Is all child care 'kindergarten'?
A battle over naming rights has broken out between kindergartens and child care centres in the Western Bay.
The Kidicorp organisation uses the name "community kindy" in the title of two of its Tauranga centres, which Tauranga Region Kindergartens says is inappropriate and misleading.
The association's principal, Peter Monteith, said Mount Maunganui Community Kindy and Waihi Rd Community Kindy were childcare centres and should not have "kindy" in their names.
The Kidicorp kindys are not part of the kindergarten association. "I would like to see them take kindergarten out of their name ... and not try to suggest they're something different than what they really are," Mr Monteith said.
"I really don't think people generally understand the difference and I don't think [childcare centres] would be doing this unless it were commercially advantageous for them."
Mr Monteith said there were a number of differences between kindergartens and child care centres.
"The key is that kindergartens are represented by 100 per cent trained and registered teachers and we don't charge fees.
"We have had to ask for donations to cover extra costs but it's a donation and we won't penalise them for not paying," Mr Monteith said.
Childcare centres, including the Kidicorp "community kindys", are not required to operate at even 80 per cent qualified staff.
Mr Monteith said kindergartens were non-profit community organisations which returned funds to the community. Kindergartens had an "educational focus" and were not open for more than six hours a day, whereas child care centres were open for 8.5 hours-plus per day, he said.
Mr Monteith said kindergartens were perceived by the public as the premier early childhood education service.
And Tauranga Region Kindergartens believed childcare centres were trying to leverage off their kindergarten brand, he said.
BUT Kidicorp owner Wayne Wright said the kindergarten association did not have exclusive rights to use the name "kindy".
"We [Kidicorp] have about 10 community kindys around the country.
"There's lots of other kindergartens that aren't members of the association.
"It's a word that's been used since kindergartens started in Germany many years ago.
"People call them kindys and kindergartens and preschools and early learning centres."
Mr Wright said the community kindy model was designed to cater for 3 and 4-year-olds accessing the government's 20 hours Early Childhood Education programme.
"With community kindys we try to cater for those people who can't afford to pay hours above what the government subsidises.
"They are filling a need. We try and understand what the local community wants in a centre, that satisfies the community need."
Mr Wright said he did not understand the association's issue with use of the name "kindy".
"At the end of the day the parent chooses where they want to go and they don't all choose to go to our centres.
"Our objective is to give people more choices."
Mr Wright did not believe that having 80-90 per cent of teachers who were qualified was a bad thing. "I don't go along with 100 per cent [qualified being] best, because the reality is there are a lot of lovely ladies out there that are very good teachers, who don't have a qualification and are too old to study for a qualification.
"There are lots of young ladies working through qualifications and getting practical experience. The reality is we provide the on-site training for these people.
"I personally don't care as long as we are all making a positive difference to the lives of the children."
PARENT Dayna Raston sends her 4-year-old daughter Mahalia to Brookfield Kindergarten. For her, kindergarten was the obvious choice of early childhood education.
"Kindergartens are not there to make money. It's a place for kids to come to have some learning before school," she said.
"[At Brookfield Kindergarten] the teachers interact with the children and help their learning ... and my daughter loves it."
Mrs Raston said the learning environment at Brookfield Kindergarten was ideal and she would happily pay more than the requested donation.
"I live on the other side of town, above Welcome Bay, and I don't mind driving over here because it's such a great place. My three nieces also go here too," she said.
"I would never consider pulling her out or changing [providers], because these guys are so good with the kids," Mrs Raston said.
Tauranga mother of three Katrina Hudson believed many parents were unsure about the differences between kindergartens and other early childhood offerings.
"You see people using the name kindy when they are not a kindy, it can be a bit confusing."
Mrs Hudson's son Riley, 3, goes to Greenpark Playcentre two or three mornings a week and attends Botanical Rd Kindergarten on two afternoons.
She said she enjoyed playcentre because she attended with her son and learned with him.
"I chose it because it's something I can do with him. We can do lots of messy play. I enjoy that, we can do it as a family."
The positives of kindergarten included paid teachers and a good balance of organised activity and free play, she said.
Tauranga Region Kindergartens oversees 20 kindergartens, 17 of which are in the Western Bay of Plenty. It is a registered charity and affiliate of New Zealand Kindergartens.
What's the difference?
Key differences between traditional kindergartens (association members) and commercial alternatives:
* Kindergartens employ only trained and registered teachers in ratioed positions (ie 1 teacher for every 10 children). Commercial childcare centres do not although Kidicorp says 80-90 per cent of its permanent teaching staff are either fully qualified with a diploma or bachelor of teaching or higher, or are in training.
* Tauranga Region Kindergartens is a non-profit community organisation which returns funding to the community. Childcare centres such as Kidicorp are commercial enterprises.
* Kindergartens do not operate childcare - their services have an educational focus.
* Tauranga Region Kindergartens do not operate for more than six hours a day. The Kidicorp "community kindergartens" are open for 8.5 hours a day.
* Tauranga Region Kindergartens don't charge fees but due to Government funding cuts have this year asked parents for a donation of $2 a day. The Kidicorp community kindys provide only for the governments's 20 hours Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme, so the cost to the parents is free.
Battle over child care naming rights
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