NZK Chief Executive Jill Bond presents the Chief Executive’s Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2019 with sign interpretation provided by ISign (www.isign.co.nz). Captions are also available.
The yes vote for the kindergarten teachers’ pay rise is a good result, says NZ Kindergartens Chief Executive Jill Bond.
The organisation represents more than 440 kindergartens. Its teachers have voted to accept an 18.5 per cent pay increase.
“Retaining pay parity with the compulsory sector demonstrates the value of kindergarten teachers and the role that they play in the early years of learning and development.”
New Zealand Kindergartens Chief Executive Jill Bond applauds the Government for taking a wellbeing approach to the 2019 Budget and supporting mental health and addiction services. However, she says that the limited investment in kindergartens is disappointing.
“Many of our kindergartens are struggling to make ends meet and while the funding change from 2020 will help it will not significantly relieve the current financial pressures,” Jill says.
The government is going into this week’s Budget under massive pressure to boost its $16-billion-a-year spend on education and student allowances.
Read the Radio New Zealand article here.
We are hoping that Government will support the iconic movement of Kindergarten in Budget 2019 – all things crossed!
A small rural kindergarten near Whangārei has shone above almost 40 other finalists to take out the supreme award at the Northland Regional Council’s inaugural Environmental Awards.
Comrie Park Kindergarten, a 44-pupil kindy at Matarau, has a long-time passion for environmental sustainability and its head teacher Anna Alexander, the kindergarten’s staff and the rural community it supports are thrilled with the win.
Read the full story in the Northern Advocate
New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK) Board has made two new appointments in line with its purpose of growing and strengthening the kindergarten movement.
NZK President James Patea said today the board played a significant role in ensuring kindergarten was available, accessible, affordable and appropriate for every child so he was delighted to welcome two new high calibre board members to the team.
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Early childhood education makes a difference for a lifetime and New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK) commends the Government for developing a 10-year strategic plan to ensure high quality early childhood education provision.
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The Board of NZK has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer. Jill Bond has enjoyed a significant public sector career having held senior leadership roles in Housing, Education and Health. Most recently Jill was the Executive Director of the Office of the Director General of Health and had responsibility for the delivery of the refresh of the NZ Health Strategy.
In appointing Jill to the position James Patea, President of NZK said the Board was delighted that Jill had accepted the position and they looked forward to working with her to deliver on the government’s early childhood education agenda. “What happens in early childhood makes a difference of a lifetime and having a passionate and committed person leading NZK is critical for Kindergarten”.
“This is our moment to get it right for young children and reset government policy in the interests of high quality teaching and learning” said Clare Wells, Chief Executive NZ Kindergartens. “The government’s determination to ensure the provision of high quality early childhood education (ECE) unique to Aotearoa, is to be applauded.”
The Minister of Education released the draft ECE strategic plan today which sets out a series of recommendations to lift the quality of ECE services through improved adult:child ratios and a requirement for 100% qualified and well-supported teaching workforce, to improve the planning of new services and strengthen monitoring of all services, and to increase investment in community-based, public ECE.
“Teacher shortages aren’t limited to schools” said NZ Kindergartens chief executive Clare Wells. “There is also an urgent need to address the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers in early childhood education (ECE).”
“We are seeing the result of government changes over the past decade and shifting targets and timeframes to achieve a fully qualified ECE teaching workforce” said Clare Wells. Sixteen years ago, the Labour government set in place targets for 100% qualified teachers in teacher-led, centre-based services. In 2010, the National government slashed the target to 80% along with the funding. “Years of uncertainty for people looking to take up a teaching career, and for employers and training providers, is taking its toll. We have to turn that around.”
“The announcement that four kindergartens in the South Island may close is a direct result of years of under-funding and inadequate policy settings” said NZ Kindergartens chief executive Clare Wells. “Although early childhood education (ECE) services received 1.6% funding increase in the government’s budget this year, the funding rate is lower than it was in 2008 and remains woefully inadequate.”
This week Kidsfirst Kindergartens – a community-based, not-for profit organisation – announced the proposed closure of four kindergartens. This includes two kindergartens in Christchurch, one in north Kaiapoi and another in Franz Josef – the only early childhood centre in South Westland. It is also looking to disestablish a number of support staff jobs in kindergartens and to charge parent’s fees.
“Ensuring every child experiences high quality early childhood education (ECE) is a priority” said NZ Kindergartens chief executive Clare Wells.
“One in five children engaged in education today will be attending an ECE service – almost 200,000 young children. We have a responsibility to ensure that experience benefits children’s well-being and learning regardless of the service they attend.”
