ECE PROFESSIONAL LEADERS AND THE PROFESSIONAL GROWTH CYCLE PLEASE SHARE THIS MAGAZINE! If you know anyone who would like to read the interesting and informative articles in Swings & Roundabouts, pass it on! ISSN 1179-688X (Print) • ISSN 1179-7517 (Online) PO Box 5649, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145 WINTER 2023 MoE EXTENDS OVERSEAS RELOCATION GRANT – READ HOW CANDIDEX CAN SUPPORT YOU WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT ON PAGE 12 2023 ECC CONFERENCE: STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN EARLY LEARNING THROUGH BUILDING VALUE AND RESILIENCE. COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE QUALITY AND SUCCESS THIS JULY! - FIND OUT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS WINTER ISSUE! READ ECC'S CEO MESSAGE BUDGET 2023 & CHANGES TO 20 HOURS FREE ECE
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Inside this issue... Editor Trudi Sutcliffe Editorial Enquiries publications@ecc.org.nz Advertising Enquiries Catherine Norton Waterford Press Ltd PO Box 37346, Christchurch, New Zealand. Phone: 03 983 5526 Email: catherine@waterfordpress.co.nz www.waterfordpress.co.nz Production Co-ordinator Luke Lynch Content Co-ordinator Lyn Barlow Graphic Designers Liki Udam & Anton Gray Subscription Enquiries Early Childhood Council PO Box 5649, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145 Phone: 0800 742 742 Email: admin@ecc.org.nz www.ecc.org.nz DISCLAIMER: A cancellation fee of 25% may be charged if the booking is cancelled after the sales cut off date. Your Media Consultant will be able to provide that information if you are not aware of it. Applications for advertising in Swings & Roundabouts will be considered from the following: 1) Early childhood centres and/or their associated management groups that are members of the Early Childhood Council. 2) Trade and service suppliers to the early childhood industry. 3) Government and not-for-profit organisations. Please note: Some industries may be restricted due to exclusive arrangements with the Early Childhood Council. Please note: We do not accept advertisements for staff vacancies. All advertising content is at the sole discretion of the editor. All advertising will be at the rates determined by Waterford Press Ltd. Swings & Roundabouts is produced by the Early Childhood Council and is sent free of charge to all independent early childhood centres in New Zealand. The information contained in Swings & Roundabouts is of a general nature only. Readers should not act on the basis of the information it contains without seeking advice for their own specific circumstances. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the view of the Early Childhood Council Incorporated. All content in this magazine is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the editor. Swings & Roundabouts is published quarterly for the Early Childhood Council by Waterford Press Ltd. 7 FROM THE EDITOR 8 CEO’S MESSAGE 10 ECC UPDATE 12 CANDIDEX: NZ'S INTERNATIONAL ECE RECRUITMENT EXPERTS 14 SO YOU KNOW 15 CROMBIE LOCKWOOD: SORTING INSURANCE FOR 45 YEARS 16 THE EFFECTS OF CYCLONE GABRIELLE ON ECE 20 ECC CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 23 ECC CONFERENCE SOCIAL EVENTS 24 ECE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 26 THE 2023 ECC CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 29 STRUGGLING WITH YOUR JUGGLE? 32 VENTILATION - THE MoE RECOMMENDATIONS 36 ECE PROFESSIONAL LEADERS AND THE PGC 38 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 4-YEAR OLD? 40 RESOURCE REVIEWS 44 LAST LAUGH June 2023 { 5 }
JOIN TODAY! Insider information and advice to keep you safe, viable and compliant Discounted professional development workshops and webinars Preferred supplier discounts Advocacy on your behalf when you need it Latest news and insights Tools and templates PROMOTING HIGH QUALITY ECE AND SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT CENTRES IN NEW ZEALAND ECC Members receive: "The webinars and resources have been invaluable, as well as the advocacy on behalf of the members and the sector" - Sheree "Thank you for all the help the ECC is providing, it's a total minefield and I don't know where I'd be without you guys" - Charlotte 0800 742 742 admin@ecc.org.nz ecc.org.nz
Kia ora koutou, The above whakataukī can signify resilience, empowerment and hope. It can refer to one’s ability to use the skills and resources they have to create success, along with being responsible to grow and develop. In many ways this whakataukī relates well to this year’s ECC conference theme, Striving for Excellence; achieving success in early learning through building value and resilience. This issue has a strong focus on ECC’s conference in July. From the success of last’s year conference, the ECC are themselves striving to grow and develop in what they offer to conference participants. They have high expectations for their attendees and working hard to source high quality keynote speakers and workshop presenters to ensure the topics are relevant, inspiring and informational from the political panel to the social events. If you haven’t already bought your ticket, it will be hard to resist once you’ve read the full programme and accompanying information – enjoy! The ECC is also working hard as an organisation to develop and strengthen the benefits they offer members. One area they are focused on is ensuring their preferred suppliers are meeting the current needs of their members, hence the introduction of their latest new preferred supplier, Candidex, New Zealand’s international ECE recruitment experts. To find out more about the benefits this preferred supplier offers ECC members head to page 12. This year the weather has been extreme and unexpected with floods and Cyclone Gabrielle causing much destruction to many parts of Aotearoa. Cyclone Gabrielle produced considerable disruption to ECE services in the Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti region. To read some personal accounts of how some ECE centres were effected in the Hawkes Bay and reflections on what we can do better in the future go to page 16. A big part of the recovery of ECE centres effected in extreme weather events is insurance. Crombie Lockwood Child Proof insurance package is an example of how ensuring you have the right support can enable your business to survive the worst. Read more about Crombie Lockwood and how they supported ECE centres on page 18. Conference presenter Tiffany Smith, a