New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK) and Early Childhood Leadership Group (ECL) say they’re working hard to ensure their services throughout the country are prepared for the move to Alert Level 3 level next Tuesday morning.

Their kindergartens, centres and home-based services are preparing to open next Wednesday April 29th.

NZK Chief-Executive Jill Bond says Kindergarten Associations are contacting their communities to give the government’s message that if parents and care-givers can keep their children at home, then they should continue to do so.

“However, the key message from us, is that we are here for those parents and care-givers who have to work and can’t leave their children at home or those that need their children to return now. We are all in this together and we see this as a positive way that we can contribute to our community.”

Jill Bond says they have been working closely with the Ministry of Education on strict health and safety measures that will provide a safe return for children to early childhood education.

“This is helping us work through the public health requirements that we all need to meet. We want to reassure parents and care-givers that we want to keep our community and children and our staff as safe as possible. Overall the message is that we are here to support and look after our families and care for their children, that’s what we want to do”

ECL Secretariat and CEO of Waikato Kindergarten Association Maree Stewart says that their Kindergarten Associations covering much of the central North Island have numerous parents confirming their child’s return from next week. “We know how important it is for parents to feel safe and reassured about their child attending. We will be sending further information about what the day will look like, health and safety protocols, staffing and more. We know early childhood education is stepping up to further support families and communities to help New Zealand’s long term recovery”.

Respective CEO’s Calmar Ulberg from Counties Manukau and Donovan Clarke from Central Kids operate services in many low socio economic communities. They say that “Covid-19 has made it hard to put food on the table and we know that our whanau are struggling. Having children return to our services will help in these difficult times”.

New Zealand Kindergartens Incorporated Te Pūtahi Kura Puhou o Aotearoa (NZK) is the national organisation representing the collective interests of 19 regional Kindergarten Associations which provide kindergarten and other services nationwide.

The Early Childhood Leadership Group represents Waikato Kindergarten Association. Central Kids Kindergartens and Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association delivering kindergarten services, centre-based services and home-based service across the central North Island.