Early Education Federation

EARLY EDUCATION FEDERATION

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, Montessori Aotearoa/NZ, National Association of ECE Directors in Universities, Te Aho O Te Kura Pounamu/The Correspondence School, Christian Early Childhood Education Association of Aotearoa, World Organisation for Early Childhood Education OMEP Aotearoa/NZ, Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, Hospital Play Specialists Association of Aotearoa/NZ, Barnardos NZ, EC Leadership; Federation of Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Schools in NZ, Early Intervention Association of NZ/Aotearoa;Nga Whare Whariki Kohungahunga – ECL Te Wananga o Aotearoa

The symbol of the Early Education Federation is a woven mat. This represents the weaving together of diverse groups with their own unique philosophy and structure - united by similar aims, promoting quality Early Childhood Education and supporting families/whanau in Aotearoa New Zealand.

2011/2012

EARLY EDUCATION FEDERATION

Annual Report 2011/2012

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

Connecting with key players

At the March Council meeting, delegates drew up a letter to Lesley Longstone about the make-up of the Ministry’s advisory groups set up to make recommendations on quality in early childhood education. The letter stressed the importance of ongoing consultation with the sector once the Ministry had reported to the Minister.

In June this year the Federation agreed that it would focus on key priority/government policy areas for the coming 12 months, and that it would take stock of progress made at each meeting during the year.

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

General Election

At the June 2011 Federation Forum a number of questions were developed by the delegates , for party spokes people on education. These were recorded and sent to the leaders of each of the main political parties during July. The responses received were posted on the Federation website prior to the Election.

Federation Manifesto

Also, in the lead up to the 2011 General Election, delegates worked on a Manifesto Statement with the intention of sending this to education spokespeople from all the main parties. This was not finalised in time for the Election, but members continued to discuss it at the November and March meetings with the intention of it becoming the Federation’s Statement on agreed priorities for the coming year. The Manifesto was finalised at the March 2012 meeting.

Meeting with the Deputy Children’s Commissioner and Children’s Commission Principle Advisor – Education)

At the November 2011 Council meeting delegates met with Jo Cribb Deputy Children’s Commissioner and Sarah Te One Children’s Commission Principle Advisor – Education. Delegates discussed the Commission’s response paper on the Green Paper on Vulnerable Children with the guest speakers from the Commission. The Commissioner’s report on care and education for under 2 year olds and “Gathering Children’s Voices – Year 7 and 8” a Commission project, were also discussed.

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

Membership

The following organisations have continued as members of the Federation this year.

Barnardos New Zealand
Bethlehem Tertiary Institute
Christian Early Childhood Education Association of Aotearoa
Early Intervention Association of NZ/Aotearoa
EC Leadership
Federation of Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Schools in NZ
Hospital Play Specialists Association of Aotearoa/NZ
Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand
National Association of ECE Directors in Universities
Nga Whare Whariki Kohungahunga – ECL Te Wananga o Aotearoa
NZEI – Te Riu Roa
NZ Home-based Early Childhood Education Association
NZ Kindergartens
NZ Playcentre Federation

Te Aho O Te Kura Pounamu/The Correspondence School,

Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/New Zealand Childcare Association
World Organisation for Early Childhood Education OMEP Aotearoa/NZ

Changes to membership:

Men in Early Childhood Education in New Zealand joined the Federation in the 2010/11 year but decided against ongoing membership in the current year.

The Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics ceased to exist in the 2010/11 year. At the June 2012 Council meeting however, delegates voted to allow the Open Polytechnic to join the Federation.

Policies and procedures

A membership working group which was set up in the previous year to consider and make recommendations on a number of membership related issues, continued this year to look at clarification of the process and criteria for reduced annual levy payments. The working group canvassed member opinion during the year and made a recommendation to the June 2012 Council meeting. As a result the Council agreed that the level of the annual membership levy would be based on member’s annual income. Those with a gross income of less than $10,000 per annum would pay $300 each year and those with a gross income of $10,000 or more per annum would pay $550 each year.

Membership levies

Twelve members paid the full membership levy this year, and five paid the reduced levy.

