Child Care News
Early childhood ed fellowship exploring pedagogy in STEEAM
Scoop - June 10, 2019The 2019 Margaret May Blackwell Travel Fellowship, worth up to $16000, has been awarded to Janette Kelly-Ware. Her proposal is entitled Beyond Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the creative and pedagogical possibilities of STEEAM through play based learning...
Auckland childcare centre cuts disposable nappies, reuses food scraps in eco-drive
Stuff - Danielle Clent - June 8, 2019An Auckland childcare centre is doing its bit for the environment by reducing the amount of waste it uses daily. Precious Pipis Childcare centre, in West Auckland's rural Waimauku, started by switching out its disposable nappies for cloth nappies. The team has "never looked back" ...
Pukekohe property leased to childcare centre
NZ Herald - June 8, 2019Land and buildings housing a substantial purpose-built early childcare education centre in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, have been placed on the market. The property at 51 Twomey Drive is branded under The Playhouse Pre-School trademark, and is one of two childcare centres...
Maggots at childcare centres, bed bugs on the rise
Stuff - John Weekes - June 7, 2019Freak incidents involving maggots, fleas, cockroaches and possums have caused public health officials to shell out more and more money for pest control. And a surge in recorded bed bug infestations at Auckland's health facilities has an expert warning the small bloodsucking insects are "on the rise"...
Whanganui and Wellington kindergarten associations merge
NZ Herald - June 7, 2019It's the end of an era for Whanganui Kindergarten Association (WKA) as it prepares to merge with Porirua. The amalgamation with Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association (HWM) takes effect from July 1 after Whanganui board members, life members and parents of kindy children voted for it...
One in 20 kids can't see properly before they start school
Stuff - Lee Suckling - June 7, 2019While as many as one in five kids goes to school hungry, one in 20 could arrive at first their first day of class unable to see properly too, according to a new report. University of Otago research has discovered that 6.7 per cent of children without vision aids (such as glasses) were discovered to need referrals...
Preschoolers may not get enough 'back and forth' interactions for language development
Stuff - Lee Kenny - June 5, 2019Under-5s need more adult interactions to acquire language than previously thought and Kiwi kids may be missing out, according to a United States linguist who is visiting New Zealand. Professor Laura Justice, of Ohio State University, said regular "back and forth" communication is vital to speech development...
Three Little Birds childcare case not measles but two more found in Northland linked to netball player
NZ Herald - June 5, 2019The Three Little Birds daycare centre at Tikipunga was stuck in the middle of a measles scare. A little boy who attended a Whangārei childcare centre has been cleared of having measles after it was reported his was the region's fifth case. However, two new cases have since been confirmed elsewhere...
Early childhood teachers forgotten during recent teachers strikes
Stuff - Nicola Martin - June 1, 2019While more than 50,000 primary and secondary teachers, 3000 of them from Hamilton, chanted, one, two, three, four, we want more teachers in the door, our early childhood sector is facing their worst ever teacher shortage. A survey released by the Early Childhood Council late last year ...
More than 70 Whangārei residents in isolation after measles case at childcare centre
TV NZ - May 31, 2019More than 70 Whangārei people are in isolation after a case of measles at a city childcare centre. Northland DHB said a young child attending daycare came down with measles last Friday, the fifth person diagnosed with the disease in Northland since January. The centre has closed for a week, until 7 June...
Budget 2019 Education portfolio: Govt scraps donations for some schools
RNZ - John Gerritsen - May 30, 2019The Budget included a 1.8 percent increase to government subsidies for early childhood education. However, it did not deliver on a long-standing commitment to reinstate a higher rate of subsidy for early childhood services where all the teachers are qualified and registered. The Budget allocated $6.8 million...
No Wellbeing Budget for our youngest children
Scoop - Press Release: Early Childhood New Zealand - May 30, 2019Where is the child at the heart of early childhood education in New Zealand? Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand is extremely disappointed that the government has once again been tokenistic towards early childhood education in its Wellbeing Budget...
Koha for childcare a success at Northpower during teachers' strike
NZ Herald - May 30, 2019Northpower temporarily expanded its business portfolio into childcare for a day yesterday. To help support staff during the teachers' strike, the business offered to organise baby-sitters and entertainment at its head office in Whangārei. Thirty parents, most of them men, took advantage of the gesture...
Childcare teacher took centre's money to feed gambling addiction
NZ Herald - Melissa Nightingale - May 29, 2019An early childcare teacher who stole nearly $5000 from the centre she worked at to feed her gambling addiction will be allowed to continue teaching. Theresa Coldstream has been censured by the Teaching Council Disciplinary Tribunal for the thefts, which were discovered in April last year...
Parents prepare as teachers head for mega strike tomorrow
RNZ - Liu Chen - May 28, 2019Parents around the country are taking leave, arranging childcare and planning activities in preparation for tomorrow's school closures, when more than 50,000 teachers walk off the job. It will be the biggest teachers' strike in New Zealand history, with 50 rallies and marches planned across the country...