regular contributor to Swings & Roundabouts, has written an article sharing the recent Ministry of Education (MoE) ECE recommendations on how to maximise freshair ventilation capabilities while maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature to help reduce the transmission of airborne illnesses. Go to page 32 for more info. As of 1 February 2023, appraisals are no longer the process used by the Teaching Council for making decisions about whether a professional leader meets Ngā Paerewa | Standards as required for their practising certificate type. Go to page 36 to get some ideas and understanding how ECE professional leaders can meet and retain their endorsement for certification. On page 38 is a fun think-piece, Are you smarter than a 4-year-old? Some insights offered in the article include: the importance of knowing the strengths of your colleagues and using them, team-work, listening to one another and trial and error. Hopefully as you read this editorial you are warm and toasty with the sun shining through the window. Once again thank you to our contributors. If you would like to showcase your centre or would like to share something special your ECE centre/s are doing, please get in touch. Ngā mihi Trudi Sutcliffe Editor FROM THE EDITOR He kai kei aku ringa. There is food at the end of my hands. June 2023 { 7 }
MESSAGE CEO's DO THE 20 HOURS FIGURES ADD UP? WE'RE STILL CHECKING... ● According to Treasury’s Supplementary Estimates, the extension to 20 Hours costs: $123 million (m) in 2023/24, $365m in 2024/25, $370m in 2025/26, and $374m in 2026/27. This is $1.232 billion over four years. ● However, according to the Ministry of Education’s Budget communications: “Government is investing almost $1.2 billion over five years to fund this extension.” This is a concerning misalignment– while it doesn’t look like much, if the Ministry is adding another year’s costs and implying the total would be less than $1.2 billion – that equates to a whopping discrepancy of about 30% (~$370m) if they added another year. Because the Budget process is secret, problems with the quality, clarity and consistency of government communications are really important to the sector. BUDGET 2023 – ECE WAS THE FOCUS – BUT THERE’S CAUSE FOR MUCH CONCERN This year, a few early learning sector leaders got invited to the Government’s Social Sector “lock-up” on Budget Day. It’s called a lock-up because you used to get literally locked in a room but these days it means no use of cellphones to share the sensitive information that gets pre-shared in the lockup about an hour before Minister Robertson reads the full budget in the House. Our lock-up was held in the Theatrette – the room where the Prime Minister does official announcements and usually holds the postCabinet press conference (see pictured). Leading up to Budget Day I was priming ECC members that we should expect a surprise for ECE. This was the first lock-up where ECE sector leaders had been invited in recent years. When I arrived there were no leaders at the lock-up from any other parts of the education sector – like school principals etc. This further confirmed my suspicions. With flight mode now on, little did I know how much of a big surprise I would get in the Budget. Even the Ministry of Education website describes the Budget as having a “major focus on early childhood education”. With a total of $1.8 billion over four years, they are right - it is massive. For people not in the ECE sector, they will marvel at the focus and attention ECE got at the expense of every other priority, during the cost of living crisis and in an Election Year. That level of total new investment is roughly equivalent to a ~20% increase to the “baseline” funding for ECE (baseline means funding already in the ECE appropriation). The benefits of quality ECE generate valuable future returns to our country and the opportunity cost of not investing in ECE is akin to whole generations missing out on these benefits. We should invest more – and expect more. Education is essential to economic recovery and it feels like all the indicators are pointing the wrong way. THE MAIN HEADLINES IN THE BUDGET PACKAGE FOR ECE WERE: • the Extension to 20 Hours ECE (at $1.2bn over four years) – a funding increase and extension to 2 year olds (who are currently ineligible); • a further pay parity instalment titled “Delivering Pay Parity for Teachers in Education and Care Services” (at $322 million over four years) plus a top up for an overspend earlier this year; and • a Cost Adjustment at 5.3% (basically an inflation adjustment to all the ECE funding rates). For most of our ECC members, the relevant increase was applied to 55% of their funding rates meaning a lower effective rate increase of 2.9%. Applying the adjustment in this way was explained by the Ministry as because of the salary-based increases, which are increases driven by their Pay Parity policy, and not by inflation. Why would you increase the salary increases based on inflation? The way to judge inflation-adjustments is to look back on previous years. In Budget 2022, the Government applied a Cost Adjustment rate of 2.75% and the increase was paid from 1 January 2022 (halfway through the budget period). Treasury had forecast inflation would be 6.7% in that budget period – but they were proved wrong - it ended much higher at 7.3% (actual). The sector got short-changed in terms of both the timing of increased payments and the rate applied. We now know this is a fact. Gaps in funding create real problems. They translate to ECE centres having an inability to keep up with “discretionary” parts of their operations – first things to go are food for children, transport, discounted childcare to staff, and good luck to teachers that want to get external professional development (which is not funded directly to employers by the government, but should be). June 2023 { 8 }
