Conclusion

There are many factors that contribute to our rising numbers of infants and toddlers in non parental care. Some have been discussed in this blog.

I would like to share my personal experience. My first encounter with infants in a childcare setting came in October 2013. I was assigned to an infant and toddler centre as part of my teaching practicum. Before I arrived, I had a very negative opinion, believing this age group belonged with their parents. I was expecting a fraught and stressful environment, noisy with inconsolable babies.

To my great surprise and delight, I found a delightful environment where under two's are cared for, and who are safe and happy. There are sometimes tears when a new child is settling, but these are rarely sustained behaviours. Infants who arrive in this setting, rapidly settle in and enjoy the setting as they develop authentic relationships, and experience a quality curriculum.

My teaching practicum was 5 weeks long, however I have been there, very happily, for two years now.

If the centre practice is following the markers for quality care discussed in this blog, child care for our infants and toddlers can be a magnificent and life enhancing thing, for both the infants in care and their families.

Policies & Legislation

There are many policies and legislations surrounding our infants and toddlers in early childhood education. This page will seek to discuss the most significant ones:

Perhaps the drive for 100% participation rates is the most significant policy to affect early childhood education in 2015. New Zealand is ranked in the top third of OECD countries for participation in early childhood education. The Ministry of Education is currently trying to boost numbers across the sector, as it sees early childhood education as a major factor in academic achievement across the entire education system (Adams, Hamer & Openshaw, 2005). This policy affects infant and toddlers by encouraging parents to enrol their children as soon as possible. Parents will hear the message for participation from many agencies, including plunket and schools.

In NZ, early childhood centres get approx. double the Ministry funding rate from the government for their under two enrolments (Ministry of Education, 2015). The actual rate is set in a tiered system which is divided up by the ratio of qualified teachers. This may encourage centres that are run for profit to maximise their infant enrolments. However, many low income families do not consider sending their children to early childhood services, as they find they fees prohibitive (Ertas & Shields, 2011). "The benefits of placing a child in early education such as centre-based programs can have far-reaching effects on children's academic achievement and economic self-sufficiency later in life" (Ertas & Shields, 2011). Therefore low income families are disadvantaged by not being able to afford the fees. The government offers a Childcare Subsidy to remedy this, however unless parents are in work or fulltime study, children are only subsidised for their first 9 hours of care. If however, the main caregiver is working or studying, the child is then entitled to a full subsidy with a range of different options for hours of care


Women in New Zealand are encouraged to return to work relatively soon after their pregnancies. They are entitled to Paid Parental Leave. Currently, a mother is entitled to 16 weeks paid parental leave .This is due to increase to 18 weeks by 01/04/2016. Fathers can currently only apply for two weeks parental leave, and it is at the discretion of the employer as to whether or not the leave will be paid.  This is in contrast to Australia who already have 18 weeks paid parental leave, and also America who do not provide any paid parental leave.
In a family where one parent is working more than 30 hours a week, that family is entitled to a Parental Tax Credit. This is part of the Working for Familes package. It helps with the costs of a new baby. If you are on a benefit, between jobs or work less than 30 hours a week, you are not entitled to this. This further disadvantages low income families.

“A compassionate government does not need to pay too much attention to those who don't have needs. True leadership is to fulfill a need of the needy. People who have needs need attention indeed! Be a true leader!”
― Israelmore Ayivor, The Great Hand Book of Quotes    


Reference List

Ertas, N, & Shields, S. (2011). Child care subsidies and care arrangements of low-income parents. Children and youth services review. Vol 34:1
Ministry of Education, (2015). Appendix One: Funding Rates. Retrieved from http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/ManagementInformation/Funding/FundingHandbook/Glossary/AppendixOneFundingRates.aspx
Adams. P., Hamer. J., & Openshaw, R. (2005). Education and Society in Aoteoroa New Zealand. 2nd Ed. Auckland, NZ: Cengage Learning.

Pedagogical Implications

Where after all, do universal human rights begin?

In small places, close to home

So close and so small that they cannot be seen

On any maps of the world.

