Official Information Act requests by Dr Sarah Alexander and our publication of complaints information spurred the Ministry to improve its rate of investigation and report an annual summary. Our position is that more needs to be done to create a more robust complaints system (See About Us). A robust complaints system is important to ensure good practices in ECE services and to provide people with the right to complain and be listened to.
Licensed early childhood services must meet minimum legal standards and are expected to exceed these and operate transparently. Complaints are an essential part of keeping children safe, healthy, improving quality, and ensuring accountability.
Parents and caregivers of tamariki in ECE made 80 complaints to the Ministry of Education through the confidential online service on the MyECE website last year.
MyECE is the official website of the ECE Parents’ Council. The council is a volunteer-run, grassroots organisation that
Serious safety concerns at an ECE centre went unaddressed for years. This article uncovers how red flags were repeatedly raised, ignored, and allowed to escalate before the licence was finally cancelled. It’s a must‑read for any family wanting to understand how oversight can fail and what that means for children’s safety.
COMPLAINTS PROCESS REPORT UPDATE: The last report on complaints released by the Ministry of Education was in 2021 for complaints it received against ECE services
Recorded complaints against early childhood services made to the Ministry of Education have risen by more than a quarter, from 339 in 2017 to 430
September 5, 2018. Sealey Street childcare centre in Thames has been shut down by the Ministry of Education. This followed the Ministry of Education being
Complaints Information Release Now Very Overdue. Opinion article. By Dr S Alexander. April 12, 2018. The Ministry of Education today (Thursday) responded to the press
Early Childhood Service Complaints Report is Very Late. April 8, 2018. Wellington. The Ministry of Education is not meeting its own deadlines in releasing its
Confidence in the Complaints Process. By Sarah Alexander. September, 2014. This report discusses the results of a survey looking at the levels of confidence in
Publication of ECE Complaints. May 6, 2014. The Ministry of Education says it intends to release information about complaints brought against early childhood education services
Early Childhood Service Complaints Made Public. August 10, 2013. A child at an early childhood centre was left in a swing to go to sleep
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