A BROKEN GOVERNMENT COST ADJUSTMENT REGIME? If we compare Budget 2022 to Budget 2023, the cost adjustment appears more generous this year. Treasury has forecast inflation in 2023/24 at 6.2% so 5.5% is a lot closer. But if you look at the difference across the two budgets the sector remains short by about 5.25% in terms of rates alone (not factoring-in the six-month delay, each time, on the increased payments – it matters when inflation actually occurs – a six month delay is a great way to halve the cost of a government policy). I think the conclusion we take from this is that while it appears Government was more generous to ECE in Budget 2023, they actually needed to be even more generous if they were trying to protect the real value of ECE funding. The other new investments in ECE are all for different costs that have specifically increased or for new delivery that needs to be paid for – those other investments can’t be used to offset or cross-subsidise this broken government cost adjustment regime. PROPOSED CHANGES TO 20 HOURS ECE – WHAT DO PARENTS NEED TO KNOW? Initially sector leaders, including ECC, were quick to welcome this large ECE investment in Budget 2023. There are centres where the policy will work. However, we expressed serious concerns about some of the details in the changes to the conditions – and the negative impact of those would be felt by the majority of the sector. [Late update - on 19 June, the Government has confirmed it has dropped the changes to 20 Hours ECE conditions – some welcome progress indeed]. may become unviable if that didn’t happen. ECC is pleased to see how the various sector organisations have been able to work together on raising this issue to try to get it resolved. The sector is grateful to the Government for saying they will consider our concerns (if you’re interested – the open letter and various press releases are available on our website ecc.org. nz/news&media/news). Consideration is the most we can really expect, short of the policy change having been tested with the sector prior FALSE CLAIMS OF FREE ECE Hidden in the budget fine-print was Labour Government’s intention to change 20 Hours ECE. Out of the approximate $2 billion spent every year on ECE, more than half is spent on 20 Hours ECE. People on Facebook will have seen the Labour Party material that has described 20 Hours ECE as “20 Hours Free ECE”. At this stage the name of the policy hasn’t officially been changed...It doesn’t cover costs currently – that’s why centres need fee schedules that charge fees for additional hours. Parents effectively have to pay for what government won’t cover. The main sticking point was that by imposing conditions that allow parents to only enrol children for 20 hours per week (or six hours per day), this could leave ECE centres with no way to cover the additional teacher costs that government doesn’t fund (for additional hours etc). The ability to set daily and other fee schedules enables un-funded costs to be recovered through parent fees. But if the ability to have parent fees was removed then there would exist no other way for an ECE service to meet those un-funded costs. That’s why the sector called for the 20 Hours ECE conditions to be dropped – a very large number of centres to being announced, of course. Surprises in Budgets have become a norm – and it is training the sector’s psychology to expect massive policy changes as part of the secret budget process with no real followthrough after the announcements to try to get major new policies right. Hopefully that will prove different this time. It means engagement between the government and the sector to get things right – how hard can that be? My view is there is a time for secrecy but afterwards you need to make up for it and work with those outside of government to refine things so they can actually work. Budget 2023 delivered a major shock to the sector and meanwhile there is still no solution in sight for the pay parity funding gap which ECC has been loudly outspoken about. Don’t let’s forget that. If you are not an ECC member I’d advise you to join ECC to get access to its pay parity guidance and advice alone (there are loads of other benefits of being a member too). Things are looking very shaky indeed so that means things are shaping up for a really exciting ECE policy debate between politicians at the ECC Conference. Labour has advised us they will not be sending a Minister. Get your tickets here by following the link on our website bit.ly/ecc2023 June 2023 { 9 }
ECC Update ECC UPDATE Nau mai, haere mai The Early Childhood Council (ECC) warmly welcomes the following early learning centres who recently joined the ECC: ● Stokes Valley Community Childcare Centre, Wellington ● Aranui Montessori Preschool, Auckland ● Little People, Auckland ● Immanuel Education and Care Ltd, Auckland ● Nga Puawai O Kaikohekohe, Kaikohe ● The Children's Garden, Nelson ● Wakefield Village Kindergarten, Nelson ● The Redwoods Country Kindergarten, New Plymouth ● Seedlings Nature Kindergarten, New Plymouth ● Inspiring Kids Early Learning Centre, Rotorua ● Genius Kids Early Childhood Educational Centre, Auckland ● Kingdomcity Childcare, Auckland ● Central Kids Early Learning Centres – Whaihanga, Hamilton ● Kidettes Early Education Centres, Bay of Plenty ● Early Childhood Learning Centre, Christchurch ● Daisies Daycare Limited, Wellington ● Child's Wonder, Papamoa ● Somerset Smyth Private Preschool, Hamilton ● The Cathedral Grammar School PreSchool, Christchurch ● Nature's Nest Early Learning Centre Warkworth, Warkworth UPDATE - ECC AGM AND ECC NETWORKING EVENT ON 20 JULY The AGM will be held on Thursday 20 July from 4:00pm - 5.00pm at the Copthorne Hotel. It is free to attend. Members need to register to attend the AGM through ECC’s standard event process (it is not part of the ECC Conference). The Networking Event is for members only and will now be held at the Copthorne Hotel on the Wellington waterfront. You will be seated in regional groupings over lunch and ECC have invited a special guest to attend. I will be providing an update on 20 Hours ECE and any other important topics that you must know. ECC UPDATED RESOURCES Centre Health and Safety Checklist template It is particularly timely to review and update your Health and Safety as winter approaches. Centres must ensure all staff are aware and follow the procedures to keep staff and tamariki safe. The checklist template can be found under centre support/ health & safety/ tools & templates / other documents (templates). Privacy statement update Following the update to the wording of the privacy statement required on enrolment forms and clarifications to retention of documents used to verify the identity of children, the ECC has made the appropriate changes to our templates. If you are currently using previous editions, please replace these with the updated documents listed here: ● Privacy Policy - GMA 10 (20230327) (found under centre support/ policy management/ tools & templates/ Policies/ Governance, Management & Administration) ● Enrolment Form (20230330) (found under centre support/ policy management/ tools & templates/ Other documents/ Governance, Management & Administration) GMA7 Professional Growth Cycle Policy This new policy template is intended to assist centres in managing their Professional Growth Cycle systems (found under centre support/policy management/ tools & templates/ Guidelines/ Governance, Management & Administration) June 2023 { 10 }
