Swings & Roundabouts - Issue 34 (Winter 2017)

WINTER 2017

BUDGET 2017 & CEO MESSAGE MINISTER’S MESSAGE

ECC CONFERENCE 2017 HIGHLIGHTS THE MAGIC OF TEACHING PLEASE SHARE THIS MAGAZINE!

If you know anyone who would like to read the interesting and informative articles in Swings & Roundabouts, pass it on!

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Inside

this issue...

7

FROM THE EDITOR

8

CEO'S MESSAGE

10 BUDGET 2017 12 ECC MEMBER’S PAGE 13 CENTRE PROFILE

16 QUADRUPLE BOTTOM LINE

34 ECC CONFERENCE 2017

18 IS ECE A 21ST CENTURY PROFESSION?

40 RESOURCE REVIEWS

20 CARPENTRY 24 MUSIC & MOVEMENT

14 MINISTER’S MESSAGE 26 GREEN KIDS & SUPERMEALS “SShhhhh, I’m calling the roll!” came the call from the children as they sat in front of their friends while holding onto clip boards.

They looked particularly confident and very proud.

46 LAST LAUGH

It’s been a busy time since I took over as Education Minister. I feel incredibly honoured to be in this role, to get the opportunity to help change people’s lives and work with you to support the next generation of New Zealanders.

28 THE MAGIC OF TEACHING 32 STRONG RESEARCH AT NZTC

Nikki Kaye Editor Trudi Sutcliffe

Production Co-ordinator Luke Lynch

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June 2017

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Trudi

– Michael Neill I attended the recent and successful 2017 ECC Conference for early childcare owners/ centre managers (conference photos from p.34) and came away with a feeling that despite the current climate (read ECC’s Peter Reynold’s Message on the following pages) early childhood education is in a great space when you have such dedicated leaders striving for quality early childhood education.

After having many conversations with those in leadership positions in their ECE centres and hearing their goals, aspirations and yes, frustrations, you know that ECE have some of the most amazing spirits, thinkers and hard workers in the education sector.

We’ve got some fantastic opinion pieces and articles throughout this issue. But something I particularly enjoyed were the articles that were sent in on the topic of ‘The Magic of Teaching’. Each contribution shares something quite different, but all were valid and magical experiences and yes, quality ECE. Let’s not forget these stories. Let’s

remember to celebrate all that is good in ECE. We’re on the lookout for great stories around literacy, transitions and inclusive education. If you’ve got a story to share, contact Trudi, publications@ecc.org.nz Trudi Sutcliffe

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To talk about a better, easier accounting system for your early childhood learning centre, call Mark at Rubiix Accountants today on (09) 302 2268 Out of Auckland 0800 733 255 or email msalmon@rubiix.co.nz online at www.rubiix.co.nz Preferred supplier to the Early Childhood Council

June 2017

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CEO's

MESSAGE Another year; and another round of changes.

While the ECC has no significant issues

Centres have now had the opportunity to

with the re-draft of Te Whāriki – in fact we

consider the offerings and impact of Budget

congratulated the Ministry and the writing

2017. It won’t have taken long. No increase

team for the result of their efforts – we

in the Universal Subsidy. No increase in

remain concerned that the focus of the

the 20 Hours Subsidy. No increase in the

implementation remains on teachers

Equity Funding rate. Some additional money

solely. We are hopeful that the Ministry

for a targeted sub-group within the Equity

will put equal effort into others who have

Funding population from next year. And

responsibility for the education of the

some additional money for cash-strapped

pre-schoolers in their care. Meanwhile,

Learning Support (or Special Education)

the ECC is focused on ensuring childcare

services. What significant increase there

centre owners, governance committees and

is relates to volume growth, not the per

managers are aware of what has changed

child rate. We calculate the early childhood

in Te Whāriki and are equipped to lead the

centres trying to get involved in CoL, but being discouraged by schools and/or the Ministry of Education. ECE Sector leaders worked hard to develop a model that would enable ECE services to participate in CoL as equal partners. Not as a convenient “tack on”. We acknowledge that there are 4,500 licensed ECE services and only 2,500 schools. But continually being held at arm’s length is not the solution. The Ministry of Education have obstructed the ECE sector throughout and continue to demonstrate a total disregard for the ECE Sector, presumably believing that because the sector is private, it somehow doesn’t deserve to be involved.

sector yesterday lost $15,000 as a result

implementation within their centre’s context.

of the Budget announcements. We also

A significant proportion of our sector is

calculate that the average childcare centre

led by individuals who are not necessarily

participation funding the same as schools.

has lost $105,000 in total since 2011, just

ECE-qualified teachers. Thus support for

We believe ECE Services should be able to

with the impact of the failure of successive

this leadership group is essential for the

establish and lead CoL if this is the right

government budgets to act on all the

implementation to be widely successful.

thing to do in their community. And we

international and national research that points to the extraordinary benefits of investing in early childhood education.

Communities of Learning(CoL) have morphed from Communities of Schools. 250 are planned around the country and will

This, for many centres, will not be a rosy

have responsibilities that include how to

picture.

address groups of children destined to fail

Centres tell the ECC that their main source of competition is other centres. And, linked to this, there continues to be much debate on Facebook and in other forums about the Ministry’s licensing practices.

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have begun to signal this.

lds — CEO Peter Reyno

We believe the ECE sector should receive

believe ECE teachers participating in CoL should have the time they commit to this initiative recognised as non-contact time by the Ministry in a way that does not punish the service for doing so.

in the education system, how to best invest

The Education Council has been established,

the meagre special education (or as it is now

replacing the Teachers Council. And has yet

known, Learning Support) funding; and how

to demonstrate a true change in culture from

to best use the Ministry’s centrally-funded

a government agency to a member-focussed

$76 million PLD support that was solely for

professional body. Instead, it is focussed on

schools but can now include ECE. Schools

establishing a Code of Professional Practice

Te Whāriki has been refreshed. And we

have the drop on ECE services, having been

that seeks to undermine the independence

now start to see some limited funded

actively encouraged to set up these groups

and responsibilities of employers, add to

professional development and tools to

without ECE services involved; and having

the workload of teachers; and ratchet up

support implementation being rolled out.

received funding and other incentives to do

practicing certificate fees by 143% so

The number of outcome indicators has

so. ECE services continue to battle for their

that it may continue to focus on priorities

been reduced to 20, but the likelihood

place around the CoL table and continue

that offer little to practicing teachers. We

of increased government scrutiny of the

to be discouraged by the Ministry around

need a professional body that teachers are

performance of the sector and individual

the recognition of non-contact time. We

proud to call “our professional body”. The

services is likely to increase. Certainly, ERO

continue to hear stories of discontent from

ECC surveyed its membership recently on

June 2017

effort of sector representatives involved.

