New survey shows majority of parents and whānau support public early childhood education
Most parents now support a public system of early childhood education, according to a new survey.
In a survey of more than 800 parents and whānau released today by NZEI Te Riu Roa, almost all agreed that high-quality early childhood education should be a non-negotiable right in Aotearoa – publicly funded, accessible, low cost, culturally appropriate, and meet children's individual learning needs.
In addition, 92% of parents would support the establishment of a public early childhood education system that’s free to attend, just like schools – up from 78.2% in last year’s survey.
Parent of now school-aged children Claire Southee says the increase in support for public early childhood education makes sense – given parents want the best quality of education for their children, as well as relief from the high cost of private provider fees.
“Parents’ first priority in choosing an early childhood centre for their tamariki was their child’s safety and wellbeing. Second was having high-quality education with 80% or more qualified teachers.
"Whānau clearly see the link between the quality of working conditions for early childhood teachers and the quality of learning environments for their tamariki. They also understand that experienced, qualified teachers are critical when it comes to providing high-quality early childhood education.”
Affordability was another key issue. Fees of $600+ per week per child at for-profit early childhood services were common.
Nearly 90% agreed that capping fees at $10 per day per child would have a positive impact on parents and whānau, and more than half said the Government’s FamilyBoost policy had not improved affordability.
Kindergarten head teacher Sally Griffin says public provision of early childhood education would put an end to the free-market ideology that dominates the government agenda around early childhood education policy and lift quality across the board.
“Early childhood education, like schooling, is a public good. The focus of children’s education should always be quality learning – not maximising profit for shareholders. In Australia, we have already seen the disastrous effects on children and their families when providers cut corners on staffing and experience to save money.”
Public provision of early childhood education would address many long-standing issues such as chronic underfunding, affordability, and under-valuing of early childhood teachers, she says.
Since 2023, the Government has pursued regulatory changes that trade off teacher pay and quality education against cost, such as cutting pay parity requirements for new and relief early childhood teachers.
Despite still being paid less than their teaching peers in kindergartens and schools, the current ECE Funding Review proposes scrapping the pay parity scheme for early childhood teachers entirely, as well as removing the funding incentive for providers that employ a 100% qualified workforce.
Only 19% of survey respondents think the current government is taking early childhood education in a positive direction.
For more on the Kōriporipo Early Childhood Education Parent and Whānau Survey and the companion Kōriporipo Early Childhood Education Workforce Survey, click here.