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International Teacher Recruitment Experts THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW PREFERRED SUPPLIER ARRANGEMENT WITH CANDIDEX, NEW ZEALAND’S INTERNATIONAL ECE RECRUITMENT EXPERTS. Candidex is an educator-first recruitment agency based in Wellington, with a special interest in the early learning sector. Candidex, founded by Chris White and Wayne Sullivan, connect international educators with ECE providers in New Zealand via an innovative and fit-for-purpose recruitment solution. HOW DOES IT WORK? The way Candidex operate is simple, honest and direct, with ECE providers and teachers at the heart of what they do. Chris and Wayne take great care to ensure a high level of success for providers in recruiting teachers from the international market. Some of the services that Candidex offer include, but are not limited to: ● Advertising and international marketing campaigns. ● Sourcing and screening of candidates from a variety of countries, many of whom are visited personally by Candidex staff. ● Support with formal teacher interviews. ● Robust digital reference checking. ● Immigration support for candidates via a partnership with specialist company ‘Mobile Relocations’. ● Ongoing communication with providers and candidates to ensure longterm satisfaction of teacher placements. ● A replacement guarantee if an international teacher vacates the role within 12 months. WHICH SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE RIGHT FOR YOU? Candidex offer a range of subscription models to suit the recruitment needs of diverse early learning services. While a BESPOKE model for large providers is not an entirely new concept, Chris and Wayne identified a lack of options for smaller providers with 1-5 centres. New categories have been designed with this group in mind, affording a service to them that would otherwise be inaccessible. The image below illustrates the Candidex subscription models available. It is important that Candidex undertake a thorough initial consultation to talk through recruitment needs so that they can develop a genuine understanding of their clients and offer the best possible recruitment solution. Subscriptions have been designed to operate as an extension of your business, providing workforce insurance when you need it most. Boasting the addition of a 12 month replacement guarantee, Candidex makes an otherwise complex process easy and painless for providers. ESSENTIALS for small providers (1-2 centres) 1 teacher placement per year TAILORED for medium providers (2-5 centre) 5-12 teacher placements per year BESPOKE for large providers (6 or more centres) Determined by resource requirements June 2023 { 12 }
HOW DID CANDIDEX START? Founded in early 2022, Candidex was established in response to a clear problem - the national ECE teacher shortage. Chris and Wayne recognised that one possible way to help solve this issue would be recruiting teachers from the international market. However, this process is far from simple. Combining a wealth of knowledge from lengthy experience in the recruitment field, Chris and Wayne teamed up to develop a game changing approach to international teacher recruitment. Candidex have designed subscription models with the provider in mind, with options to suit all centre sizes and requirements. ECC MEMBER PILOT PROGRAMME Candidex and the Early Childhood Council have joined forces to run an exclusive member-only pilot programme. ECC members can sample a subscription with Candidex at a reduced cost with special exit criteria. Findings from the pilot will provide INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT FOR PROVIDERS ECC member Su Costa, Operations Manager for Millie’s House Early Learning Centres, is an advocate for the recruitment of international ECE teachers. She says it has “turned our group around, giving us hope for the future” and “an opportunity to start focusing on quality again.” We asked Su a few questions about her experiences: What do you consider the most challenging aspect of international recruitment? It is a time consuming, multi-faceted process and the teachers need your support through it all. That takes time. How might Candidex help to simplify the process? I recruited independently because it was a challenge and I was keen to understand the process and crack that nut. But it is long, frustrating and time consuming. As a smaller provider, I would absolutely use Candidex to manage it, so I can spend my time on curriculum and service provision. What advice would you give to ECE providers contemplating the recruitment of teachers from overseas? Absolutely do it. Chosen well, the teachers are high quality and just what our sector needs. It was absolutely the best decision we made. valuable insight into the New Zealand ECE teacher market and inform the refinement of Candidex services going forward. Candidex are offering generous discounts to ECC members involved in the pilot: ● ESSENTIALS model (1-2 centres); 20-50 participants = 15% discount. ● TAILORED model (2-5 centres); 10-20 participants = 15% discount. ● BESPOKE model (6+ centres); Participation by invite only = 5% discount. KEEN TO JOIN US ON THE PILOT? Registrations are open now to ECC members! We urge you to get in touch if you have concerns about the future of your centre/s due to teacher resourcing or are considering recruitment from the international teacher market. Contact chris@candidex.co.nz today to register your interest or set up an obligation-free meeting. To inquire about joining the ECC as a member, please contact admin@ecc.org.nz. For more information about Candidex, visit their website www.candidex.co.nz. June 2023 { 13 }