Recently, the ECC asked members to assess

Council. Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming

During that year, the Ministry invited the

trust in the sector. The extent to which they

96.55% of respondents are opposed to the

sector group to identify “points of pain” in

trust some of the key stakeholders centres

proposed practicing certificate fee increase.

respect of ECE funding – the things that

have. And the extent to which you feel these

the changes proposed by the Education

drive us mad and have little to do with

stakeholders trust you. The results are

Education Council had satisfactorily justified

advancing quality ECE experiences for pre-

interesting, although perhaps predictable:

the proposal to increase the practicing

school-aged children. The list we drew up

certificate fee. We contend that if there has

included:

●

55% of respondents to date gave five stars to the question “do you trust your staff?”

●

50% gave four stars to the question “Do you trust your parents?”

●

66% gave between three and four stars to the question “Do you trust the Ministry of Education?” with roughly the same result for ERO and the Education Council

●

Politicians, both government and opposition, scored less, with 77% scoring between 2 and 3 stars

●

But the scores generally increased across the board when we asked you whether you felt these stakeholders trusted you.

89.36% of respondents did not feel that the

to be an increase, this should be phased

●

The Frequent Absence Rule

of the profession and make adhering to

●

The 15 minute teacher attestation

regulated ratios impossible to manage. We

●

The teacher wage rate attestation

practicing certificate fee should be set at

●

Conditional and Casual Enrolments

a percentage of the teacher’s wage rate,

●

The confusing guidance around 20 Hours, particularly for parents

●

The size of the Ministry’s Enrolment Form template

And the Ministry of Primary Industries

●

Plus some other smaller issues.

has demonstrated total incompetence in

Then, in late 2014, the Funding Review

in over time so as not to drive teachers out

also support one member’s idea that the

so that ECE teachers are paying the same percentage as their primary and secondary colleagues, but at a dollar level that is fair and reasonable.

its approach to implementing the Food Act in our sector. Having designed the Food Act and the structure that supports it (comprising Councils and independent verifiers), MPI then seemingly failed to tell councils or work with them to prepare the necessary registration framework; seemingly failed to allow themselves the ability to agree to proposals for centralised, sector-specific registration models; and seemingly forgot to work with verifiers on the unique differences that exist in childcare centres and other businesses that are not restaurants or cafes. Many centres have closed their kitchens. Many have increased their fees to parents. Many continue to face extortionist verifier charges when MPI told our sector it would cost no more than $300. And for what? In response to the ECC’s Official Information Act request, MPI confirms that the number of food safety events reported to the Ministry that can be attributed to a childcare centre in the 12 months prior to the Food Act coming into force, there was one. Not one per cent.

One. In 12 months. And how many food

was expanded to include schools – mainly driven by excitement over the decile funding issue. Work continues in this space…..

blowtorch on the responsibility of

a new funding system in 2020. I’m no

government agencies, because of the

longer confident in this date, although some aspects of the work programme are beginning to look interesting, such as the model to replace decile funding and the work to design a simplified child-based funding model.

My bigger concern is the total failure of the Ministry of Education to respond to its own invitation to the sector around these “points of pain”. Part of what drove the Ministry to explore these issues was a recommendation from the Auditor General following the review of the Novopay debacle that the Ministry should seek to simplify complex systems before trying to replace them. Has anything been done to simplify the Frequent Absence Rule? Do we not still have to record every 15 minutes of a teacher’s day? Is the Ministry not the only government body that tells private businesses (both privately-

safety-related events have occurred in the

owned and community-owned) what they

12 months since the Food Act came into

should be paying their staff? The Ministry

force that can be attributed to childcare

continues to duck for cover on these issues,

centres? The same OIA response reported

and in so doing break its promise to the

“none”. That’s “zero”, in 12 months. I’m sure, therefore, that MPI will claim their Act and system for ripping off childcare centres is working wonderfully.

Amongst other things, this throws a

ever so slowly. The project was to deliver

sector and flagrantly ignore the Auditor

highly regulated nature of childcare in New Zealand, to earn the trust of the sector and to ensure an environment is provided in which ECE services have the opportunity to succeed. Currently, we don’t have that. We have an environment in which many of these agencies present us with barriers to success, often barriers that take our focus away from the real reason were are here – the learning and development of pre-school-aged children.

So what of the future. We now know what the 2017 Budget has in store for ECE. We’ll find out over the next few months what other promises politicians from all sides have to tantalise us. Our sector is intelligent and not easily misled by empty promises, no matter where they come from. And there will be plenty. No one knows for sure what the landscape will look like. My advice to you is to be informed and ensure your staff are aware also. We have the opportunity to both send a message and to exercise our right to influence our future.

General’s recommendation.

In the face of all of this, our sector continues to provide one of the best early childhood

In 2012, the Minister of Education

systems in the world. And continues to grow,

commissioned a review of ECE Funding. By

develop and educate young children for their

2014, this stalled with little to show for the

future challenges.

June 2017

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BUDGET 2017 – and its relevance to the ECE sector

The Budget was released by Minister of

○␣

Finance Stephen Joyce on Thursday 25th May. This article summarises the relevance for early childhood education services and reflects the Budget briefing given to delegates at the recent ECC Conference in Wellington.

○␣

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ECE? ● No increase in the Universal subsidy ●

No increase in the 20 Hours subsidy

●

No increase in your Equity Fund rate

●

New money targeted at children at risk ○␣

○␣

●

$4.2 Million additional funding for the Incredible Years programme to support parents and teachers of children aged 2 to 5 with Autism (not sure yet how this will work or why Autism has been singled out)

$34.7 Million for specialist behavioural services for an extra 1,000 children aged between 3 and 8.

