Survey on Mandatory Vaccination of the ECE Sector Workforce.
Report published by the Office of Early Childhood Education.
18 October, 2021.
Mandatory vaccination of the early childhood education workforce, along with the school and health and disability workforces, was announced on 11 October 2021. Minister Chris Hipkins said:
“A high rate of vaccinations will help to protect staff from getting sick and passing COVID-19 onto loved ones. It will also reassure those who are anxious about their children attending school and early learning services.”
Government has already highlighted that there are groups in NZ society where extra special effort is needed to attain vaccination targets. Is the ECE workforce one of them?
A quick survey by the Office of Early Childhood Education of 2,100 people in early childhood education found the following.
Vaccination rate
Sixty-two percent of respondents had received the first dose. This is low compared with the national average – as at 14th October 70% of NZ’s total population, and 83% of NZ’s eligible population (12+), had received the first dose (Ministry of Health statistics).
The graph below shows a high first dose rate of 80% among the 327 providers of community and privately owned services in the survey. Service providers may run anywhere between one to several hundred licensed ECE services each.
ECE service employees, including paid staff in early childhood centres and homebased visiting teachers (n = 1,266), had a first dose rate of 63%. People working in their own homes as educators (n = 200) had a slightly higher first dose rate compared to early childhood centre workers of 66%.
Volunteers working in early childhood centres (n = 109) and parents who helped at their centre (n = 198) were least likely to have had the first dose.
Reasons which respondents gave for not yet getting the first dose included:
- Issues of being too busy with work or family responsibilities, and getting to a vaccination site/ clinic.
- Wanting more information on the safety of the vaccine.
- Waiting for other vaccine choices to become available.
- Advice from health professionals not to get the vaccine due to pregnancy or medical conditions.
- Personal choice not to be vaccinated – belief that the available Covid-19 vaccination is not necessary to protect health, or that it is harmful.
Will mandatory vaccination cause people to leave their work in ECE?
Sixty-five percent of respondents said mandatory vaccination would not cause them to leave the ECE sector (very unlikely, unlikely, or neither likely nor unlikely).
Thirty-five percent indicated that it was likely or very likely that they would leave. However, the comments they provided to explain their position suggested that for most of these respondents there were other things behind their thinking too. Here are some examples of comments:
- “There are already numerous reasons to leave – poor pay, long hours, high ratios, and no recognition. Now this. Teachers attacking each other for our decisions.”
- “I am not willing to undergo stress anymore if the government doesn’t see the need to help the sector. Lack of teachers has made it difficult to take days off work or fill positions, leaving other teachers to the jobs. The extensive cleaning has become another additional task that teachers must undertake due to Covid.”
- “As a vaccinated person in ECE with a sad amount of pay parity coming in January, I will use the possibility of others leaving the education sector to look for a better paying position in primary teaching.”
Will mandatory vaccination cause hardship to services?
Around 43% of respondents believed mandatory vaccination of the ECE workforce would cause some hardship to their service/s and a further 22.5% thought ‘maybe’. A service provider for example said: “We have a teacher who follows naturopathy. She will not expose her body to the vaccine and therefore will have to leave. Our children will miss her.”
Conversely, if it were not for mandatory vaccination services might also experience hardships. Here’s a sample of quotes:
- “I would likely leave if other people at the centre were unvaccinated. The mandate makes me feel safe.”
- “I would potentially lose two teachers who are vulnerable if vaccines and other measures weren’t mandated.”
- “A couple of families may leave but equally families will leave if it is not adequately enforced at Playcentre.”
- “Fully vaccinated staff will make parents make confident to bring their children”.
Mandatory vaccination could place pressure on publicly funded and licensed Playcentre and homebased services that is unique to these service types.
Playcentres rely on parent involvement. Parents and caregivers of children currently attending a Playcentre may find that to continue to be involved and for the survival of their Playcentre they will have to get vaccinated.
- “We are likely to lose our playcentre president and possibly other members but it’s likely we still can pull through. I believe in vaccination but I desperately hate that this will break apart out community and leave some children out of their favourite place because of their parents’ choices.”
- “It might mean we have a reduction in numbers but in all honesty, I think our ECE as a rural playcentre is on borrowed time anyway.”
Homebased educators will be reliant on others in their place of work (their homes) aged 12 years and older also getting vaccinated if they are to continue providing government funded care and education of children.
