January 13, 2013.
Consultation on the review was to have started already, but the Ministry of Education sent a letter to home-based services last month telling them that the process had been deferred. The fact that many businesses were closed and people were away over the holiday period was cited as the reason for the delay.
In the meantime a group of private home-based providers, going by the name of the “Home Early Learning Organisation”, have banded together to represent themselves during the review process. These providers are PORSE, PAUA, Au Pair Link and Home Grown Kids.
Its president is Jenny Yule who founded the PORSE service. Ms Yule said the group hoped it could provide a voice for the sector and hoped to work with the Government during the review. The group also hoped to present evidence to the review showing the benefits of home-based care by an au pair/nanny/family daycare in-home educator for children and society.
The NZ Home-based Early Childhood Education Association Inc was formed in 1987 to represent the interests of community-based and private owners, coordinators, managers, educators and parents and support its members to provide quality early childhood education and care. It had advocated for a review of the home-based sector for many years and is pleased that a review is taking place.
The Ministry’s letter which was signed by Rawiri Brell, Deputy Secretary for Early Years and Learning Support, said more information about how the review will proceed will be provided this year. It also said the review would consult with all interested parties and “does not see any one group or organisation as being representative of all home-based providers”.