●

●

Equity Fund approach, although this additional money will come to centres

An extra $9.8 Million over two years for the Ministry of Education to provide further support to schools and greater oversight of the ECE sector (not sure what this means or what is driving it??)

via the Equity Fund process)

○␣

Starting in 2018 More details, including any accountability requirements, to come over the next few weeks, but will be based on ELI data.

●

An increase of $350.5 Million for additional volume growth (enrolments in ECE)

●

An increase in Learning Support (was Special Ed)

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June 2017

Changes to the Income Tax thresholds ○␣

○␣

and more specific than the general

○␣

business, mainly in the way Provisional Tax can be paid

The total spend on ECE will reach 2 Billion by 2020/2021

dependent households (Note: the criteria here are slightly different

$16.5 Million for Housing First

$6 Million for pre-schoolers with oral language needs

children coming from benefit-

around 2,000 ECE services with

●

NON-EDUCATION CHANGES THAT COULD IMPACT ON ECE SERVICES ● Some minor tax changes for small

OTHER NON-ECE EDUCATION BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENTS ● An extra $5.5 Million for ERO

$35.5 Million over four years for

long-term beneficiaries

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S SOCIAL INVESTMENT PACKAGE

○␣

failure of the Budget to keep pace with inflation, the effect amounting to yet another “funding cuts by stealth” on the ECE sector.

●

While Inflation has increased at 15.83% (accounting for the two minor subsidy increases we have received), the per child subsidy rate for ECE has effectively been cut back

●

The ECC estimates that Budget 2017 has just cost centres $15,000; and in total $105,000 since 2011, taking into account these and other funding cuts affecting our sector.

indirect impact on your service.

●

$28.1 Million for Family Start

●

$19.5 Million for intensive support for

middle to Upper income earners don’t really benefit.

The ECC has expressed concern about the

directly impact on ECE, but could have an $100 Million is set aside for a mental health social investment fund

will provide minor additional income for lower income families

FAILURE TO KEEP PACE WITH INFLATION

These elements of the Budget will not

●

increase in Working For Families and Accommodation Supplement

WHAT THE ECC SAID ABOUT IT

BUDGET 2017 CUTS FUNDING FOR CHILDREN IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Budget 2017 has stripped funding from children in early childhood education for the seventh year in a row, says New Zealand’s largest representative body of licensed early childhood centres.

Early Childhood Council CEO Mr Reynolds said the funding this year had been taken by making no inflation adjustment to key subsidies.

The result was a loss of $15,000 a year from the average early childhood education centre, making a total loss of $105,000 a year since the Government began its funding cuts in Budget 2010.

The new cuts would mean higher charges for families, some of which would struggle to pay; enhanced risk qualified teachers would be replaced with the unqualified; the further loss of professional development essential

for keeping teachers up to date; and the loss of financial surpluses necessary to maintain buildings and play equipment.

Larger groupings of centres might cope better with the cuts than the small because they enjoyed economies of scale, but smaller groupings, stand-alone centres and the children they served were going to suffer, Mr Reynolds said.

‘Hindsight makes it clear this government is committed to a cynical strategy of cutting funding for our youngest of children one little bit at a time so as to avoid the public attention that would arise were they to state their real goals, and implement their policy in one big hit,’ he said.

Mr Reynolds described the approach as ‘potentially very damaging’.

most important cognitive development occurs before school. And if we get this wrong, it is extremely difficult and expensive to fix during the school years. If it can be fixed at all.’

Mr Reynolds said Budget news was ‘not all bad’. The Government deserved praise for the ‘$35 million over four years’ it was making available to childcare services with children from benefit-dependent households, the extra funding to cover additional child enrolments, and ‘some modest increases in funding for children with special learning needs’.

‘But for the majority of children in early childhood education the result of this year’s Budget will be more unqualified teachers and higher charges for their parents.’

‘At the same time as more families are committing their children to early childhood education earlier and for longer periods of time, the government is implementing a cynical policy of funding cuts by stealth that is eating away at family incomes and putting service quality at risk.

qualified teachers, and three support staff);

‘This could be very damaging because the

calculations are available upon request.

Would a fairy be handy right now?

As the saying goes, timing is everything.

If your cash flow could do with a breather, we can help

Note: The ‘average centre’ is based on the following assumptions: 50 children, 20 of whom are under two; a total staff of 15 (12 and no increase in parent fees. Assumptions also include 1.6% increase in wages as per the Labour Cost Index. Full details re the

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0800 777 559 childcarefinance.co.nz

June 2017

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MEMBERS PAGE THE FOLLOWING EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES JOINED THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL RECENTLY: ● Tiny Turtles Educare, Auckland ●

Gate Pa Preschool and Childcare Centre, Tauranga

●

Heleema Kindgarten, Lower Hutt

●

Family Link Childcare Centre, Dargaville

●

Discoveries Educare centres, Auckland

●

Kids Cove Early Learning, Education & Daycare centres, Auckland

●

Totara Seed Trust (Glenbrae Kids & Teulia Kids Early Learning Centres), Auckland

NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN'S WORKER SAFETY CHECK The Ministry of Education have clarified the requirements on centre owners and managers regarding the Vulnerable Children’s Act and Safety Checks.

To find out more on the

ECC TRUST SURVEY The ECC asked for members views on the trust between key stakeholders versus the trust you feel stakeholders have with you/your centre.

Results will be available on the website, www. ecc.org.nz, from mid-June for all ECC members.

modified process for a

ECC SUBMITS SUBMISSION TO EDUCATION COUNCIL OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

to: https://www.ecc.org.nz/

This survey asked members for their view

BlogPost?Action=View&BlogPost_

on the proposed increase to the Teacher’s

id=235 (ECC news pages –

Practicing Certificate and included the

member-only section)

questions posed by the Education Council as

The ECC are checking with the Ministry of Education their view

Wellsford Preschool Education Centre, Wellsford

●

Farmyard Preschool, Upper Hutt

●

●

Tower Road Christian Preschool, Matamata

●

●

The Wishing Tree, Auckland

managers who buy or

●

Montessori Oamaru, Oamaru (provisional)

establish any additional

Kids on f.o.o.t Daycare Wainui, Wainuiomata (provisional)

completed the below surveys:

centre owner/manager go

●

●

ECC SURVEY RESULTS Thank you to all ECC members who recently

on: who is able to complete the risk assessment? And does this view also apply to existing centre owners/

centres?

well as a number of additional questions the ECC felt was pertinent to its membership on the proposal.