TEACHING COUNCIL: RAUHUIA | LEADERSHIP: TERENGA HUIHUINGA | SYMPOSIA SERIES The Rauhuia: Terenga Huihuinga | Symposia Series continues to provide insightful knowledge and examples of how we all have the capacity to be a leader regardless of our title or position. Here is a schedule of remaining symposia in the series this year: ● Mana o te whenua – Moana: Thursday 24 August Exploring Pacific Perspectives on leadership. How we can connect with other leaders and traverse the vast oceans between our contexts. ● Mana o te whenua – Awa: Thursday 26 October Exploring Māori perspectives on leadership. How we engage and learn in our unique contexts to grow our own community network of leaders. ● Mana o te whenua - Ahi Kā: Thursday 23 November How we keep the home fires burning for future generations of leaders. Exploring concepts of intergenerational knowledge, future-focused education, and clearing a path to the future. You can find videos of the first four symposia in the series on their website and register for the above symposia here: https:// teachingcouncil.nz/professional-practice/ rauhuia-leadership-space-home/rauhuialeadership-space/symposia-series/ Picture Book Award Finalists The judges praised the high production standards of this year’s Picture Book Award finalists, which all show an appreciation and mastery of the format. The shortlisted picture books vary greatly in story theme and illustration style, and contemporary issues are dealt with subtly and in tandem with the pictures. Duck Goes Meow, Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Carla Martell (Scholastic New Zealand) Farewell, Anahera, Vanessa Hatley-Owen, illustrated by Scott Irvine, translated by Kanapu Rangitauira (David Ling Publishing) How My Koro Became a Star, Brianne Te Paa, illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse (Huia Publishers) Roo and Vladimir: An Unlikely Friendship, Minky Stapleton (Scholastic New Zealand) The Lighthouse Princess, Susan Wardell, illustrated by Rose Northey (Penguin Random House NZ) The ceremony to announce the winners will take place in Wellington on the evening of Thursday 10 August. See www.nzbookawards.nz/ for the full list of 2023 finalists. 2023 NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS The finalists for the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, which are the preeminent celebration of books for Aotearoa’s young readers, have just been announced. The awards organisers and the judging panel wanted to have children more involved in the assessment process, so this year 15 primary, intermediate and secondary schools from across the motu were recruited to offer feedback. Each school was sent a selection of entries from relevant categories, together with review forms and judging guidelines to encourage critical thinking about the books. Their feedback was then shared with the judges. The end result is 29 finalists, who offer Aotearoa’s young readers an educative, engaging and engrossing selection of books with a uniquely local flavour. June 2023 { 14 }
CROMBIE LOCKWOOD HAVE BEEN SORTING INSURANCE FOR 45 YEARS BY GARY THOMAS For 45 years, Crombie Lockwood Insurance Brokers have been protecting Kiwis from the unwelcome and the unexpected. And we’ve been working with the early childcare sector for over twenty five years with our Child Proof insurance package. During that time we have experienced the Canterbury Earthquakes, and Covid-19 closures which saw the scheme pay in excess of $50 million dollars in Material Damage losses and Business Interruption claims. WEATHER EVENTS LEADING TO HIGH CLAIM VOLUME The North Island of New Zealand has experienced a catastrophic start to 2023 with floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. We believe that claims numbers from these events will be somewhere in the vicinity of the claim volume experienced from the Canterbury Earthquakes. In the early childcare sector alone there’s been in excess of five hundred claims with expected losses to exceed $5 million dollars. Although claim volume could be comparable to post Earthquake levels, the cost is expected to be much lower as the losses suffered are generally related to “partial damage” as opposed to “total loss.” Partial damage is still disruptive requiring extensive clean-up work that can interrupt normal operations for an extended period. THE KNOCK-ON EFFECT FOR CLIENTS The likelihood of New Zealand insurance buyers facing tougher conditions in 2023 is something that we have anticipated for some time. However, the Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle events have accelerated the market change. The geographic nature of the events being in the upper North Island means that most, if not all, insurance companies writing business in New Zealand are impacted. However to date all insurance companies are reporting that they remain financially stable and have sufficient resources to meet their claim obligations to clients. WORKING WITH YOUR BROKER TO HELP NAVIGATE THE HARD INSURANCE MARKET This year’s events demonstrate the need to have robust insurance protection available because the worst can happen. There is no doubt that the world is experiencing more frequent and more severe incidents of extreme weather. This will continue to put pressure on global insurance and reinsurance markets who are seeking sustainable solutions. In New Zealand there will no doubt be an impact on pricing and potentially coverage. PROACTIVE SUPPORT WITH THE CHILD PROOF INSURANCE PACKAGE Within 24 hours of Government Covid-19 Level 4 announcement, our Child Proof insurance team posted an advisory and worked alongside the Early Childhood Council who developed a worksheet for members to calculate their Business Interruption claim for the Level 4 and Level 3 closures. A select panel of assessors was appointed, who quantified the claims and recommended a payment to the insurer. A similar approach was taken in the recent storm events with an agreed formula to pay up to 95% of parent’s fees for the days of closure without the need to provide financials. Three months after Cyclone Gabrielle we are pleased to advise that over two thirds of Business Interruption Claims have now been settled. Progress payments have also been made to pay for repair work completed to date. We participated in two ECC Webinars referring members to our Advice for stormrelated claims advisory (https://www. crombielockwood.co.nz/business/earlychildhood-insurance/advisory-floods/ ) REVIEWING YOUR INSURANCES Your Crombie Lockwood broker works with you to understand your risks so they can ensure you have the correct coverage in place. In this challenging insurance market, and climate environment it’s more important than ever to check that your insurance cover is adequate to minimise the financial impact to your centre. The key considerations are that you have sufficient replacement cover on your Centre Assets, and that your Business Interruption policy is structured to adequately cover your Gross Profit and Key Staff Wages for a period of eighteen or twenty four months. YOUR INSURANCE SORTED 0800 765 429 The information contained in this article is a guide and does not take into account any individual’s or entity’s particular circumstances. Please talk to your Crombie Lockwood broker for advice on your specific circumstance. About the author Gary Thomas is a Senior Commercial Insurance Broker and Scheme Manager at Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Limited managing the Child Proof Insurance Scheme for the Early Childhood sector that insures in excess of 2000 Early Childhood Centres, Kindergartens, Play centres, Home Based, and Oscar Services. crombielockwood.co.nz/childproof June 2023 { 15 }
