Quality - Quantity

Quality vs quantity
“Great teachers, empathise with kids, respect them, and believe that each
one, has something special that can be built upon”
Ann Lieberman

The quality of childcare is a topic that has been widely researched over the years. The focus seems to have shifted from the effects of childcare on children to question what constitutes quality in early childhood education and how quality impacts on children’s development (Ceglowski & Bacigalupa, 2002). Although childcare is not believed to be fundamentally detrimental for young children, ECE must be of consistent, high quality to be beneficial for children’s learning and development (Feeney, Moravcik, Nolte & Christensen, 2010; Office of the Children’s Commission [OCC], 2010; New Zealand Childcare Association,[NZCA], 2010).

Discussion about childcare quality usually focuses on variables such as adult/child ratios, group sizes, physical environment, qualified staff, learning programmes and parental involvement (Ceglowski & Bacigalupa; Hartevelt, 2011). However, research evidence indicates that qualified teachers are a key component in the provision of a quality early childhood learning environment (NZEI, 2010). Yet centres employing 80 – 100% qualified teachers appear to have been disadvantaged with the removal of the top funding band. Also of concern are the cuts to professional development, support for teachers in training and newly registered teachers. I find this ironic given that all evidence points to the importance of providing high quality ECE in teacher-led services, with high teacher to child ratios, staffed with qualified teachers.

The recent legislation and funding cuts in the early childhood sector seem to disregard the importance of the early years in a child’s life. Why should parents be expected to accept that only 80% of childcare staff be qualified? The aspirations of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 9) are that children “grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society”. This document recognizes the complexities of early childhood care and education, and identifies the importance of family and society for young children in the early childhood environment. Surely this requires teachers that know what they are doing so that they support young children’s learning and development. Teachers who, have completed a rigorous training programme and have knowledge of the theories underpinning early childhood education (Keesing-Styles & Hedges, 2007).

It should be the right of all New Zealand parents and children to have access to 100% qualified teachers regardless of economic status or locality. I have to agree with Darrell Latham’s statement in The Press (November, 2010) that “early childhood educators lay the foundations for the future and prepare children for school, therefore funding cuts will disadvantage the sector and compromise education”.

I have attached a link to the Brainwave website as this contains a lot of relevant research that supports the importance of providing quality care and education for our young people. The Brainwave Trust (2010) believes that “the first three years of life last forever” and reiterate that children need quality care for optimum brain development. Brainwave is a charitable trust that has been set up to make sure that scientific research on brain development becomes widely known and is used in the interest of developing the full potential of New Zealand children.

Another concern is the move by the government to drop the requirement of centres with more than 50 children to have more than one license which could lead to dramatic increases in the size of early education services. Given the recent funding cuts, centres are likely to take advantage of this and push up their participation numbers to gain more revenue. The implications of this for children and teachers will mean yet more compromise to the quality of care and education due to unmanageable numbers (NZEI, 2011). Large, impersonal institution-like settings are not likely to develop a child’s sense of belonging as this requires small group sizes and a warm, caring environment where children and their families are well known to teachers.

References:
Brainwave Trust. (2010). The first three years of life last forever. [Brochure]. Retrieved February 29, 2011, from http://brainwave.org.nz/brainwave-resources/publications/
Ceglowski, D., & Bacigalupa, C. (2002). Four perspectives on child care
Quality. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30 (2), 87-92.
Feeney, S., Moravcik, E., Nolte, S., & Christensen, D. (2010). Who am I in
the lives of children? An introduction to early childhood education
(8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Latham, D. (2010, November 30). Priorities must be questioned. The Press.
Retrieved from Proquest database.
Keesing-Styles, L., & Hedges, H. (Eds.). (2007). Theorising early childhood
practice. Emerging dialogues. Castle Hill, Australia: Pademelon Press.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Matauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa/Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2002). Strategic plan for early childhood education: Pathways to the future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
New Zealand Childcare Association. (2010). Fees up, quality down according to new ECE survey. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.nzca.ac.nz
New Zealand Educational Institute. (2010). Key messages and facts. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://www.nzei.org.nz
New Zealand Educational Institute. (2011). Moves towards supermarket
style early childhood education. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from
http://www.ecetogether.org.nz/profiles/blog/feed?xn auth=no
Office of the Children’s Commission. (2011) Inquiry Into Under 2’s in childcare. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from http://www.childforum.com/news/300-childrens-commission-inquiry-infants.html