The annual confidence survey provides a gauge of the state of New Zealand’s early childhood education sector and outlook.
Each year, in the month before government releases its Budget, 1,000 people in the early childhood sector are surveyed for their opinions. This report presents the results of the latest sector confidence survey.
Respondents were asked:
- If they felt government was taking things in the right direction or wrong direction for ECE.
- If they expected to see improvement or worsening in the sector in the next 12 months.
- If they had confidence in the Ministry of Education.
Teaching staff, managers, and owners were also asked to comment on how well things were going for their service or group of services.
The Labour Government has expressed many policy aspirations for early childhood education and care.
However, feedback from this coalface survey tells us that the early childhood education sector is worse off compared with when Labour delivered its first Budget, and the sector is in a state of gloom without hope that things will get better soon.
The full report (22 pages including graphs) can be viewed below, and you are welcome to download or print a copy.
Questions to ask now are:
- Will there be anything in Budget 2023 to reverse the dire situation the ECE sector is in?
- Can the Labour Government at least deliver on its pay parity promise before the election?
- Seeing these issues will other political parties propose solutions going into the election?