To view the ECC’s submission and survey report, go to https://www.ecc.org.nz/ BlogPost?Action=View&BlogPost_id=251 (ECC news – member-only section).

ANNUAL SALARY AND WAGES SURVEY The results are now available on this popular and useful annual survey, go to https://www. ecc.org.nz/Category?Action=View&Category_

The ECC will advise members of

id=186 (Found in the Members-only support

their response.

section/tools and Resources, under ‘W’)

CENTRE MANAGER CPD SYSTEM The Early Childhood Council (ECC) offers a

ECC-EDUCA LUNCH'N'LEARN WEBINARS FOR ECC MEMBERS

ECEMPLOY MEMBER OFFER Ecemploy offers members

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points

The ECC-Educa Lunch’n’Learn webinars

system for enrolled centre managers. This provides

are a monthly event for ECC members

and non-members an

guidance and a benchmark for planning PD.

to keep centre managers informed on

employment website

The system features a downloadable selfreview document to help identify strengths and weaknesses; and a planning tool to plan PD

topical issues. Each one is 20 to 30

specific to the ECE sector.

minutes long. Registration provides a link

Job-seekers can register

for the webinar to view on a computer

freely and upload their CV’s.

screen during lunch as well as a link to a

Employers from any part

recording of the event. Any members who

of the ECE sector can list

You can log your CPD points directly into the system.

cannot attend the event can purchase the

vacancy advertisements at

For ECC events you register for and attend your

recording afterwards.

competitive rates.

activities over the coming year.

participation and points will be automatically added.

To find out more about the ECC-Educa

ECC member centres can

The CPD System is for ECC Members only, at a one-

Lunch’n’Learn webinars go to: www.ecc.

advertise their vacancies for

off cost of: $112.70 (inc GST)

org.nz (under events).

free until March 31st 2018.

{ 12 }

June 2017

CenTrE ProFIle:

Frog Puddles Jo Clarke

Frog Puddles Childcare Centre is located in Half Moon Bay, Auckland. The small privately owned centre provides a very warm and homely environment, and is licenced for 33 children from 3 months to 5 years.

The centre is open from 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday.

Jo Clarke who has owned Frog Puddles for just over 15 years gave up some of her precious and busy time to share her thoughts on owning an early childhood centre with Swings & Roundabouts.

What do you most love most about your job?

What makes a successful quality ECE centre?

I love being able to provide a fun and positive working environment for my teachers and I am proud of my wonderful teaching team. We are all passionate about providing high quality care and education for our community and believe one of our main strengths are the wonderful positive relationships we have with our peers, children and families.

Definitely the teaching team. Having a team that are all motivated and passionate in providing a welcoming, safe and inclusive learning environment, where children’s individual needs, strengths and interests are valued and catered for.

What’s the best part about owning/operating a centre?

What is the biggest challenge facing ECE centres now?

Seeing happy, competent and confident children and also working alongside wonderful caring teachers who are passionate and enthusiastic.

Definitely the biggest challenge is the lack of funds, it has certainly changed over the years I have owned Frog Puddles. Just finding the funds to upgrade the physical environment is extremely challenging.

June 2017

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Minister’s

meSsAGe: one of their education, which for the vast majority of children is with you and your colleagues in early childhood education.

Supporting our littlest learners to get the best start to their education journey is so important. It’s one of the reasons why we’re taking a social investment approach, both in education and other sectors. Getting in early gives us the best chance to stop people’s

Nikki Kaye It’s been a busy time since I took over as Education Minister. I feel incredibly honoured to be in this role, to get the opportunity to help change people’s lives and work with you to support the next generation of New Zealanders.

I’m going to be working on a number of areas over the coming months, both building on the work of the previous Minister as well as covering some new ground. I want to honour the hard work and dedication of Honourable Hekia Parata who did so much to improve education at a system level. Having done that work, creating new frameworks such as Communities of Learning I now have the luxury of taking a broader view, to focus on what’s needed for the future.

I have high ambitions for our young people.

I want every child progressing through our education system to be able to read, write, do maths, be digitally fluent, healthy and well rounded. I’m really concerned that in just a couple of decades a number of jobs that exist now simply won’t be there anymore. Young New Zealanders need to be prepared for a modern, digitally rich economy. Education is the pathway to their future success and ensuring they’re well prepared for the world starts right from day

{ 14 }

June 2017

lives going off track, creating poor outcomes for them and poor outcomes for society.

Earlier this month we announced that we would be investing more, earlier, in the education pathway to support children at the point where we can have the biggest impact. This included $34.7 million to support children with behavioural issues aged eight and under, and $6 million to help children aged three to four years old with communication issues.

That funding for improving speech and language skills will see up to 1,920 teachers upskilling in early childhood education in lower socio economic areas to better support young children to develop the building blocks of literacy, and in particular provide more targeted support for children having difficulties with oral language skills. We expect that overall, up to 50,000 children will have access to enhanced language support.

The work that you do guiding young children through the early learning curriculum is so valuable. I expect that many of you will now be familiar with the newly updated Te Whāriki released last month, to see how that influences your day to day interactions with the children in your centres.

The update reinforces that children, their parents and teachers should share information about what children know and

can do, their interests and how they are progressing to be able to support them on their education journey. This is an area that I am particularly passionate about. It’s so important that we engage parents in the progress of their children so they can understand what their son or daughter’s achievement means.

Te Whāriki has also been updated to link more closely with the New Zealand curriculum used in schools and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa used in kura. We all know how vital a smooth transition is between early learning and primary school.

Working together kaiako, new entrant teachers and families support children’s learning continuity as they make this crucial transition. I hope for those of you already involved in a Community of Learning that your links with primary schools are becoming stronger, benefiting not only you as teachers but most importantly the children graduating from your care.

There has been a strong focus from this Government on participation as we know the many positive benefits there are for children who attend quality early childhood education before starting school.

Participation is now just shy of 97 percent which is phenomenal. Now it’s time for us to shift that focus to quality, ensuring that for every option that parents have they can be assured that their children will be getting a high standard of education. The update of Te Whāriki is one of the ways we’re working to ensure quality.