Cyclone Gabrielle caused considerable disruption to Early Childhood Education services in the Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti region, leaving parents and providers uncertain of what to do next. All services have been impacted in some way – lost homes, damaged property, loss of income and roading conditions. Despite this we are a resilient bunch – and on ECC’s CEO Simon Laube’s recent visit to the Bay in support of the Pay Parity Funding Hui – we heard stories of how some services are coping. No one predicted the massive damage the cyclone and subsequent failure of the stop banks would cause. Sindy Cormack (The DEN), shared with us that on the Tuesday morning after the cyclone she flung a spade in the back of her car and was heading to her centre, when she realised the utter devastation and any access to her centre or in fact out of her road was closed. Bronwyn Tamis (Puketapu Preschool) commented that tamariki compare how big the helicopter was that got you off the roof. Melody Stuckey (Havelock North Family Centre) got trapped in Napier, whilst going over to retrieve a teacher who was rescued off her roof with her 7month old baby (after 6hours) …. They finally got back some 10 hours later. Flooding, burst stopbanks , wind damage and power outages caused closure for many ECE facilities for up to 2 weeks, along with a complete lack of communications – we literally became a tale of two cities – Napier (where we held conference last year) becoming an island – with no way in or out, no power and no communications. We were fortunate of the advocacy of Simon Laube to stop the requirement to check in every day that a centre was closed (remember the no comms / power bit earlier). Thank you Simon! The impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on Hawkes Bay ECE services has brought to light not only the need for stronger communication and coordination between central governments, regional councils, and service providers, but also the information needed about local risk management planning in order to sustain safe operations. WE never expected to be without power or communication for so long – and planning for this for future weather events may be worthwhile (I now have first-hand knowledge of why a transistor radio is so important in your Civil defence Kit). Looking to the future – Hawkes Bay needs THE EFFECTS OF CYCLONE GABRIELLE ON ECE BY AIMEE HAWKE Puketapu Bridge (or not) June 2023 { 16 }
About the author Aimee Hawke is an ECC Executive Member based in the Hawkes Bay. An Owner operator of 3 services. some funding surety – and perhaps like Auckland in the extended Covid Lockdowns – regional relief in the form of extended Frequent Absence Rule exemptions – many children don’t have the access to their centres they once did – bridges are down and the commute between Napier and Hastings can now take up to 5 times longer – all of these are factor in unstable attendance. Slips at The DEN Sindy Cormack (The DEN), Simon Laube (ECC CEO) & Melody Stuckey (Havelock North Family centre) It is likely to be years before roading networks are back to normal. I feel proud of my community and the way we gathered around each other – supported and got on with providing quality ECE to our tamariki. A special shout out to those ECE teams from out of town who offered their support, love and gumboots to help – we all appreciate you reaching out to us. Your insurance sorted 0800 765 429 crombielockwood.co.nz /childproof Protecting over 1500 childcare centres with specialised business insurance. June 2023 { 17 }
Introducing ECC 2023 CONFERENCE SPONSORS The ECC is proud to announce the following sponsors for the upcoming ECC conference, with special recognition of our PremiumSponsor – DISCOVER. Kindello is where families find all their early childhood options in one place – and it’s free for parents and ECE services. We’ve created every centre listing in the country. That means you can claim your listing for free and receive enquiries and bookings with no fees at all. Kindello provides a full enquiries management function. Visit www.Kindello.com to get more enquiries now. SafetyNest makes Health & Safety and Compliance easy. The easy-to-use mobile software system and up-to-date Health & Safety tools allows you to efficiently and accurately help manage events, hazards, observations, checklists and keeps records safe and secure. SafetyNest has been designed for ECE centres in NZ. For more info go to www.safetynest.co.nz or email contact@safetynest.co.nz Crombie Lockwood has been working with the early childhood sector for over twenty years and arranged insurance cover to more than 2000 early childcare businesses. Child Proof is our insurance package specifically designed to cover the diverse risks associated with managing early childcare businesses. It provides cover for property, business interruption, and liability risks including directors’ and officers’ liability, trustees liability, statutory liability, criminal defence legal costs and employment disputes cover. Additional options and benefits are available. For your insurance sorted contact 0800 765 429 or go to crombielockwood.co.nz/childproof ECC CONFERENCE SILVER SPONSORS NZ Childcare Finance provides short term funding exclusively to the ECE sector to ease financial stress and smooth cash flows. A preferred supplier with the ECC for over 17 years, that focuses solely on its members short term financial needs. To find out more contact Lena Thomson on mob 0274329227 or 0800 777 559 or go to www.childcarefinance.co.nz Discover by Xplor offers enterprise software solutions to childcare centres, assisting with centre administration, documentation, parent engagement, occupancy, and waitlists. The cloud-based platform is an all-in-one software solution that seamlessly simplifies compliance, increases parent engagement, and delivers the best educational experience possible. Xplor Education serves 9000+ childcare services across Australia and New Zealand through its Discover, Office and QikKids brands, providing a seamless experience for educators, families, and services. To learn more, visit https://try.discoverchildcare.co.nz/ June 2023 { 19 }
