KEY POINTS:
I hope that the parents who were about to drop their child off to childcare before they went to work were too busy to read Bob McCoskrie's piece on a 'Child's place is the in the home' (NZH 10.9.07) and add to their already overloaded plate of guilt.
Without wanting to debate the right age for children to go to childcare and contrary to Bob McCoskrie's research, other research shows that children respond well to a number of caring adults as well as a parent, whether the adult is a family member, neighbour or childcare staff member.
Another point of view is that too many parents in New Zealand do keep their child at home, yet have no idea how to relate to or teach their children. That is why Lesley Max's Hippy (Home interaction programme for parents and youngsters) programme is so critical - teaching parents how to work, one on one, with their child and giving them quality time together. Nevertheless, even Hippy encourages parents to enrol their children in early childhood education.
Telling parents that their children, in particular three- and four-year-olds, should be at home does children a disservice because they miss out on vital socialisation and education. More than 60 per cent of preschool children experience early childhood education and care arrangements. Instead of making parents feel bad about it, we should be more concerned with making sure that children are being well cared for, nurtured and supported in their learning which means peace of mind for both.
Local and international research suggests childcare is okay - as long as it is a quality service. In my experience most parents are smart enough to know the difference between a good and a bad childcare centre. They can tell whether their child likes being dropped off, whether the teachers and caregivers are able to soothe, entertain, educate and genuinely care for the children. Of course children need good care - but some children don't even get this at home.
And sadly, childcare surveys show that there is an under-representation of Maori and Pacific children in early childhood education, which means they are missing out on what has been proven to be a great start to developing a love of learning for life.
New Zealand leads the world with its early childhood curricula and regulatory system. The Ministry of Education sets staffing, programme and safety standards and the Education Review Office checks these and reports publicly on its findings so parents can check for themselves.
Quality early childhood education can enhance educational and social outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. "Competent Children at 16", a research project part funded by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, shows that children's experiences in early childhood education make a difference 11 years on.
What made that difference? Factors were high quality staff interactions with children, an environment providing lots of books and written materials and where children could select from a variety of learning activities. The child's starting age and the total length of early childhood education and the socio-economic mix of the children also had an impact. Instead of criticising parents who choose to place a child in childcare, let's try to ensure all children over three are getting access to quality early childhood care and education so that they are equipped to make the most of New Zealand's education system.
Parents concerned about quality should look at a range of factors from teacher-child ratios to staff training and a teacher's responsiveness to children. Kidicorp, for example, is one of the largest providers in the country, with more than 70 centres.
It exceeds the Government's standards on teacher-child ratios. The Government ratio is one to five for under two's. Kidicorp works on a one to four, sometimes less. For over two's the Government minimum is one to ten but Kidicorp works on a one to eight minimum.
The reason behind this? Kidicorp's founder, Wayne Wright, like many others, believes that there is more time for a teacher to spend with children encouraging learning, joining children in their play, interacting with children asking questions and offering suggestions. Good teachers know how to provide focused attention and verbal encouragement; they are alert to signs of stress in children's behaviour and can guide children in expressing their emotions.
This sort of attention deepens the child's thinking and language.
Another bonus from the increase in early childhood care and education is the number of new jobs available. Many early childhood centres support parents through job training and apprenticeships in their centres. Knowing one's child is getting professional quality childcare gives parents peace of mind.
* Victoria Carter was involved with the Auckland Kindergarten Association for over 10 years and is now a director of Kidicorp.
