Early

Federation

ANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009

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Goal 1: The Early Education Federation will be recognised as a pro-active national advocate for quality ECE

Key issues identified and responded to this year have included:

Teacher Supply
The lack of available qualified and registered early childhood teachers has been an ongoing issue this year.  This issue has continued to be high on the Federation’s agenda this year.  The impact of the shortage on funding rates for services has been of major concern and has been raised with politicians and policy makers at every opportunity.

Qualifications for teachers of under 2 year olds
Federation delegates have raised concerns with the new national Government about their commitment to the EC Strategic Plan goals, especially in relation to teacher:child ratios for under 2 year olds.

Budget cuts to Centres of Innovation and professional development contracts
Members saw the removal of funding for Centres of Innovation and the halt on funding for professional development contracts as short sighted, and wrote to the Minister to express their concerns.

NZ Teachers Council processing of applications for full registration and for renewal of practising certificates
Lack of consistency in the way that the NZ Teachers’ Council (NZTC) has dealt with applications from teachers for full registration and for renewal of practising certificates has been a major area for discussion this year. Delegates have taken every opportunity to raise a variety of concerns about NZTC processes during the year.

“Vote Yes” campaign on the referendum to reverse the changes to Section 59 of the Crimes Act
The Federation has taken responsibility for ensuring that members are well informed about the referendum. Deborah Morris/Travers was invited to speak at the May meeting of the Federation. As a result, delegates agreed to go back to their own organisations with information about the campaign.

Limited attendance centres
The Federation expressed concern about the Government proposal to develop separate criteria for services with limited attendance, and was pleased to hear that decisions on this issue have been postponed. 

Election Forum
Prior to the 2008 General Election, on the 24th of September, the Federation held an ECE Election Forum to give the public an opportunity to find out about early childhood policies of the main political parties. The Federation contracted Rachel Brown to co-ordinate the event. Federation delegates Clare Wells and Mary Purdy supported Rachel in the planning, preparation and carrying out of the Forum. Local OMEP members also assisted on with the preparations for the Forum. A leaflet outlining the Federation’s purpose, vision, current priorities and members was produced, and a media statement released prior to the event. The Federation’s “Briefing Paper” was updated and sent to all the speakers prior to the event.

Unfortunately Parliament went into urgency on the day and some of the planned speakers were unable to attend on the day. Speakers on the day were:

Matt Robson (Progressives)
Dail Jones (NZ First)
Chris Hipkins (Labour)
Metiria Turei (Green Party of Aotearoa)
Judy Turner (united Future NZ)

ECE Policy Forum
At the June 2009 Federation meeting the Council approved a proposal for the Federation to hold an ECE Policy Forum in November. The intention is for this to be the first in a series of one day forums to be held over the next 18 months. The target audience would be politicians, policy makers, academics and practitioners.

NZ Teachers’ Council EC Advisory Group
The Federation continued to take part in the process of nominations for people to fill for vacancies on the NZ Teachers’ Council Early Childhood Advisory Group.

Teacher Registration Policy
The Federation participated in the NZ Teachers’ Council consultation on Teacher Registration Policy during this year at a national and regional level. Deborah Wansbrough, in her role as Policy Advisor  ECE, attended both the March and the June Council meetings at which the draft policy was discussed. Members also attended regional meetings held by the NZTC to discuss the policy and reported back on these to the Council in June.

2008 Regulations Review Reference group
Penelope Janes (Barnardos NZ Early Education Federation delegate) was invited to be a member of the reference group responsible for considering submissions from the sector and making recommendations to the Minister on specific 2008 Regulations issues. Penelope was able to keep delegates informed of the reference group’s progress at our May meeting.

Ministry of Education Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC)
At each Council meeting over the last year delegates continued to identify issues of importance to raise at Ministry of Education Early Childhood Advisory Committee meetings. ECAC delegates took turns to provide written summary reports from ECAC meetings to members of the Federation.

Issues taken by Federation delegates to be raised at ECAC meetings included:

• ECE representation at Behavioural Summit
• Outcome of Discretionary Grants Review and concerns that delays in announcing results each time reduces the time groups have to carry out the project.
• First Aid course issues for Playcentre

NZ Council for Educational Research Board
The Federation continued to be involved in the election process for the NZCER Board. This year the Federation’s representatives on the Electoral College were Marianne Kayes, Clare Wells and Sue Cherrington.
 
NZTC Approval and re-approval for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes.
The Federation had an influence in the selection of Sue Vaealiki as a member of the NZ Teachers Council Reference Group on the development of a process for the Approval and re-approval for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. Sue attended the May meeting of the Federation and reported on the first meeting of the reference group.

Goal 2:  The Early Education Federation will influence the strategic direction of ECE .

This year the Federation has developed a close relationship with Deborah Wansbrough as she settled into her new position as Policy Advisor ECE at the NZ Teacher Council. Deborah was a guest speaker at both the March and the June meetings of the Federation. 

The Federation met with Anne Tolley prior to the Election and again in March this year. In May the Federation met with the new Labour spokesperson for Early Childhood Education, Sue Moroney.

