In this Week's Update

1.  Several major changes ahead for the ECE Sector
2.  Compare what the different political parties are offering ECE
3.  ChildForum survey results to be released this week
4.  Focus on literacy, language, reading and writing
5.  Is 'child development' a mono-cultural and out-of-date term?
6.  Kiwicare's Avondale centre achieves the Gold Heart Award

1.  Govt Indicates Several Major Changes Ahead for the ECE Sector and Nominations Sought for Ministry ECE Advisory Groups

On Friday we emailed ChildForum members with the news that the Education Minister had released a statement of changes and challenges to ECE which the national government will begin to put in place.  It is likely that more is to come.    Click on the link below to read the details and add your comments if you wish. 

Also at this link are downloadable copies of the form to fill in to nominate yourself to be on one or both of the first two advisory groups to be set up by the Ministry of Education and the terms of reference for these.

* READ MORE:  National Government's Intentions - Review Te Whariki, Change Funding, etc. 

2. Do you Know what the Different Political Parties are Offering ECE this Election?

Read and compare what each party is offering in different areas e.g.  staffing and management, funding, parent and family involvement, etc.   There are some very interesting differences!!!  

Or, compare ECE policies by parties.   Our two articles on policies by ECE topic and policies by party will be regularly updated as more information comes to hand - so keep checking back.

 *READ MORE:  Party Policies by Early Childhood Topic

 * READ MORE:  Full article on policies by party

3. Survey Release

This Wednesday - ChildForum releases the results of a nationwide survey on the state of early childhood education and opinion on what the government could do for children and for the sector.  This will be available on our website. 
If you participated in the survey and included your email address details will be sent to you.  

4.  Focus on Literacy, Language, Writing and Reading

Here's a fabulous selection of resources and articles to help you in supporting parents in teaching their child, enabling young children's learning in an early childhood programme, improving practices and research.  

Practical ideas and guidance

• Helping a preschool child learn pre-reading skills.  This is a must read new article for every educator and parent, by Barbara Morris.
• Essentials of literacy teaching and learning in the early childhood curriculum. This article was in response to ERO's 2011 report showing many ECE services were letting children down in this area.  The article defines 5 indicators of a good literacy teaching and learning programme  and provides a range of tips and information to assist educators and providers to reflect and draw on in developing their literacy programme. 
• Books children prefer.  Have you ever stopped to think if a child really likes a book as much as you think the child likes it?  Read this article about what research tells us about the preferences of young children, even babies, when it comes to choosing books.
• Helping children develop a love of languages from a young age.  Learning languages is an important part of education and English may not be the main language in the home of every child.  Read more about teaching children to develop a love for learning different languages.

Early Childhood Teaching Books

• Leading to Reading the Easy Way by Barbara Morris
• The NZ Early Childhood Literacy Handbook by Judy Hamer and Paul Adams

Workshop Resources

• Early Reading Together resources - includes a parent workshop leaders handbook,  booklets for parents, rhyme and song cards, and a book for educators.   Bring your parents and families on board in supporting children's development of early reading skills!   Show that as an early childhood service you are doing your part to raise literacy levels by getting in early and teaching parents well before children start school.  Resources can be purchased separately.  These were developed from research and are highly recommended.  

 NZ Research in ECE Articles

• Early literacy and the transition to school.  Issues for early childhood and primary educators,  by Clare McLachlan
• Young children reading at advanced levels in ECE.  "Inside the greenhouse - hothousing, cultivating, tendering, or nurturing precocious readers", by Valerie Margrain

5. Is 'Child Development' a Term We Should be Using Today?

Academics suggest the term 'Child Development' represents a static and mono-cultural view of children. Read the discussions about this and different views. Will you continue to use this term? Please add your views to the discussion.

6.   A Gold Heart Award for Kiwicare Avondale Centre

Congratulations to Kiwicare Avondale.  Avondale has achieved a Gold Heart Award from the Heart Foundation. 

In a press release Health Promotion Coordinator Ainslie Ballinger says that when the children aren't outside doing aerobics, they are practicing a myriad of other heart healthy activities. "They have also explored the importance of physical activity by using Lycra material, obstacle courses, tunnels, balancing beams, mats, bikes and more. They are constantly emphasising fun through activities such as "The Little Japanese Chef" sushi making, making Chinese Dumplings vegetables soup, and fruit kebabs, making and edible garden, going on a supermarket tour to learn about different fruit and vegetables".

The Healthy Heart award programme is a free of charge programme for early childhood centres to promote healthy eating and active movement.

*  READ MORE:  Information about the Healthy Heart award programme