Free early childhood education: National’s ‘Family Boost’ policy missing in action, ECE teachers failed by system - Virginia Oakly

For parents of two-year-old children, the first of March this year might have passed with some disappointment. Photo / Dean Purcell

OPINION

For parents of two-year-old children, the first of March this year might have passed with some disappointment.

The first of March was the day the former government’s extension of the highly successful 20 hours free early childhood education (ECE) policy to two-year-olds was due to come into effect, which would have provided $133 per week of savings to thousands of families with young children. Meanwhile, and despite big talk on the campaign trail, the National party’s alternative ‘Family Boost’ policy, which promised young families a rebate of up to $75 per week for childcare costs, is currently missing in action. On average, each family will get only $36 from the scheme. Families with two- year-old children will likely be much worse off. Very few families will receive the $75 per week per child as advertised during the election, according to the CTU.

For parents of two-year-old children, the first of March this year might have passed with some disappointment. Photo / 123RF

In fact, if the past few weeks are anything to go on, it seems that this Government is laser-focused on attacking children and families, be this through cutting 20 hours free ECE for two-year-olds, imposing punitive welfare sanctions on our most vulnerable, or by making deep cuts to the school lunch programme against a backdrop of high levels of food insecurity among Aotearoa’s children.

Now it has surfaced they plan to attack the pay parity of some 23,340 qualified teachers; people who have dedicated their lives to ensuring tamariki get the best possible start in their education journeys.

Pay parity for early childhood teachers is just one initiative Associate Minister for Education, David Seymour is planning to ‘nuke’. Photo / Michael Craig

Pay parity for early childhood teachers is just one initiative Associate Minister for Education, David Seymour is planning to ‘nuke’ in a radical deregulation of early childhood.

Teachers working in early childhood have fought for over two decades to be recognised as the skilled professionals they are. With good reason, 69 per cent of people working in early childhood hold a degree-level teaching qualification. They hold the same certificates and are accountable to the same professional requirements as their counterparts in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

The Minister says providers should be able to determine how teachers are paid. This is not a novel proposal, but a return to a failed model. Pay being determined at a centre-level was the status quo prior to 2021 for most services. Before Covid-19 hit in 2020, this had led to an enormous pay gap of as much as 23-49 per cent between people who chose to teach in early childhood and those teaching in kindergartens and primary schools. With low wages, a critical teacher shortage biting and no chance of salary progression, the number of people choosing to study early childhood teaching was in critical decline.

Fair pay for teachers was partially won under the former Labour Government. Between 2020 and 2023, in response to the demands of ECE teachers across the motu, additional funding was introduced for centres that committed to paying their staff the same rates as teachers in the kindergarten, primary and secondary school sectors. This was a critical step in correcting decades of government neglect that had resulted in a critical teacher shortage.

The parity scheme has its flaws. It needs better funding and accountability to ensure teachers get the money and providers can pay. Nevertheless, it’s a step in the right direction. Pay parity, alongside other measures to improve the experiences young children have inside 4483 licenced early learning services across Aotearoa, signalled the beginning of an effort to fix the ECE sector and support all tamariki in Aotearoa to get the early education they deserve.

ECE teachers in Northland were part of the nationwide industrial action. Photo / File

At its core, pay parity is recognition that the learning that happens between ages one and five is foundational. The early years are as important for the education of an individual as when our children are older. It’s time to lay to rest the thoroughly discredited notion that early learning is just childcare. Research overwhelmingly shows that if we get it right in those first few years of development, our children thrive.

We shouldn’t stop when we are only just getting started, and we certainly shouldn’t be moving backwards to the wild west of pay and conditions in ECE. Parents know that a teacher’s working conditions are their child’s learning conditions.

Minister Seymour’s attack on pay parity is a direct attack on the right of our tamariki to have the most equipped professionals offering them both care and education. Imagine if our teachers were respected by government; respected to do what they do best: building relationships, recognising the uniqueness of every precious child – their quirks, interests and the way they learn best. Early childhood teachers want to set our children up well for a lifelong education journey. This attack on teachers is also an attack on parents who want the best for their children.

Virginia Oakly is NZEI Te Riu Roa National Executive representative and kindergarten teacher