Capital kindergartens may lose teachers to cuts
CAMERON BURNELL
Parent Niels Waij is concerned about the staff cuts Khandallah Kindergarten, which 3-year-old son Luca attends, and its sister kindies are making due to government funding shortfalls.
Whanau Manaaki Kindergartens, the non-profit behind 85 kindies in the region, announced last week that "ongoing funding shortfalls" meant they had to cut staff time to remain afloat.
It is believed each kindy will have to lose about 1.6 teachers in a move would reduce the teacher-to-child ratio at each centre.
Chief executive Amanda Coulston said while in 2008 her kindergartens were funded $12.26 per child per hour by the government, today it was $11.77 for the 20 free subsidised hours.
"I defy any organisation to be able to make ends meet with this sort of underfunding."
The scrapping of the government Provisionally Registered Teacher Grant in 2010 to centres with more than 80 per cent qualified teachers was one factor impacting Whanau Manaaki's budgets, Coulston said. They were committed to ensuring all their teachers were qualified, for the benefit of children.
"We wouldn't put 80 per cent professional rugby players out in the World Cup and have the other 20 per cent as big fans and think we're going to get the same result as if we had 100 per cent professional players," she said. "Since ... 2010, the government has not adjusted its funding for inflation, another effective cut we have had to absorb."
Whanau Manaaki sent out a letter to parents on Friday saying it was asking its teachers to volunteer for part-time work and reducing the non-contact time teachers had, to cut costs.
"We're hoping there won't be forced redundancies but we're still at the early stages," she said. "It's been a difficult time for our teachers."
Since 2011 the organisation has asked parents using their free 20 hours of childcare for donations towards the training and registration of teachers. Increasing this and extending kindy opening hours were two options being considered to boost revenue, Coulston said.
Teachers would be told if forced redundancies would be necessary at the start of December, she said.
The possibility of cuts was met with shock by parents at Khandallah Kindergarten.
Dad Niels Waij sends his son Luca, 3, there and said it would have a "huge" impact.
"As it is, there are not a lot of teachers, so that one-on-one time gets lost. They have good systems and with one gone that will be a link out of the chain.
"The kids are little, so it is important. They are taking a lot into their little brains."
Jenny Henderson has Ella, 4, and George, 3, at the kindergarten and said it was "absolutely shocking".
"The teachers here are so awesome. The thought of losing any of them is awful."
Paul Goulter, New Zealand Educational Institute union national secretary, agreed all early childhood education centres were feeling a similar financial squeeze. "Like many others [they] have done their utmost to keep up the quality against this relentless impact of government real funding cuts."
Ministry of Education spokeswoman Katrina Casey said annual inflation adjustments were not made to early childhood education funding rates.
Kindergartens were more generously funded than other childcare centres, which received $11.43 an hour.
The cost to parents had remained constant since 2007, she said.
Labour education spokesman Chris Hipkins said investing in the highest quality pre-school education, with fully qualified teachers, would pay off. "Kids who have been involved in quality early childhood education before they start school tend to do better when they get to school."
Education Minister Hekia Parata refused to answer questions on early childhood education funding.
- Stuff
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