So there is a lot to do as Education Minister over the coming months. I hope to get out to meet more of you in early childhood education to see for myself the great work that you do every day with our next generation of learners.

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CenTrE ManAGemENt

boTtOM liNE

By Phil Sales

As the years go by, I have come to the realisation that there are two

financially sound tells us very little about how well that centre is

basic types of people in this world.

meeting its wider responsibilities.

The first type loves numbers. They can quote statistics, distances,

The narrow focus of this sort of reporting has given rise to some

costs, dates and share prices with embarrassing ease. If you are

interesting debates in recent years. What (if anything) can we

splitting the dinner tab, they can tell you exactly how much everyone

actually do about our bottom line reporting standards to reflect

owes (and possibly even how much you still owe from the last meal).

wider impacts and values?

The second type abhors figures. They can add up the petty cash

In the 1990s, John Elkington started popularising the idea of triple

six times and get twelve different answers. At best, numbers are

bottom line accounting (TBL), as a way to resolve this difficulty. He

an evil which must be endured, given the fact that escape is all but

proposed that a balanced report card would take into account a

impossible.

mix of financial, environmental and social performance (aka ‘profit,

In reality, most people seem to sit somewhere in between the two extremes, nodding wisely when the annual financial accounts are presented and trying valiantly to make fiscally sound decisions in a financially uncertain world.

However you look at it, there is no escaping from numbers: Income, expenses, debt, repayments, benchmarking, returns and ratio-ofstaff-to-children. And really, why should we want to escape from them at all? Numbers help us to report on our accountabilities, to spot trends, to make sense of complex situations and to forecast likely scenarios.

Numbers are also the basis of traditional bottom line reporting for businesses around the globe, including our own early childhood centres, right here in New Zealand. The numbers tell us whether our centres are viable and sustainable, and how much profit we have to

its positive performance over all three dimensions.

The TBL concept has sparked quite a bit of interest and further refinements have resulted in the quadruple bottom line (QBL), where the financial, environmental and social dimensions have been joined by a cultural component (‘purpose’). Depending on who you consult, the cultural component can represent anything from preserving traditional practices through to spirituality and self-expression.

QBL has come in for its fair share of criticism. For instance, should we weigh all four dimensions equally or arbitrarily assign different values to each one? Should these assigned values remain static over time or should they change depending on circumstance (and, if so, how and how often)?

Also damning is the fact that meeting QBL objectives does not

reinvest in our mission.

necessarily ensure sustainability. Building a playground may have

For centre managers this sort of information is extremely valuable

sustainable future?

but it can also be a bit disconcerting. Often, our overall measure of financial success can look like little more than a variation on Charles Dicken’s famous McCawber Principle ("Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.")

The irony of numbers, when we use them this way, is that it can be difficult for us to account for the ‘softer side’ of the ledger, such as

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planet and people’). In effect, an organisation would score itself on

laudable short term social benefits but how can it contribute to a These sort of objections to one side, QBL does have a valuable guiding role to play for us and it can be a useful part of good early childhood centre management. Some of you may be actively using QBL principles in your centre management right now, while others may be wondering how to make better use of it.

So how can we successfully use QBL principles to promote social responsibility in an early childhood centre environment?

healthy communities and smiles on children’s faces. Equally serious

A reasonable starting point is to set some objectives for each of

is the problem that knowing whether an early childhood centre is

the four areas. Use the standard SMART goals approach (specific,

June 2017

ANd The QUadRUpLe

measurable, achievable, relevant / responsible and time-based) and make sure that the objectives reflect your centre’s priorities and values.

A good rule-of-thumb is that no QBL activity should compromise your organisation’s ability to meet its objectives. We could blow our annual budgets by planting forests, which might have admirable environmental outcomes but which would also leave our centres insolvent.

A better approach would be to find projects which have a positive outcome for both your own centre and for the world outside. For instance, energy efficient lights, double glazing and water heating options can save money and have some good winwin outcomes for both profit and planet.

Better yet are projects which meet QBL objectives and which also provide income for early childhood centres, at the same time. An example of this approach might be an annual plant sale, at which plants donated by parents (or maybe by the local city council, a local nursery or even DOC) can be sold for a couple of dollars each and the better specimens can be raffled or auctioned.

These are a few low-level ideas to get you started on the QBL path and you might be able to see ways to also leverage social or cultural opportunities into income earners. From a practical point of view, you can probably see that projects which satisfy more than one of the four profit / planet / people / purpose dimensions usually produce stronger results for the effort involved.

Whether you are a fan of QBL or not, there are certainly some opportunities here for you to make it a worthwhile part of your early childhood centre management plan. Saving the planet and shouldering social responsibility might just be a whole lot easier when we start with our own local early childhood centres!

About the author Phil Sales heads up Business Development and Entrepreneurship for the Faculty of Business and Information Technology at Whitireia New Zealand [www.whitireia.ac.nz].

June 2017

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Isn’t it time that early childhood and teaching on the whole become a 21st century profession?

The problem is that we are still viewing the

Works (https://diversityworksnz.org.nz)

care and education of young children as the

which has a plethora of information and

work of women. Only 2% of the teachers

success stories of how organisations have

within mainstream early childhood are not

changed their workforce but apparently our

women (24500 female teachers, 500 male)

Education Ministry, who oversees teacher

And that is the problem – that last part has never happened. Jackie Blue (2014) stated, “Our young girls and boys need to see all of the community reflected in early childhood settings. Men must be made welcome, and

The problem is that in early childhood, the

recruitment hasn’t found their way to this.

actively recruited into the sector”.

populations we work with are both male

In fact Jackie Blue the EEO Commissioner

Yet there are still some men in the sector

and female. In a time of barrier breaking both globally and socially, early childhood has lagged behind. Women are encouraged into many roles that before were perceived the domain of males – e.g. doctors and lawyers, engineers, scientists, and rightly so.

However the opposite isn’t occurring.

In my first decade as a kindergarten teacher in 1980’s the percentage of male teachers then in a very small industry was around the 2% - the same figure today 30 years later -so why hasn’t this changed?

The answer is simple– men have not been actively recruited. No one has taken the responsibility to ask what do we need to do?

stated in 2014: “The education sector is unquestionably female dominated – teachers in early childhood, primary school and secondary schools are mostly women.

