Early Childhood Education needs leadership strategy

New Zealand’s ECE sector would benefit from a cohesive leadership strategy, says NZ Teachers Council director, Dr Peter Lind.

This conclusion was the result of the Teachers Council’s research report, Conceptualising Leadership in Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa New Zealand which Dr Lind released at the Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/New Zealand Childcare Association conference in Auckland earlier this month.

“While there is a leadership strategy for the school sector there is no equivalent support for teachers and leaders in the ECE sector,” says Dr Lind.

“The absence of a cohesive leadership strategy is a significant risk to professional initiatives supporting quality teaching and learning in this sector.

“Quality leadership is not just the domain of the person who is responsible for the centre, kindergarten, kohanga reo or home-based network but requires all teachers to have the opportunities to further develop their leadership capability.”

Quality ECE has a significant impact on the learning achievements of children. Longitudinal research studies show that children at age 14, who received quality ECE, were still educationally benefiting from that experience nine years later.

The ECE sector is growing. As at 1st July, 2008, 198,784 children were enrolled at 4,649 ECE services, an increase of 3.8 per cent from 1st July, 2007. There are now 16,861 registered teachers in this sector.