1)List your requirements for both you and your child.

Things to consider are:

• Amount of childcare required per week. Is this mornings, three times a week, full days if you are working.
• Your budget.
• Do you desire childcare or preschool facilities?
• Do you want care at home or at a centre?

2)Location.

This is an obvious one and helps to narrow down your search very quickly. As busy parents there are obvious benefits to having a centre minutes away. Another  advantage is the fact that your child will make friends that they can continue with through the local primary and secondary schools. A point to note here is that unlike schools Early childhood education services are not zoned.

3)    Get out and start chatting to your local community.

I believe an early childhood service’s reputation stems from its community, the forefront being the parents and their children. Chatting to friends, fellow parents at coffee groups, plunket,  neighbours etc will provide you with a grassroots feel of what your local early childhood services are like.

4)Your budget.

What are the centre’s fees. Remember to find out whether the centre provides 20 Hours ECE funding. I will write an article to demystify this government grant.

5)Amount of childcare required per week.

You need to consider if a centre provides  sessional or all-day care. What are the centre’s session times, and whether they provide before and after session care. Is  the centre open during the  school holidays.

6)The children to teacher ratio.

The number of children a centre is licensed for. This will give you the maximum number of little ones that will be cared for within a session. Then compare this to the children to teacher ratio.

7)ERO report .

Have a look at the centre’s ERO report. The Education Review Office (ERO) is a government department whose purpose is to evaluate and report publicly on the education and care of students in schools and early childhood services.

8)Visit.

Finally, call the centre and arrange for an appointment for both you and your little one to visit the centre.  This is where your little one gets to have their say in the decision making process. Things to look for here are:

• The philosophy of the centre.
• Quality of indoor and outdoor equipment.
• How happy are the children and the teachers.
• Do they provide lunch, extra- curricular activities etc.

Good luck and best wishes.

Michael Lee-Houtwipper

The purpose of this article is to provide you with a summary of the various Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres and in so doing empower you with more of an informed chose regarding your little ones. A point to note here is that unlike schools ECE services are not zoned.

Home based Care Networks.

Home based care services provide education and childcare to small groups of children in caregiver/educator’s or child’s own home. Educator’s are often themselves parents of young children. Educators and their homes must meet the minimum standards of the Education (Home-Based Care) Order as set by The Ministry of Education. This covers various points including the Educators home being safe, clean & hygienic. Home based care services are grouped together in networks, which are supervised by coordinators who are registered teachers. This service provides for children aged 0 – 5 years.

Playcenters.

Playcentres are centre based services where families manage and implement Early Childhood Education programs. The New Zealand Playcentre Federation believes that playcentres provide an early childhood education option which emphasises child initiated play and the importance of whanau/families as first and most important educators of their children. This service provides for children aged 0 – 5 years.

Te Kohanga Reo, Aonga and Punanga reo.

Te Kohanga Reo is a total immersion TeReo Maori whanau programme for mokopuna less than six years of age.

Playgroup.

Playgroups are licence-exempt, non-profit-making, community-based groups (usually parents) Early Childhood Education services. The Ministry of Education grants service licence-exemption when more than half of the children attending attend with a parent. This service provides for children aged 0 – 5 years.

Day Care Centre.

Day Care centres are usually private owned teacher-led centre based services. They have no umbrella association which regulates them. However, like all services they are reviewed by the Education Review Office (ERO). Every teacher is fully qualified and must hold a current practising certificate. Management and implementation of Early Childhood Education programmes is carried out by the owners and teachers. This service provides for children aged 0 – 5 years.

Kindergarten.

A Kindergarten is a teacher-led centre based service regulated by a kindergarten association. Every teacher is fully qualified and must hold a current practising certificate. The Auckland Kindergarten Association’s philosophy is “based on learning through play.  This means children are encouraged to participate in a wide range of learning activities, to extend and develop their skills and knowledge.”

This service predominantly provides for children aged 2 – 5 years.

Montessori Preschools.

The Montessori education is both a method and a philosophy based on over 45 years of observation and work with children by Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator. Maria Montessori recognised that true learning only resulted from the self motivation of the child. It introduces children to the joy of learning at an early stage and provides a framework in which intellectual and social disciplines go hand in hand.  Montessori Preschools are private owned teacher-led centre based services. This service provides for children aged 0 – 6 years.

Steiner Preschools.

Steiner education is an international movement, founded in 1919, working out of the philosophy and indications given by Rudolf Steiner.  Rudolf Steiner education addresses the whole child as a threefold being in the realms of thinking, feeling and willing and also spirit, soul and body. It stimulates the mind with the full spectrum of traditional academic subjects; it nurtures healthy emotional and social development through experiential and child-centred learning and guides the limbs to become fully integrated into the child’s being through a broad range of artistic, movement, handwork and craft activities. .  Steiner Preschools are private owned teacher-led centre based services. This service provides for children aged 0 – 5 years.