Report finds ECE regulation is not fit for purpose

“Many of the concerns we raised on providers’ behalf, including our community-based members, have been heard. Change is desperately needed and it’s now on the way, thank goodness.”

“ECC believes in smarter regulation that can benefit everyone with a stake in ECE, including children, parents, providers and teachers. ECE delivers public benefits like supporting a child’s development at the start of their education journey, and allowing parents to work as we care for their children.”

The ECC says it’s much smarter to work positively with the vast majority of providers to address issues as they arise, and reserve the toughest sanctions for only when they’re really needed. Much of the sector’s concerns are disappointingly connected to the heavy-handed approach from the Ministry of Education as current regulator.

“The sector needs clearer, more effective regulation that’s consistently enforced, along with a leadership culture at the ECE regulator that values working positively with providers. We are not the enemy, ECE providers are trusted by parents to care for nearly 200,000 children every weekday,” said Simon Laube.

The MoE has lost the trust of many in the ECE sector, as providers can’t go to them for support. The Ministry is conflicted in any significant regulatory compliance situation, support disappears, and officials retreat back to the Wellington head office to form judgements about non-compliance. The next thing providers get is a licence sanction letter, which can force services into decline due to lost funding and even lead to sudden closure.”

More flexibility around staffing is long overdue, as the teacher shortage is a government-manufactured crisis for the ECE sector. We need to support the wider workforce with qualifications, and recognise when teachers bring valuable other skills and capabilities to their roles, like adults who can speak the relevant languages that some services specialise in for example.

The Ministry for Regulation also found that families in rural areas are poorly served, with few services and even fewer qualified teachers. ECC’s view is this perspective resonates and we add that the situation for rural centres could be even worse than MfR realises. An urgent further review is needed into the funding disincentives that apply to (generally) small rural centres. Most new centres that open tend to be larger – because that’s what the current funding model incentivises.

“A number of organisations lined up to label the review a ‘slash and burn” exercise when it started and before this report was even released. Now we can judge for ourselves. ECC believes the review is clever, clear and constructive, with a fresh perspective on what needs to be done differently in the ECE regulatory system.”

“The next challenge is designing the replacement tools the Ministry for Regulation envisages, and ECC stands ready to support this.” said Simon Laube.