The job is now seen as ‘women’s work’ and by extension education centres are arguably a “women’s world.” This limits young boy’s views about what they want to be and do when they grow up. It limits their ideas about what men do and what women do. It reinforces gender stereotypes that so limit the lives of both men and women.”

encouraging women to join the armed forces, the Police, Department of Corrections, engineering training for example. Individual organisations have set goals to offset diversity imbalances. Organisations realise the importance of diversity and are trying to reflect the market they operate in. There is

recruiters? Has anyone asked the men who have ended up in early childhood what their secrets are? Could we use their stories as a lever to encourage more men who haven’t yet discovered what a cool job being an early childhood teacher is?

What do men bring to the sector? Men bring different perspectives, experiences and life skills, which add richness to the centre programme. Men bring humour, energy, physicality, a different perception to conflict perhaps and add value for other men coming into the centre. Men make the environment a more inclusive place for both fathers and children as boys and girls get to

Isn’t it obvious?

Each year there have been advertisements

despite this perceived antipathy by the

Education has always valued diversity.

Education, has always been about opening the mind to other possibilities, but the recruitment of men into early childhood has never been considered a need. When we have raised this issue we have always been met with the stock barrier – “the gender of teachers is irrelevant – what we want is

a whole raft of research on the advantages

good teachers”. Now funnily enough we want

of promoting diversity, and most industries

good teachers too – but we know that they

have begun to fully embrace this. We have

can be both men and women –so now let’s

a superb organisation called Diversity

work hard to get the good men.

view constructs of masculinity in action. The more men, the more variety of masculinity, the more options available for our boys to define who they are and who they want to be.

Whānau Manaaki kindergartens have been a leader in local innovations with their ‘Ymen’ scheme which shows what can happen when groups work together and men are supported. This shows that it can be done and needs to be sustained and inclusive. WE just need more of these.

Now really how can that be so hard?

About the author Russell Ballantyne is President of EC_MENz and has been teaching in ECE since 1983. He’s worked in a variety of roles, kindergarten teacher, head teacher, Senior teacher, General Manager and Visiting lecturer and is now a Centre Owner/Teacher at Early Childhood on Stafford in Dunedin. Russell has a strong passion about children experiencing gender diversity daily.

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June 2017

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June 2017

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CarPEnTrY

By Lisa McGlashan

It’s the process not the product The words woodworking in early childhood would have many educators cringing as they imagine children running wild with hammers and saws and having to deal with sore little fingers. The reality of a wellplanned carpentry area is in fact quite the opposite. Just like any other area of your classroom children can be taught to respect the carpentry area and learn how to use the

●

tools carefully and appropriately.

Carpentry offers a rich learning experience for young children. It gives them opportunity to explore what they are interested in whilst encouraging numerous learning

●

and development skills, many of which are encompassed in Te Whāriki.

CARPENTRY HELPS BOYS AND GIRLS ALIKE TO:

●

●

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Develop self-esteem and build confidence.

By having the responsibility of using real tools and accomplishing a task they may have found challenging to begin with, and by being proud of their creations.

Develop physically. Hand eye coordination, fine motor skills (holding nails, twisting in screws), gross motor skills (hammering, sawing) and muscle development are all improved as they learn to use the different tools correctly.

Investigate science and mathematical concepts such as shapes, measuring, size, balance, length and force.

June 2017

Develop communication and language skills through working with others, sharing and co-operating. Learning the names of the different tools. Expressing their ideas, frustrations and successes.

Express their creativity and engage their imagination by allowing them to design and build their own creations, come up with new ideas, problem solve and role play.

In my opinion it is clear that the benefits of carpentry far out weight the risks.

SAFETY Just like any other area of your centre, you will need some rules to keep everyone safe.

Here are some basic essentials. You should, however come up with your own set of rules to suit your centre and skill level of your children. Consider involving the children in the rule making process too. Perhaps you could get an artistic staff member to write the rules with pictures on a big poster so that you can display them in the carpentry area to remind everyone.

Safety Rules: The essentials.

●

Have a maximum number of children

working in the carpentry are at one time.

This will be dictated by the size of your work bench and the required student/ teacher ratio.

●

Everyone in the carpentry area must wear shoes.

●

Safety glasses must be worn at all times.

●

Every tool has its own special purpose and should only be used for that purpose.

●

No tools should be lifted above head height

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When sawing, timber must be held securely in a vice.

●

Never run with tools.

●

Do not remove tools from the carpentry area. You could have a peg board with the outline of each tool drawn on it so the children know where each one belongs and staff can easily see if something has gone walkabout.

There will of course be minor injuries such as banged fingers, splinters or small cuts from time to time. When taught and supervised correctly these can be reduced and the activity shouldn’t be any more risky than other areas of the playground.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT SETTING UP A CARPENTRY AREA IN YOUR CENTRE? The first thing is to decide on an appropriate space in which to set up your carpentry table. Outside is usually best because of the noise hammering creates. Make sure there is plenty of room around the table for elbows to saw freely and others to walk around at a safe distance. Creating an area that is well defined helps to keep the activity (and tools) contained. It also helps children to remember the rules of the woodworking area and stay focused on their project.

There should be space nearby to store tools securely.

A sturdy work bench is the next thing on the list. Make sure it is strong and stable. It should be waist high for the children using it. Consider the size depending on how many children you want working comfortably around it at one time. It doesn’t need to be an expensive custom made model. An old table cut down in height would work just as well.

To get started you will need to invest in some good quality tools that are fit for the job. Inappropriate tools will make the tasks more difficult and lead to frustration so choosing the right size and type of tools is essential. Don’t be tempted to use plastic play tools as these are not designed for real carpentry. Children aged 3.5 – 4 years and up can be using real tools. By this age they should have the necessary co-ordination and understanding to work safely. So long as you teach the children how to use the tools correctly and have clear safety rules you will find that they tend to have a much greater respect for real tools compared to their plastic counter parts.

If introducing carpentry to younger children start them off with materials such as polystyrene, golf tees and a rubber mallet.

Let them hone their skills with these before moving on to the real tools and harder wood.

TOOLS Your local hardware store should be able to provide all that you need. I recommend the following for a basic starter kit:

Hammers: Most hardware stores will have smaller sized hammers. 8oz ones are an ideal weight for children. Look for hammers with a short handle, good grip and full size hitting surface. Stubby hammers are also a good option for little hands.