Yet, they are the world of the individual person;

the neighbourhood he lives in...

Unless these rights have meaning there,

they have little meaning anywhere

By Eleanor Roosevelt (Meissner, 2007)

 

Dr Simon Rowley announced in 2009, that infants attending day care, could well be at risk of brain damage (Woodfield). Rowley measured the amount of the stress hormone cortisol present in an infant during a typical day at day care. He then compared them to cortisol levels of infants at home. Cortisol levels in daycare infants were considerably higher (Woodfield).  Infants have no agency, no way of making decisions for their own care, and unlike older children, no voice to convey their opinions.

As infants in our centres are an increasingly reality. Quality care and education centres with caring responsive teachers need to be our highest priority for this age group.

There are at least four key points that I consider essential for quality pedagogical teaching in infant and toddler care and education

 

1) Group size - Infants were never intended to be cared for in large unfamiliar groups of other infants. Infants thrive with a close bond in close proximity to at least one main caregiver. Usually the mother, however good bonds can occur with other adults, as long as that caregiver is responsive, loving and consistent (van Duivan, 2009). Therefore, we need to replicate this in our infant centres using primary caregivers who are passionate about this age group, and not just 'placeholding' positions.

2) Ratios - It is not profitable or possible to provide one to one care in a daycare situation, but we do need to strive to keep low ratios a priority in our infant settings. Research suggests 1:3 is optimal (Ministry of Education, 2015).

3) Teacher Qualifications - We need teachers in infant centres who are qualified and who are passionate about this age group and its specific developmental needs. Teachers need to be responsive to infant needs, and provide developmentally appropriate learning experiences. Specialised teaching strategies need to be used, including in my opinion an adapted version of the Pikler philosophy, which seeks to maximise care moments based on a healthy respect of the individual infant.  

4) Physical Surroundings - An infants environment is extremely important. It should replicate a home environment as much as possible, while providing opportunities for discovery and learning. I personally really like Te Whariki's description that infant care needs to not be "a scaled-down version of the 3- or 4-year-old programme, nor a babysitting arrangement" (Ministry of Education, 1996).

 

In June 2011, the government employed a taskforce reporting on the issues facing increasing numbers of infant and toddlers in childcare in NZ. The resulting report is called Agenda for Amazing Children. The report highlighted the following recommendations:

• 1:4 Ratios
• Special government group set up to advice on under two's
• Further funding: Higher subsidy
• Address toxic stress in poor quality ECE settings
• Ongoing research
• Stringent policy- Standardised care
• Tightening of ERO monitoring & evaluation
• Review of home-based sector
• Staff qualification

(Ministry Of Education, 2011).

BREAKING NEWS 20/04/2015
The NZ Herald today claimed that children in NZ day care services may be at risk of developmental damage in poor quality settings. The investigation by the Herald stated that these poor quality settings can be especially harmful to under two's.
This report stated that the most serious issues included a lack of supervision, poor management, no police vetting of staff, a lack of cultural response, and limited knowledge of the curriculum and child development.

Reference List

Johnstone, K. (2015) Early childhood services red-flagged. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435235

Meissner, S. (2007). Sticks & stones. Eugene, Or: Harvest House Publishers.
Ministry of Education. (2011). An agenda for amazing children. Retrieved from www.taskforce.ece.govt.nz/wp.../2011/.../Final_Report_ECE_Taskforce.

Ministry of Education. (2015). Education Counts. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ECE/Quality_ECE_for_under-two-year-olds/executive-summary.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o    Aotearoa/Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning media.

Woodfield, M. (May/June). Whats wrong with daycare. Oh Baby, 8(10). Retrieved from             http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/under-5/early-childhood-education/what-is-wrong-with-daycare.

van Duivan, K. (2009, June 20). Choosing Quality Childcare. Retrieved from http://www.brainwave.org.nz/choosing-quality-childcare/#more-4338.

