education system. But it’s not the case - our role in education is only one part of why early learning is important, there are wider objectives that we support. One example is that early learning is more valuable than ever to parents who the Government would like to re-enter the paid workforce. And during the pandemic it’s become very clear (hi Aucklanders!) that an over-abundance of family time together, for example, can create stress or a burden on our family units. We don’t yet know the extent of this impact in terms of measurable wellbeing outcomes for people in lockdown, but I know that many of you will be able to relate, because of what you felt when you could no longer send your tamariki to early learning or school. Limited places in early learning has been a recent sore point for the ECC. We remain focused on the regulation of bubbles in early learning in particular, because we think it’s reduced the capacity of early learning available, and no longer provides clear benefits to tamariki or the teachers and staff in centres. The Government increased the bubble size to 20 from the previous limit of 10 (in Level 3 only), which was not the ECC’s recommended approach. We acknowledge there are a range of views on this issue, including among our members, and we see our role as constructively leading this debate using our unique perspective on your behalf, to help achieve the best possible outcome. I’m proud to join and lead an organisation that meets a crisis head on - but equally we’ve got to stay vigilant and think ahead to next month’s and next year’s challenges. It’s about being ready and learning to do things better. Thanks for making me feel welcome – I’m looking forward to meeting more of our members in the weeks and months ahead as the pandemic allows more travel around the country. I am particularly excited to be welcoming in so many new members to the ECC. Ngā mihi Simon December 2021 { 9 }
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