“Stubby” tools are adult tools with short handles that are designed for use in tight in spaces. They are a perfect size for children.

Saws: Choose proper adult hand saws designed for cutting timber. Saws come in a range of different sizes. Ones with a blade length of around 350mm tend to be a good size for the children to manage.

Nails: Have a variety of different sized nails available for the children to experiment with but avoid getting ones that are too big or too small. If they are too big then the children won’t have the power necessary to be able to hammer the nail into the wood and they will cause the timber to split. Nails that are too long will go right through the timber and into the work bench. On the flip side, nails that are too small will bend easily and be too fiddly for the children to hold safely.

children as they have a larger hitting surface.

A variety of types and sizes creates extra challenges and keeps things interesting.

Plaster board clouts are ideal and anything generally up to 50mm long depending on the thickness of the timber you have available. A good tip to save little (and big) fingers from getting squashed is to use combs, clothes pegs or pliers to hold the nails at a safe distance.

Screws: Choosing screws is much the same as choosing nails. Make sure they are suitable for woodworking (some screws are designed for metal and concrete rather than wood so check the packet for what they are designed for). Have a variety of lengths available that match your screw driver heads (phillips and flatheads are most common).

Choose the length in the same way as choosing nails depending on how thick the timber is that you want to screw through.

Nails are designed with different types of heads on them depending on their purpose.

Flat head nails are the best for young

June 2017

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Screwdrivers: A selection of different sized screwdrivers with both flat heads and cross (phillips) heads. Again, stubby screwdrivers are great for little hands to manipulate and are readily available from hardware stores.

Hand drill: A couple of good metal hand drills are a great addition. I prefer the metal hand drills over the plastic craft ones as they seem to last forever. Have a good stock of replacement drill bits in a variety of sizes as these can break easily. Use the drill to make small pilot holes in the wood to help get nails and screws started and to prevent the wood from splitting. Pilot holes should be a little bit smaller in diameter compared to the size of nail that is going to be used in that hole so choose your drill bit accordingly.

glue, hot glue guns, plyers (get ones without a cutting blade on them), builders level, builders aprons, hard hats, pencils and paper for them to plan out their designs. A large magnet can also be fun to pick up stray nails with.

WOOD When sourcing wood you must ensure that it is not treated with toxic chemicals. Often

Other Hardware: To bring even more interest to the carpentry area you can introduce nuts, bolts, washers, screw hooks etc. You can then add spanners, wrenches and larger drill bits to the tool box for using with them.

Assorted hardware also makes for great decoration.

Bench Vice: As children do not have enough strength to hold on to a piece of wood firmly enough to saw with the other hand a vice should always be used to hold the wood steady. Vices come in a variety of sizes; a standard mid-range one will do the job.

Make sure that the vice can be bolted on to the side of the work bench so it doesn’t move about. Vices can be expensive but a good one will last a lifetime. Also consider getting some G clamps which can be moved about the table and are a good option when working with

larger pieces of timber.

Safety gear: Child size safety glasses and ear muffs.

Why not also add: Measuring tapes or rulers, sandpaper in different grades, PVA

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June 2017

offcuts from building sites and hardware stores are treated pine so make sure you check these carefully. You want to ensure recycled wood is free from old nails and other contaminates.

Stay away from hardwoods such as gum, kwila, or oak which will be extremely difficult for the children to work with. Don’t use building products like chipboard, Gib or MDF which have other additives and can create irritating dust.

Try to source timber that is relatively soft such as macrocarpa or untreated pine. Have a good stock available in a variety of lengths, shapes, thicknesses and textures to keep things interesting.

If you have trouble with wood splitting and breaking here are some helpful hints:

●

Don’t put nails too close to the end or edge of the piece of wood.

●

Don’t nail through or too close to knots.

●

Look out for pieces of wood that have a very curly wavy cross grain to them.

These pieces tend to be a lot harder to nail and are best for using with glue.

● Check the size of your nail is not too big.

● Drill pilot holes for the nail – this the most effective way to prevent wood from splitting.

INTRODUCING CHILDREN TO CARPENTRY: When introducing children to carpentry start off with the basics. It is often best to bring out one tool at a time and let them master that before moving on to the next. Learn how to use the hammer first. Show them how to hold the hammer in the middle of the handle rather than up close to the head and show them which end to hit with. Explain the importance of keeping their eyes on the spot they are hitting and how important it is not to distract other children who are woodworking. To reduce the risk of the child losing control of the hammer, have a rule that tools are not to be lifted above head height.

Pounding nails into a big block of wood or the end of a log is a great way to learn the initial skill of hammering because they don’t have to worry about the wood moving about. Once they have mastered the basics they can move on to hammering smaller pieces of wood more accurately and then on to joining pieces of wood together.

When introducing the saw start off by showing the children how sharp the teeth are. You can let them gently feel the teeth and imagine how much it would hurt if they cut themselves. Make a rule that when sawing, the piece of wood must be held firmly in the vice and the hand that is not holding the saw must stay behind their back well out of the way. Getting the cut started is the trickiest part. It is easiest to start off with a few little back strokes to create the initial

groove. Explain that it is important to keep the saw in a straight line otherwise it can jam. To help with this you could draw a straight line on the piece of wood for them to follow. Once the cut is started they can use the traditional back and forward motion to cut through. It is important to have 1:1 supervision with children who are sawing and to maintain a wide “no go zone” so that other children don’t get in the way of the end of the saw.

LET’S GET BUILDING! Rather than giving the children set projects to make I prefer to let them use their imagination and creativity to design and build whatever they like. Wood work is a challenging activity and it is quite unrealistic to expect preschoolers to be able to build to a specific plan. Trying to do this will lead to frustration when it doesn’t turn out like the picture which can in turn lead to discouragement. Remember that the carpentry process is more important than the end product. Allow them to follow their interests, and let their ideas evolve as they go. Difficulties will arise but see these as opportunities for them to question, problem solve and work as a team. Often what starts out as being a car ends up being something quite different but equally wonderful.

If you do want to plan a more structured activity or you have children that need a bit of inspiration then sculptures are a good place to start.

A sculpture could be absolutely any combination of wood and craft materials of any shape and size so you are still letting them use their creativity. Perhaps you could display

their creations in your new sculpture garden!