 



Historical Context

The need for care for infants and toddlers is not a new phenomena. Mothers throughout history have always worked away from home in certain situations. However, childcare for under two year olds has traditionally been handled by family. Grandmothers, sisters, paid nannies or close whanau mainly provided care when the mother needed to be away from home. However, some infants were placed in formal care arrangements, prompting the government of 1893 to introduce the 'Infant Life Protection Act' (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014), This meant that any families that were paid for looking after infants under the age of two for more than three days had to be licensed as foster homes and were subject to police inspection (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014).

 However, formalised childcare was still held in deep suspicion, and deemed inappropriate for infants. This view was reinforced by the case of Minnie Dean, who in 1895 claimed to provide care for infants, yet neglected those in her care, some to the point of death (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2012).

 

World War 2 was a major factor in changing social prejudice towards formalised childcare for infants. By 1944, all women between the ages of 18 - 40 were required to work when directed to. However, married women who had children under the age of 16, could be exempted from this forced work if no suitable childcare could be arranged (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2014). By the end of the war 38,000 women had been drafted into work where the government directed, making the need for childcare a social reality.

 

In 1988, The government announced its findings from the Meade Report. (Education to be more). This report looked at the childs social development analysed in relation to the well being of society. The report looked specifically at

• The relationship of early childhood education in relation to the entire education system.
• The need for equitable access to ECE education.
• The need for equitable funding and funding processes.
• Budgetary effects of government interventions.

This report led to early childhood education becoming state funded, provided and regulated (Adams, Hamer & Openshaw, 2005).  

 

New Zealand's increasing shift towards neo liberalism saw National announce its desire to increase participation in the workforce by encouraging women back into the workforce to increase gross domestic product. To do this the government focussed on a wider social agenda which saw childcare and parental leave becoming a strong focus for the government (Johnstone, 2005). This focus has seen younger and younger children enter childcare.

 

In 2007, National launched its 20 hours free programme for three and four year olds, which sought to provide financial help to encourage women into the workforce. This has in some ways contributed to institutionalised childcare becoming a normalised and acceptable service to attend. The trickle down effect is that younger and younger children are attending, which has led to the explosion of infant and toddler services now available in the community.

 

Census data showed that 37 per cent of parents of children under 1, and 57 per cent of parents of 1-year-olds, were either in or seeking paid work in 2013.

 





Reference List

Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2014). Baby farmers. Retrieved from  http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/baby-farmers. updated 14-Aug-2014
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2012). From childcare to baby farming.  Retrieved from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/baby-farmers/fearful-slaughter. updated 20-Dec-2012
Ministry for Culture and Heritage, (2012). War work Retrieved from  http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/second-world-war-at-home/war-work. updated 20-Dec-2012
Johnstone, G. (2005). Women’s Labour Force Participation in New Zealand and the OECD  Retrieved from www.treasury.govt.nz/...policy/...workshops/labourforce/.../lfpw-johnstone
Adams, P., Hamer, J., & Openshaw, R. (2005). Education and Society in Aoteoroa New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: Cengage Learning.

Introduction to Under Two's in NZ Childcare

This blog will seek to address the issues concerning the increased numbers of infants and toddlers attending group care and education settings. Historically, kindergartens and early childhood centres catered for children three and over. However, under two year olds in childcare in New Zealand is a rapidly growing phenomena. More and more childcare centres are now incorporating infants and toddlers into their curriculum.
There has been a change in the social attitude regarding this age group in care, which has been brought about by the current governments initiatives to see women return to the workplace as quickly as possible after birth (Rockel, 2013)

 

 

 

 

I am interested in this subject due to the fact that I am based in an infant and toddler centre as part of my ECE degree. I find it fascinating that infant and toddlers have the fastest growing number of enrolments in formal non-parental early childhood services (ECS) in New Zealand (Carroll-Lind & Angus, 2011). I would like to discover what policies and legislations are in place for this age group, and discuss what that means for them. 

 

 



 



Reference List

Rockel, J. (2013). Swings or Roundabouts? Re-Visiting changing views of care and education in the first years. The First Years: Nga Tau Tuatahi.15(1), 3-4.
Carroll-Lind, J. & Angus, J. (2011) Through their lens  An inquiry into  non-parental education and care of infants and toddlers. Retrieved from http://www.occ.org.nz