Introducing this year's KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ALLISON MOONEY Certified Speaking Professional Allison Mooney has been recipient of the Speaker of the Year (Professional Speakers Association of NZ) award three times. As an Award winning Global Speaker and Author, she has won many prestigious speaking awards and her best-selling book Pressing the Right Buttons earned her “Author of the Year” by the Professional Speakers Association of NZ. In 2009 she achieved one of the highest international accreditations in the speaking industry, the CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) award held only by 10 other Kiwis and 750 speakers world- wide. In 2020 she was awarded the Global Speaker’s Federation Fellow designation. Showing her ability to speak across, ethnicity, regions and cultures. As a “people interpreter” she as the Midas touch in being able to ‘speed read’ people, an essential skill both at home and at work. You will go away today with this same ability. MAX RASHBROOKE Economic Author and Journalist Max Rashbrooke is a Wellington-based writer and public intellectual, with twin interests in economic inequality and democratic renewal. His latest book is Too Much Money: How Wealth Disparities are Unbalancing Aotearoa New Zealand, based on research he carried out as the 2020 J. D. Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. His previous works include Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action and Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, both published by Bridget Williams Books. A senior associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, he writes a fortnightly column for Stuff, and his work appears in outlets such as the Guardian and Prospect magazine. His TED.com talk on upgrading democracy has been viewed over 1m times. KRIS MURRAY Founder of The Child Care Success Company Kris Murray is the President and Founder of The Child Care Success Company and is America’s leading child care business expert. Her mission is to help child care owners and directors become more successful and profitable through proven cutting-edge marketing techniques and a unique approach to running a child care business. Kris founded CCSC in 2008 when the economy was starting to tank and the enrolment of her children’s preschool was down significantly. They were about half full, desperate, and in need of answers. Taking her marketing knowledge and combining it with her “mom hat” she was able to create a system for my very first client (TLC Academy in Hudson, Ohio) that worked to grow their enrolment by about 55 children in 11 months. Together, they doubled their enrolment by putting proven but little-known marketing strategies into place. Today, they remain nearly full and have a waiting list for some rooms. Kris will be coming all the way from Colorado, USA to open the conference with the first keynote: "The Power of a Positive Mindset". On Saturday she will be presenting a workshop on "New Staff Attraction & Retention Strategies for the Post-Covid Economy" which we know will be powerful and practical. June 2023 { 20 }
PETER BOSHIER Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand Peter Boshier is Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand. He was appointed in December 2015, following a distinguished career as a Judge, and in May 2020 was reappointed for a second five-year term. Born and educated in Gisborne, Peter attended Victoria University of Wellington, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws with Honours Degree in 1975. After a period of practice in Wellington he was appointed as a District Court Judge with a specialist Family Court warrant in 1988. As Chief Ombudsman, Peter’s focus has been on a faster and more effective resolution of Official Information Act and other complaints, working with government agencies to improve their practices and strengthening his team’s investigation and monitoring of prisons and public mental health facilities. SUE CHERRINGTON Associate Professor at the Victoria University of Wellington Sue Cherrington is an Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Early Childhood Studies at Te Herenga Waka: Victoria University of Wellington. Sue has an extensive background in early childhood education, both as a kindergarten teacher and in early childhood teacher education. Sue’s over-arching research focus is on professional and pedagogical practices in ECE, including EC teacher thinking and reflection, professional learning and development, and the use of innovative data collection tools for use by teachers in ECE settings. ROBERT AITKEN Professor of Marketing, Otago Business School | Chair, Consumer NZ He joined the Department to teach advertising, branding, communications and mediarelated marketing issues after previously lecturing in Media and Cultural studies in the UK. Robert's current research focuses on two major areas. The first is marketing to children and, in particular, the ways in which commercialisation and the promotion of materialistic values are influencing the nature and experience of childhood. The second is in relation to sustainability and consumption and how areas such as corporate social responsibility and business ethics can reconcile the tensions between business imperatives to make profit and social concerns to protect resources. Robert is the proud co-recipient of the Judges and the People’s Award for Best Film at the 2009 European Association for Consumer Research Conference and is looking forward to his next videographic research project. June 2023 { 21 }
Tākina Convention centre Join us for an evening of glitz and glamour at ECC's Wellywood themed Gala Dinner! Get ready to walk the red carpet and experience the magic of Hollywood right here in the capital city. You're Invited! Wellywood GALA DINNER Saturday July 22 2023 Doors open at 7.00pm REGISTRATIONS: BIT.LY/ECC2023 $125 PER PERSON Includes three course meal, drink and live music!