The Council

Council members

Council members were elected for the year at the Annual General Meeting on the 22nd November 2011. Delegates who attended meetings as representatives of the Federation member organisations during the year were:

BarnardosNZ - Diane Daly
BTI – Phillip Ozanne
CECEAA - Alison Ford
EIANZA - Victoria Crone
EC Leadership - Natalie Mackenzie, Tanya Harvey
FRSWSNZ - Marjorie Theyer
HPSANZ - Marianne Kayes
MANZ – Cecelia Woods
NA of ECED - Sue Cherrington and Carmen Dalli
NWWK-ECL-TWOA - Elizabeth Pakai, Mere Ngatai
NZEI/Te Riu Roa – Tere Gilbert, Susan Elliot, Hayley Whittaker
NZHECEA - Carol Stovold, Paula Lovegrove
NZK - Clare Wells, Amy Beliveau
NZPF - Maureen Woodhams,
TAoTKP/TCS - Ros West
TTPOoA/NZCA – Charmaine Thompson, Nancy Bell
OMEP A/NZ - Jean Sunko, Debbie Clare

Council Meetings

Three meetings of the Council were held since the last Annual General Meeting, one in November, one in March and one in June. At the November 2011 meeting it was decided that meetings in 2012 would be held the day after the Ministry of Education’s Early Childhood Advisory group meeting instead of before. This change was made because members thought that it would be useful for delegates to talk together about issues that came out of the Ministry of Education’sEarly Childhood Advisory Committee meetings, and would enable the group to plan ahead more effectively.

Issues discussed at Council meetings over the last year have included:

Changes to employment arrangements for Education Support Workers;
Review of ECE Code of Ethics;
Establishment of, and recommendations from the Ministry of Education’s advisory groups on quality ECE;
The National Party policy on access to teacher education being confined to post graduate students and the impact on the early childhood sector;
Green Paper on Vulnerable Children;
ECE Funding Working Group.

Review of Federation’s purpose and direction

At the June 2012 Council meeting members decided that the Federation needed to spend time at the next meeting reviewing its purpose and direction and how it goes about achieving its goals. Members also identified a need to spend time together focussing on responding to government priority areas. As a result, a scheduled meeting with the Minister was cancelled and the planned November forum was put on hold, and it was agreed that time would be set aside during the September meeting for this review.

Secretariat Contract

Members of the Secretariat Sub-committee remained the same this year. They were:Maureen Woodhams, Ros West and Clare Wells,

The Secretariat contract was reviewed by the Secretariat sub-committee at a meeting with the Secretary on the 3rd of September 2012. A report from the sub-committee will be tabled at the Annual General Meeting on the 6th of September.

2011 Secretariat sub-committee recommendations

Recommendations from the sub-committee led to the Federation establishing a process for the Secretary to follow should she be unavailable to attend a Federation meeting or to attend to Federation matters. Sub-committee recommendations also lead to an agreement to set up a Drop Box system on which all relevant files, e.g. minutes, agendas, reports etc are deposited on Drop Box. The aim of this action being to provide a safer system for storing Federation information and records and also making information easier for delegates to access as required.

A further recommendation led to a discussion at the November Council meeting during which delegates clarified the purpose of Federation meetings, the expectations of the Secretariat,member responsibilities and how representation is determined. Reflective questions to assist the discussion were drawn up and sent out prior to this meeting. As a result it was agreed that Council meetings in 2012 would be held the day after the Ministry of Education Early childhood Advisory Group meetings instead of the day before. Duties and responsibilities of the Secretariat and Federation delegates were also clarified.

Networking

Ministry of Education advisory groups on quality ECE

The Federation provided members with opportunities this year to discuss the terms of reference and the outcomes of the groups that were set to advise the Minister on improving quality in ECE. The two groups were established as a result of recommendations from the ECE Taskforce report in 2011.

Members of the advisory groups were announced in January 2012 and meetings were held during the first three months of 2012. Recommendations were announced in May and the full reports posted on the Ministry’s website at the end of June.

Ministry of Education Early Childhood Advisory Committee

Those who had attended ECAC meetingsreported in detail about the issues discussed.