Prior to the 2008 Election, delegations from the Federation Council met with Paula Bennett and Anne Tolley (National Party spokespeople for Education at the time), Te Ururoa Flavell (Maori Party Education spokes person).

The Federation also invited education spokes people from the main parties to the Election Forum in September 2008

2009 Budget
In July 2009 the Federation wrote to Anne Tolley expressing concern at the cuts to funding for Centres of Innovation and for professional development contracts. The Federation appealed to the Minister to provide rollover funding to ensure continuity for quality professional development programmes, and to provide ongoing funding to centres that are currently involved in the “Centres of Innovation” project to allow them to complete their 3 year programme. 

Goal 3: The Early Education Federation will provide a forum for members to network, debate and collaborate about ECE issues.

The Federation has continued to make efforts to expand its membership base. Over this year it endeavoured to recruit membership from Early Intervention teachers, from Rudolf Steiner schools, and from Nga Kohanga Reo. As a result the Early Intervention Association Aotearoa New Zealand and the NZ Rudolf Steiner Federation joined the Federation. With Liz Everiss returning to a role in the Open Polytechnic, the Federation welcomed the rejoining of the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics.

With the dissolution of PIECCA this year, the Federation lost representation from the Pasifika ECE sector. Federation members are however, seeking appropriate alternative representation through ECAC members.

Members of the Federation this year have been:

• Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/New Zealand Childcare Association
• NZEI – Te Riu Roa
• NZ Kindergartens
• NZ Playcentre Federation
• NZ Home-based Early Childhood Education Association
• National Association of ECE Directors in Colleges of Education/Universities
• The Correspondence School Early Childhood Service – Te Kura a Tuhi Early Childhood Service  
• Christian Early Childhood Education Association of Aotearoa
• World Organisation for Early Childhood Education OMEP Aotearoa/NZ
• Bethlehem Tertiary Institute
• Hospital Play Specialists Association of NZ
• Barnardos New Zealand
• EC Leadership
• Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand

Organisations that joined the Federation this year were:

• Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics of NZ
• NZ Rudolf Steiner Federation
• Early Intervention Association Aotearoa NZ

Council members
Council members were elected for the year at the Annual General Meeting on the 2nd September 2008.  Delegates who attended meetings as representatives of the Federation member organisations during the year were:

CECEAA: Alison Ford
OMEP: Jean Sunko, Mary Purdy
EC Leadership: Tanya Harvey, Natalie MacKenzie
NZK:  Clare Wells
NZHBEC: Kathie Ross, Jane Couch
Barnardos NZ: Penelope Janes
BTI: Phillip Ozanne 
TTPOA/NCZA:  Gillian Dodson
NAECD in CE& U: Sue Cherrington
NZEI-TRR: Tere Gilbert, Jenny Davies, Lynne Bruce, Fran Renton
NZPF:  Tracey Stanmore, Maureen Woodhams
TKaT/TCSECS:  Virginia Simmonds
HPSANZ: Marianne Kayes, Dorothy Lavell
MANZ: Jan Gaffney
ITPNZ: Liz Everiss
NZ Rudolf Steiner Federation: Sue Russell, Marjorie Theyer
Early Intervention Association Aotearoa New Zealand: Victoria Crone

The Federation held 5 meetings of the Council this year and delegates continued to take turns to chair and provide lunch for these meetings. Meetings were held in September and November 2008, and March, May and July 2009. The Annual General Meeting was held on 2nd September 2008. Delegates also took turns to report back to the group on ECAC meetings.

The Secretariat Sub-committee has made a proposal to put to the next Council meeting to reduce the time spent on operational issues and allow more time for discussion of issues at meetings. The proposal is for the Secretary to send out a report prior to each meeting. The report will include details of Correspondence received and sent, a finance report, and any membership issues. The report would be tabled at the meeting and only issues/questions raised by delegates would be discussed.

Issues discussed at Council meetings over the last year included:

• Review of the 2008 Regulations
• Delay on implementing the revised child:teacher ratios.
• “Vote Yes” campaign on the referendum to reverse the changes of Section 59 of the Crimes Act
• The roll out of the B4 School health checks
• Teacher supply problems
• Consultation on new Teacher Registration policy
• Impact of 2009 Budget decisions on the sector
• Effects of the recession on the sector

The Secretariat Contract was reviewed in August by the Secretariat sub-committee, Jean Sunko Gillian Dodson and Clare Wells. A report will be presented at the 2009 Annual General Meeting and recommendations put to the meeting for approval.

The Federation’s Strategic Plan and Current Priorities were reviewed and the Briefing Paper supplied to politicians and policy makers was also updated.

Nineteen memos were sent out to those listed on the Federation’s contact list since the last Annual General Meeting. Issues covered in memos included meeting agendas, minutes and papers for regular meetings and the Annual General Meeting, updates on speakers to meetings and requests for questions or topics for speakers to cover, updates of the Federation’s Strategic Plan, Priorities, and Briefing Paper, reports from ECAC meetings, Election Forum planning information, dates for meetings for the coming year, new members, NZCER nominations for Federation representatives on the Electoral College, NZTC consultation on Teacher Registration policy, “Vote Yes” campaign on the referendum to reverse the changes of Section 59 of the Crimes Act, ECE Policy Forum proposal.