NZ Early Childhood Research Conference

The NZ Early Childhood Conference is to be held 26th - 28th January 2012, in Wellington.  This is the largest single annual 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.

11.  Beginning Your Journey as a Researcher

For someone setting out on the research journey for the first time the whole experience seems daunting if not overwhelming. Each part of the research journey has tasks and challenges. It is no different to how we think about the strand of exploration in Te Whaariki for children. Who is there to support the learner?  What is the balance of formal teaching and independent learning about any particular aspect of the problem-solving activity? Is it okay to make mistakes?  How can more experienced learners provide a safe environment for early exploration so that the beginner experiences success and does not get discouraged?  How do beginning researchers develop working theories for making sense of the research process?

* READ MORE: Click here for article by Michael Gaffney published in the NZRECE Journal 

12.  Bias in the Government's ECE Taskforce Report

Robbie writes: "Playcentre is consistently judged to be a high quality service. To put it in the "other" category demonstrates ignorance and bias on the part of the taskforce.  In dollar terms Playcentre is a most cost efficient user of funding".  Find out more about the ECE Taskforce Report, see what other people say about it, and add your comments.

*READ MORE:  Commentary on the ECE Taskforce Report

13.  What has been the Impact of Funding Cutbacks for Centres with 80%+ Qualified Teachers?  

Changes to the funding bands were strongly criticised by NZCA, Kindergartens, NZEI, and the Labour Party in particular.  

ChildForum published an article earlier this year looking at what the changes might possibly mean for different groups of people and parts of the sector. 

We would love to hear from you as to what you have found the impacts to actually be.  Please go to the article, have a read, and say what has, or has not, happened as a result of the funding changes for you or for your service. 

* ADD YOUR COMMENTS:  Funding Cutbacks Article

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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 Networks
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