Active supervision is the single most effective way to prevent harm – this article shows teachers, services, and regulators the essential skills needed to keep children truly safe, not just watched.
The article explores how no‑touch policies in ECE emerged and why they continue to shape teacher behaviour, raising important questions about what kinds of touch are appropriate, safe, and developmentally necessary for young children. It’s a thought‑provoking read on how fear and policy can influence caring relationships at the heart of ECE.
Spot Checks: Protecting Safety and Standards This opinion article is published as part of our ‘Speaking-up‘ series By Bonnie Te Ara Henare. 11 December 2024.
Force‑feeding is a hidden harm in early childhood settings – this piece exposes why it happens, why speaking up is so hard, and why children urgently need adults to break the silence.
Ministry of Education Lack of Enforcement on Ventilation. July 27, 2022. By law early childhood centres must have adequate ventilation (natural or mechanical) that allows
The early childhood sector has sent a clear message: mandatory reporting of child abuse should become law, with 92% of respondents saying it’s needed to better protect children. This story highlights why the sector wants change and why relying on voluntary reporting is no longer enough.
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.
Parents were kept in the dark about repeated licence breaches at New Shoots Tauranga. This article shows what wasn’t disclosed and what families everywhere can take from cases like this to better protect their children.
We explain why strict attention to choking and allergy risks is essential, and how gaps in current regulations have led to preventable harm. Every educator and service leader must understand and apply these guidelines to keep children safe.
July 9, 2020. The Discoveries Educare Lincoln Road Henderson centre is the latest in the Auckland childcare chain to be closed by the Ministry of
COMMENTARY/OPINIONAugust 9, 2021 To give you insight into things that can happen, child deaths and injuries at Early Childhood Education Services are listed below. The
Indecent pictures of children, including bathroom pics, were taken by teacher “K” at her early childhood centre, using her mobile phone and shared online.
Safer Eating in Early Childhood Centres. December 8, 2020. “Not allowing children’s lives to be endangered through the provision of food they can easily choke
Review of the Ministry of Education is Needed. The most basic expectation every parent has when using an early childhood service is that their child
Opinion article. Dr Sarah Alexander. March 15, 2019. Many of us are surprised when an early childhood service we thought to be good because it
This investigative report examines how a toddler’s choking on raw apple led to life‑altering injuries and exposed serious gaps in ECE safety oversight. It questions regulatory accountability and whether parents can rely on the systems meant to protect their children.
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
Centre Manager Abuse. July 31, 2017. As early childhood centre manager Lynn Abraham, who smacked and force-fed children and washed a child’s mouth with soap
Infant at centre left horribly burnt by hot water OPINION. Dr Sarah Alexander. February 19. 2017. An infant was burnt horribly while being bathed at
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