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What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

High-quality early childhood education is produced when certain factors are present, such as small class/group size, trained and qualified staff,  high adult to child ratios, a primary caregiving system for infants, stable stability/low staff turnover, and an appropriate educational curriculum.

High-quality early childhood education requires effective teaching and a high standard of care of children.

The Kiwi Parent guide to choosing quality early childhood education and care.
Choosing an ECE Service: Checklists and Guides, Options for Parents: The Range of ECE Services and Help Available, What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

The Kiwi Parent Guide to Early Childhood Education

The Kiwi Parent Guide to Early Childhood Education is for anyone considering using an early childhood service for the first time or changing their current…
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Qualified ECE Teacher Skilled Teaching of Young Children
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

Importance of Staff Qualifications in Early Childhood Education

We advise parents to check on staff qualifications to make sure those responsible for their child are appropriately qualified to do so. Should you be…
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settling-in child
making drop-off less stressful for parents and children
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

Primary Caregiving or Key Teacher System

It is a good sign if an ECE service is practising a primary caregiving system as it shows concern for the emotional well-being and learning…
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curriculum Te Wharaki, learning, assessment, and education
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

Te Whariki – What is this Early Childhood Curriculum?

Te Whāriki is for young children and is not like a school curriculum. It does not prescribe formal subject teaching. It is a curriculum guideline…
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adult child ratio, group size, number of children, teachers
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

How Much of a Concern are Adult:Child Ratios?

Dear My ECE, I have read lots of advice on choosing daycare that mentions ratios. The advice includes asking what the adult:child ratio is.  Please…
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child shares a learning story assessment and his portfolio with a friend
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

Learning Stories and Assessment of Children’s Learning

Learning Stories are records of what a teacher or educator has seen a child (or group of children) doing in an early childhood programme.  …
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Many children, group size, class size.
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

Class Numbers or Group Size – How Many Children is Too Many?

Group Size or Class Numbers - How Many Children is Too Many? A limit on group size and the total number of children placed together…
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Formula for Quality Early Childhood Education and Care
What Is Quality? About Ratios, Teachers & Other Indicators

The Formula for Quality Early Childhood Education

Here is the not-so-secret formula for quality early childhood education and childcare. The formula is evidence-based and developed from decades of research by Dr Sarah…
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Key

Community Ownership:
Parents likely have a strong say in how the service operates and what happens to children, all money earnt stays within it, and teachers may be paid better and childcare charges may be lower compared to most (but not necessarily all) private and corporate owned services. (Ask: Is it an Incorporated Society? Does it also have charitable status?)

Small Boutique Centre:
Centres with 50 or fewer children make it easier for staff to provide a warm and nurturing environment, for children to have their individual needs met and skills, knowledge, and competencies extended. (Ask: For continuity of care and relationships, do children stay with the same group of children and teachers throughout their time at the service?)

100% Qualified Teacher Funded:
All staff counted toward meeting the minimum adult-child ratio requirement must hold a practising certificate as a teacher if the service receives this level of Ministry of Education funding. (Ask: Does the service count teachers trained in the ECE of children birth to 5 years and not primary or secondary school trained teachers?)

Men Included on Teaching Staff (as at last year):
There are strong benefits of having both men and women on the teaching team for the quality of care and education a service provides to children. Additionally, gender bias in staff recruitment and employment is not generally acceptable in society today. (Ask: How many teaching staff are employed and what proportion are men?).

Clean Licence Record (last year and the year before):
To be licensed a service must comply with regulations that help ensure children’s safety, care, and a suitable standard of education. When requirements are breached the Ministry of Education may downgrade a service’s licence to provisional or issue a suspension. (Check the lists of services placed on a provisional or suspended licence https://oece.nz/public/information/standards/ published each year)

Recommended Highly by 80% or More Families:
At least 80% of families recommend the service and rate it as being very good to excellent on a range of aspects of quality. (Note that a response rate of at least 51% families on the OECE parent survey https://oece.nz/public/information/resources/parent-survey/ research instrument within the last three years is necessary here)

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