An argument for a lighter, not heavier hand from Government and their officials. It’s no secret that I’ve been around for a while – this year marks my 35th year in the ECE sector in one shape or form. That’s about the same length of time that the printed version of Swings & Roundabouts has existed. The magazine has had a few different styles over those years, a bit like me. Perhaps it is apt then, that I get to have a few last words in this final hard copy. And what better topic to choose than my favourite, Regulation and Compliance. We are at a crossroads, from what I can see. We have a new Minister of Education, the Hon David Seymour, promising to reduce the regulatory burden in early childhood education. No sooner did those words come out of his mouth, than the battle lines formed. On one side the teachers union braying that the Minister is about to ‘de-regulate’ the early childhood sector, unravelling everything they have fought for. On the other side, ECE providers breathing a collective sigh of relief that perhaps, at last, their voices had been heard, and that the bureaucratic creep of the past few years might be reined in. That they might be able to return to serving their communities, rather than the public servants who police them. And in the middle, parents, completely oblivious to there being a problem, because they are happily dropping their children off to their chosen, trusted ECE service each day. Their child is happy and thriving, and mostly that’s all that any parent really wants. I’ve seen successive Ministers of Education When less is more By Sue Kurtovich Sue Kurtovich ECE Management Consultant ECC Life Member and Patron Former President and Former CEO of the Early Childhood Council Former ECE Centre Owner/ Manager and Administrator come to the ECE portfolio with their views on what our sector needs. I don’t doubt each has been well intentioned. I’ve seen a lot of policies and programmes introduced. Some have stuck, others have been canned as soon as the relevant minister has left the portfolio. Some were doomed right from the start, because they were simply dumb ideas. I’ve often pondered why governments, and the bureaucrats in charge of government policy, have so little faith in parents and providers of early childhood education. Why do they feel the need to interfere so significantly in the early childhood sector? Do they not trust parents? Do they not trust providers? Are they worried more about boxes to tick, or more about children’s actual care and education? When the 1998 two-tier regulatory framework was replaced in 2008 by the three-tier model of the Act, the Regulations and the Licensing Criteria, the sector was promised more certainty (not more regulation). There would be no more “making it up as they go”, no more inconsistencies from one region to another, no more changes without justification or without the sector being clearly informed, no more catching you out with ‘rules’ that you didn’t know about, no more moving feasts when it comes to the rules. Sadly, the reality has been far from that. The online publishing of Ministry of Education guidance to ‘support’ the Government approved Licensing Criteria has become a cottage industry in itself. This guidance has gone well beyond being helpful suggestions, and instead has given MoE officials the confidence to extend the intent of the actual legislation in whichever way they choose, whenever they choose. We have more regional differences in interpretation than we’ve ever had before, and little room being given to providers to show compliance with the actual regulations in ways other than those that are the view of the particular official. I am firmly in the camp of let’s get back to trusting providers and parents. Of course, we need regulation. And we need compliance with that regulation. But getting the regulatory balance right is critical to parents continuing to have affordable choices in ECE, and service providers being able to innovate, adapt, and provide the choices that their communities need and want. This full review of the bloated ECE regulatory framework can’t come soon enough. I just hope it’s not too late for the many smaller providers who have less capacity to absorb or fight, and are feeling the burden of over regulation more intensely than larger organisations. The list of closures of smaller, most often community services, makes for sobering reading. We should all be advocating for a vibrant and diverse ECE sector that provides real choice for children and their families. July 2024 { 14 }
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=