President Calls For Mandatory Qualifications For Home-Based Childcare Workers
New Zealand Home-Based Early Childhood Education Association president Carol Stovold is calling for a mandatory qualification for home-based educators.
“I believe the time has come to raise the bar in terms of professionalism of home- based educators in New Zealand,” Ms Stovold says.
“We must remember it is ultimately the children we are providing education and care to and we must be professional in all respects,” she said.
“Having a mandatory requirement for an industry qualification will ensure that the level of service across the board is of a higher and totally validated level,” Ms Stovold said.
“At the present time we do have some with a qualification and others who don’t have one,” she said. “This in itself can lead to confusion for parents.”
Ms Stovold’s comments come at a time when the home-based childcare industry in New Zealand is rapidly expanding.
There is now more than 18,000 children placed in home-based childcare throughout New Zealand. This has risen 74 per cent in the past five years and for some services their rolls have increased by 400 per cent in the last year.
Ms Stovold says the home-based service has become increasingly popular because parents are looking for suitable alternatives for the care of their pre-school children.
“Parents like to have choices and many of them find that home-based care proves more flexible with their work needs,” Ms Stovold said.
“Home-based care provides the option of small groups with no more than four children in a group at any one time,” she said.
The NZ Home-Based Early Childhood Education Association Conference will take place at the Rotorua Convention Centre on September 28, 29 and 30.
The Association provides all of the information, advocacy and best practice principles for home-based early childhood education and care that educators and services need.
The conference will provide a platform for educators, teachers and management in home-based settings to attend thought provoking workshops showcasing home-based innovation and practices.
“We have a number of key stakeholders presenting vital information to our sector (e.g. Ministry of Education, EMA, Insurance Brokers, and Bankers etc) together with some wonderful workshops,” Ms Stovold said.
The conference will provide the best opportunity for people in the industry to hear about national and international initiatives, discuss the opportunities and trends within home-based early childhood education and share the challenges that face early childhood educators.
Further conference information: http://nzhomebasedece.org.nz/conference-2012