TIME (TBC) SESSIONS 12.00pm 2.30pm ECCMember's Networking Event Hosted at the Copthorne Hotel ECC will be hosting an exclusive networking event for members only at the Copthorne Hotel, overlooking the scenic Wellington waterfront. Members will enjoy lunch and coffee while seated in their regions. Chief Executive Simon Laube will provide an important updatee on the sector, supported by Executive Committee members; including the 20 Hours funding conditions and Pay Parity. We also have a special guest who is yet to be announced but will certainly make an impact. You won't find a lunch with better company in Wellington. Spaces are limited so get in quick! Don't miss out on this valuable experience. Tickets sold separately - $50 per person 4.00pm ECC Annual General Meeting (AGM) Hosted at the Copthorne Hotel. ECC members should contact ECC directly if they have not received details of the registration process (admin@ecc.org.nz) 5.30pm 7.30pm Centre tours Pick up and drop off at Te Papa (across the road from Takina) Our popular centre tours are back this year in the capital city! Busses will pick you up from Te papa and take you on a tour around Wellington CBD, visiting three early childhood centres. This unique experience will give you the opportunity to tour centres, speak directly to staff and learn about what makes each of the locations special. Centre tours will sell out so get in quick! Tickets sold separately - $40 per person ECC Conference PRE-PLENARY PROGRAMME THURSDAY 20 JULY For more information and bookings, please visit:bit.ly/eccsocial June 2023 { 23 }
TIME (TBC) SESSIONS 7.00am Registrations open 8.30am Mihi Whakatau and Welcome 9.00am Keynote: The power of a positivemindset Kris Murray – Founder of The Child Care Success Company 10.00am MORNING TEA 10.30am Autistic tamariki and their whānau in early childhood settings Neil Stuart and Thecla Moffat (Autism NZ) Education support services Rena Day (Business Central) Stress and the brain Lisa Cheung (Umbrella) Teambuilding and leadership skills – create a culture of excellence Vicky Evans Quality improvement planning Sandra Collins (ERO) 12.00pm LUNCH 1.00pm Keynote: Pressing the right buttons Allison Mooney – Certified Speaking Professional 2.00pm Kohiti Whakapae Victoria University Putting your best foot forward to the regulator Buddle Findlay What's your why? Suzy Cato Leaders –making a difference to those whomake a difference Nikki Joyce Conduct and competence Simon Cottle, Tom Eathorn and Sarah Baker (Teaching Council 3.30pm AFTERNOON TEA 4.00pm Keynote: United for our future: building a political consensus on child wellbeing Max Rashbrooke – Economic Author and Journalist 5.00pm Early Learning – Policy Debate Featuring Nicola Willis, David Seymour, Teanau Tuiono and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. More to be announced. 6.00pm WELCOME RECEPTION ECC Conference PLENARY PROGRAMME FRIDAY 21 JULY June 2023 { 24 }
TIME (TBC) SESSIONS 7.00am Registrations open 8.30am Welcome back 9.00am Keynote Peter Boshier - Chief Ombudsman 10.00am MORNING TEA 10.30am Storytelling Del Costello (Coactive Education) New staff attraction & retention strategies for the post-covid economy Kris Murray (Child Care Success Company) Safeguarding and child protection in ECE Willow Duffy (Safeguarding Children) Building resilience throughmanaging stress Chad Tuoro (Business Central) How can you best prepare for MoE and ERO review visits? 4Es Consulting 12.00pm LUNCH 1.00pm Keynote: Supporting sustained shared thinking in ECE settings Sue Cherrington – Associate Professor at Victoria University (Faculty of Education) 2.00pm E ora ai te reo, me kōrero. So that the language thrives, let’s speak it! Chelsea Bracefield and Krystal Taiapa (New Zealand Tertiary College) Indoor environment quality – what is it and why is it so important for you and our tamariki Tiffany Smith (Smith Architects) Managing performance concerns, supportingmental health concerns and what happens when they cross over in the workplace Caro Rieger (Black Door Law) Fostering intelligent relationships Allison Mooney Harnessing the power of Google to increase enquiries Rachel Klaver (Impact Marketing) 3.30pm AFTERNOON TEA 4.00pm Keynote: The importance of ‘identity’ and its role in ECC’s strategic direction Robert Aitken – Professor at the University of Otago 5.00pm Final Plenary and Major Prize Draw 7.00pm GALA DINNER ECC Conference PLENARY PROGRAMME SATURDAY 22 JULY June 2023 { 25 }
Autistictamarikiandtheirwhānauinearlychildhoodsettings: theimportance of early support – Neil Stuart, Thecla Moffat Discover the key signs to look for in young children, the importance of early diagnosis, support and how to play joyously with autistic tamariki to develop pivotal capacities for later learning. Teachers Neil Stuart and Thecla Moffat have many years of experience with autistic tamariki. Together they established EarlySteps, based on the implementation of Autism NZ's Way to Play programme. Kōwhiti Whakapae: Supporting children’s progress through kaiako practice – Sue Cherrington, Tara McLaughlin Kōwhiti Whakapae is a new online initiative to support kaiako to reflect on, strengthen their practice and understand and support mokopuna learning and progress. In this workshop, A/Professor Sue Cherrington, A/Professor Tara McLaughlin and an MoE representative will present an overview of Kōwhiti Whakapae. Participants will workshop how the tools might be used to support social and emotional development. Storytelling – Del Costello Storytelling supports tamariki to learn local history, build concepts to place and people, develop rich vocabulary and a natural way to integrate te ao Māori and te reo Māori. Kaiako will learn tools to put into practice. Del Costello, the founder of the “Telling Your Stories Project,” works with ECE centres to integrate local stories across Te Whāriki and is supported by the MoE. E ora ai te reo, me kōrero. So that the language thrives, let’s speak it! – Chelsea Bracefield, Krystal Taiapa This practice-based session reinforces the foundations of correct pronunciation and fundamental sentences for the ECE environment through Pūrākau and Te Pū Taka Māori. You will gain tools, resources and direction to lead te reo Māori through affirming pratices alongwith understanding themana of te aoMāori to progress your Te Tiriti-Basedpractice. -BUSINESS INNOVATION AND CHALLENGESBusiness Central’s education support services – Rena Day One of the greatest challenges leaders and business owners face is guiding their business and people to thrive. Hear innovative ways to address these challenges, and be equipped with a new tool kit of wraparound support services including advisory services, business mentors, workshops in digital technology, sustainability and much more that you can pick and choose from. Putting your best foot forward with the regulator – Jessica Taylor Jessica Taylor is a senior solicitor in Buddle Findlay's Employment and Health Law Team and leads their relationship with the ECC to support members successfully through multiple employment, regulatory, health and safety, privacy issues. Jessica will advise how to engage with the Ministry, from ad hoc enquiries and site visits to investigations, breach findings and proposals to suspend or cancel licences. THE 2023 ECC CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS -SPECIAL INTEREST TOPICS FOR TEACHERSJune 2023 { 26 }
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