Fears over regulations for under-2s

The Government is poised to ditch a series of new regulations planned for early-childhood education (ECE).

Changes set up by the last Government would have enforced lower teacher-child ratios, increased the number of qualified teachers in centres and sleep rooms compulsory at early-childhood centres.

Education Minister Anne Tolley ordered a review of the proposed changes. Yesterday, she received a report from a working group.

She would not comment on the report or on claims the Government was set to throw out the three measures.

New Zealand Childcare Association (NZCA) chief executive Nancy Bell said it would like to see an improved ratio and a commitment that all teachers for under-twos were qualified.

However, she said "this Government has made it clear ... that they would only want to see 50 per cent" of teachers of the under-twos at each centre qualified.

National policy ahead of the election was to drop the goal of all teachers at ECE centres for under 2 1/2-year-olds being fully qualified by 2012. National was also critical of a requirement for sleep rooms.

Tolley told Parliament last year that some centres could not afford to build sleep rooms and many parents did not want them. The NZCA supported compulsory sleep rooms, Bell said.

"There is a lot of research that shows that children need restful sleep. We don't think that there is much option for them to have a quiet and restful environment unless there is a separate room."

It seemed likely National would toss out the requirement, Bell said.

Yesterday, The Press revealed the Education Review Office (ERO) has concerns about the provision of care at half of the centres providing for under-two-year-olds.

The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) said the ERO findings reinforced the need for qualified teachers.

"Our very youngest children deserve the highest-quality learning and care," NZEI national early childhood caucus convener Marion Dekker said.

The teacher-child ratio of one teacher to five children was "simply not adequate", Dekker said.

National has indicated it wants to lower the ratio to one to four "over time".

"Internationally, a ratio of one to three is recognised as the quality ratio for children under two," Dekker said.

The changes National proposed ahead of last year's election were designed to address a shortage of qualified early-childhood education teachers.

- © Fairfax NZ News