- “My own children do not want the vaccine and if they don’t then I’ll lose my job.”
- “Getting husband and family members to agree will created a hostile atmosphere for educators in their homes.”
Feedback on the requirements around mandatory vaccination
Respondents were asked for their views about the timeline for vaccination, weekly testing, and maintaining a register of vaccinated staff and support people. Only comments and not ratings were asked for.
Timeline for vaccination
The government requires ECE workers to receive their first dose by 15 November 2021 and be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022. Most comments offered by respondents were supportive of the timeline. Some examples of comments were:
- “My aim is to support tamariki in accessing early childhood education, especially for Māori.”
- “It is a harsh thing to make them get vaccinated or no job. But also, on the other hand our vulnerable children who can’t be vaccinated will be around said people closely.”
- “It is sufficient time for a full vaccination if you are willing to get vaccinated.”
- “Would be good if there was more time. However, I can understand that things need to be done quickly.”
- “I think teachers should already have had both doses, unless a medical condition would prevent them. So, by January 1st is too much time.”
- “I got vaccinated early so this is more than enough time. Everyone is different though.”
Testing
A second requirement is that those not fully vaccinated in Level 3 areas are required to have weekly testing for Covid-19 leading up to 1 January 2022. Most respondents were supportive. Respondents in Alert 3 level areas said things such as:
- “I’m safer testing weekly, as I don’t want to get the jab.”
- “I will be doing so. I have recently just started back and live in a hot spot for Covid.”
- “I would like to have regular testing for all staff while the strain of Delta is in the community.”
- “I feel that centres need to be careful for the sake of the pepi that can’t be vaccinated.”
And, some thought testing should be extended to include those who are fully vaccinated and/ or working anywhere in NZ.
- “I would get a weekly test even though I am fully vaxed just for peace of mind and to keep our tamariki safe.”
- “Everyone should do it as vaccinated people can still get Covid and give it to tamariki.”
- “The point here is to protect everyone including ourselves, whānau and the rest of the community.”
Weekly testing was welcomed for reasons of personal safety, as these comments illustrate:
- “As an ECE teacher with asthma, I feel more confident knowing that those around me are either vaccinated fully or being weekly tested. That way we will know ASAP if there are cases present in the centre.”
- “I wouldn’t be comfortable working with unvaccinated people without weekly testing given that I am pregnant.”
Testing was also commented on as a method to hurry up the unvaccinated to get vaccinated:
- “It forces them to take Covid seriously and maybe rethink their decision.”
- “Need consequences for those lagging on getting vaccinated.”
The type of test and ease of getting a test came up as factors to consider. For example:
- “Local testing areas need to be available after work hours for those living rurally too!”
- “Time to allow staff to carry this out taking note that our closest testing station in our town is 15min drive and our hours of operation are 7.30am – 5.30pm.”
- “Would be good to do the saliva test more often and make the less invasive test more readily available.”
- “If spit testing or cheek swabs then I would support testing.”
Maintaining a Register
ECE services will need to maintain a register, and ensure only vaccinated staff and support people have contact with children from 1 January 2022. Respondents were generally in agreement with the requirement for a register, and saw the requirement as being consistent with other record keeping:
- “We already keep records of children’s vaccination. During the measles outbreak we were asked about our vaccination record, so that if we had a case in the centre we knew then who was more vulnerable.”
- “It will be fine as it will be the same as maintaining a register of teacher certification, first aid, police vetting etc.”
- “I don’t see this as any different to having to maintain records for child vaccination for other diseases, so what’s one more piece of paperwork?”
Privacy of information was an issue that some respondents wanted clarification on:
- “In my company how many people will have access to my information? The manager, area manager, the CEO, the list goes on.”
- “I would like my information to be kept private and not disclosed to parents or other staff.”
A second issue raised by respondents was how will it be effectively policed? One respondent commented that this was already a problem: “cronyism in our service means people are claiming to have ‘exemptions’ while being known anti-vaxxers and others condoning it.”
Conclusion
At the start of this report, we asked: Government has already highlighted that there are groups in NZ society where extra special effort is needed to attain vaccination targets. Is the ECE workforce one of them? You may form your own conclusions from the survey results presented here.
But, in the end it may be just a matter of time – or timing.
As one respondent for example said: “I have 2 people left to be vaccinated due to their religious belief, but will now be doing their first dose soon.”
The next few months will tell.
