Swings + Roundabouts Summer 2020

Seasons Greetings What a year we have all had. I just read a report on Stuff ( https://www.stuff.co.nz/ national/health/coronavirus/300149048/ covid19-lockdown-took-emotional-toll- on-kiwis-survey-finds) on how the first lockdown took a toll on New Zealanders’ mental health. Almost one-third surveyed experienced moderate to severe psychological distress and one in 10 reporting some form of family harm during alert level 4. Much of the anxiety related to uncertainty about the virus itself, as well as issues around job security and finances. On top of this Aucklander’s suffered a second lockdown at level 3. On a positive note, the survey did report that 64 per cent of those surveyed said they enjoyed working from home, spending more time with family and living in a quieter, less polluted environment. We also nationally went through an election that due to COVID19, seemed to be never- ending in the build-up. We also witnessed what many would describe as distressing, as one of the world’s ‘world powers’ went through a stressful, anxiety driven and very messy election in the US. Alongside this were many COVID19 ongoing surges around the world, which effected many of our family members and added to the stress of likelihood of further interruptions due to a global recession and the ongoing knowledge of the ever-pressing climate changes ahead of us. These weren’t easy times, and for many of us, despite these ongoing stresses, there was some comfort that we, as a country, have the ability to work together, to look out for each other and to unite despite the differences we often have, between family members, friends and communities. These qualities are something we must hold on to. On page 26, we have the article, Sustainability within a te ao Māori lens, which is another way we can support sustainability within our early learning centres and even challenge the way we look toward living our own lives and really it’s an opportunity to reflect on how our own families or ancestors have lived in a world less reliant on a global and technological economy and a more connected way of living with the land where we live now, wherever we are from. In regards to the results of our national election, head to page 12 for ECC’s CEO, Peter Reynolds’ opinion piece on the Impact of a returned Labour Government on ECE. Another article by Peter Reynolds, is Quality Improvement – a challenge for centres and for ERO. Here Peter discusses the recent changes to how ERO will be reviewing our early learning centres, and moving from one review to three. Read how this may work, and the challenges for both centres and ERO on page 18. Other articles of interest include; Do we have a licence to operate within our community? page 20; and J ob-hunting 101: Personality, culture, and pain points, page 22. Thank you to our summer contributors, your support is always appreciated. If you’d like to contribute an article to Swings & Roundabouts, we’d love to hear from you. We like to share positive ECE teaching and management stories to inspire and inform our readers. All topics considered. Plus we are on the lookout for stories on the following topics: ● Working within the Tapasā framework ● Creating positive and inclusive learning environments ● Creating a positive team environment ● ECE role in early literacy success ● Mentoring and coaching ● Reducing stress for all in our ECE centres Ngā mihi Trudi Sutcliffe Editor Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa – Let us keep close together, not far apart. EDITOR FROM THE December 2020 { 7 }