A good resource for ideas is my “Preschool Carpentry Wood” Facebook page. On here I have loads of simple woodworking projects that are suitable for pre-schoolers as well as other carpentry related tips and articles.

You can extend carpentry into the real world by investigating the wood itself. Where does it come from? How does it grow? Look at different types of trees and the different parts of the tree. What are some things around us that are made of wood? Does wood float or sink? How about burning some wood or even planting a tree?

I hope you agree that when introduced and supervised correctly carpentry is a valuable addition to the early childhood setting. It is a fantastic platform for open ended exploration that develops skills to carry over into real world settings. I still have fond memories of using the carpentry table when I was at preschool. I hope this Kiwi tradition and the sound of busy hammers continues in early childhood centres for generations to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lisa McGlashan is a strong advocate for carpentry in the preschool years.

Noticing that teachers often struggled to source a constant supply of suitable craft wood she founded Preschool Carpentry Wood Supplies – a small business that focuses on supplying wood, nails and hardware to early childhood centres throughout the upper North Island. Lisa also has a Facebook page dedicated to carpentry with young ones where she shares valuable ideas, enjoys being able to offer advice to educators and loves seeing pictures of your kids latest wood creations.

You can contact Lisa at: Email: preschoolwood@gmail.com Website: www.preschoolwood.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ preschoolcarpentrywoodsupplies

June 2017

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HOW

MUSIC & MOVEMENT

CAN HELP CHILDREN TO DISCOVER & DEVELOP DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE EXPRESSIVE By Kelvin Roy In what ways can you enhance music and movement within your programme to support children to discover and develop different ways to be expressive?

Throughout life, many of our discoveries are vicarious. In other words they are realised through someone else. Children are particularly influenced in this way, as their innocence is their openness and this should be cultivated throughout their lives. And the best way is to start early! Leading and following is something kids do a lot of.

Children are probably more curious when they are around other children, particularly early on. And while participating in activities, like listening and moving to music, they will be keenly aware of what others around them are doing. This will likely cause them to take more risks. Which are, of course, positive learning risks in a controlled environment like an early childhood centre. When we see other people doing something, we feel less inhibited. So in the shared, common experience of music we tend to be more expressive. This is both unconscious (particularly in the case of music) and conscious in our observations of what others around us are doing (or saying).

“Rhythm turns listeners into participants, making listening active and motoric and synchronizes the brains and minds (and

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June 2017

since emotion is intertwined with music, the 'hearts') of all who participate...drawn into communal singing and dancing.”11 Since music harnesses both sides of the brain, you get the unconscious discoveries and resulting development—individually and collectively—coupled with the more overt elements of (conscious elements of) expressiveness that comes from observing and participating in what those around us are doing. This is particularly notable in children, but remains with us for all our lives.

The power of music is effective with or without words. The advantage of words is that it gives kids a focal point (direction) for their expressions. So in this sense they are actively encouraged to act out a certain role or carry out a certain movement. This gives them a start and stimulates their own ideas. In terms of organisation, coordinated movements provide a solid foundation for greater expression. Also they are sharing this experience, so they tend to be more

© Gilbert Roy-Gapper

demonstrative (they egg each other on and lose some of their inhibitions…and sometimes, try to outdo each other!—this is also the case for instrumental music).

“The human capacity to synchronize body movements to an external acoustic beat enables uniquely human behaviors such as music making and dancing…. drumming © Gilbert Roy-Gapper

together with a social partner creates a shared representation of the joint action task and/or elicits a specific human motivation to synchronize movements during joint rhythmic activity.”2 Children discover things about themselves by being captivated by music and participating in coordinated movements.

Music engages their minds and bodies naturally. Music that allows space for them to reflect also supports their development.

Teachers obviously have a role here too, to encourage reflection on the things children are doing, hearing or saying. Discussion afterwards (or even guidance during music sessions) and allowing children to say what they thought or felt about a certain thing.

(Does swaying your trunk or stomping make you feel like an elephant?…what is an elephant like?) Also ask them what do they remember about what they listened to or acted out…what stood out for them during the music/movement session?

There are rewards for all this, such as, improved memory. When we remember things that bring more of our character to the surface, it can enhance our character and allow us to apply that to our next expression. As our senses and imaginations are expanded and enhanced, we naturally become more expressive and more confident. So the knowledge and the feelings (emotions) we gain from our experiences spur our growth (including confidence).

Through music and movement, children naturally become more expressive and discover things about themselves and the world (including those around them). The more they practice this, the more ways in which they can be expressive and be encouraged to be expressive.

Simply put, use music more for learning.

It enhances procedural memory and expressiveness. And yes, teachers need to

decide what music best serves the children’s needs. We have all this in mind when we create our music. (When I hear about preschools using radio music, for example, because it is cheap or they don’t care or know any better, I feel for those children; children focus on melody, so it’s important to give them some!). Objectivity is what is important and children deserve to have music that is for them, entertaining, while enlightening!

It’s amazing how even very young children have a natural sense of rhythm and movement. Music also provides powerful development in language skills. “Music and language seem to share special features that allow music to improve and shape language processing.”3 In this way, it also enhances expressiveness. Again, start early!

About the author Kelvin Roy is a writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer of children's educational music living in Hawkes Bay. Kelvin currently has 12 children's music albums, available as CDs & Downloads, spanning a wide range of topics and uses. Websites: www.kidsounz. com & www.kelvinroy.bandcamp.com The albums are made to enhance learning and environmental experiences for children and teachers, entertaining to enlighten. He has also written a book of Aphorisms, which is due to be published soon. This is his second article for Swings & Roundabouts.

Remember…

1. Coordinated activities— Sharing!

2. Hear and do actions— comprehension/individual coordination 3. Left Brain/Right Brain coordination 4. Practice makes perfect and/or leads to further developments 5. Direction and follow-up

© 2016 Kelvin Roy

References 1. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008), p. 245 2. from Joint drumming: Social context facilitates synchronization in preschool children by Sebastian Kirshner’, Michael Tomasello, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Volume 102, Issue 3, March 2009, Pages 299–314 3. from Can Music Influence Language and Cognition? by Sylvain Moreno, Pages 329-345, Contemporary Music Review, Volume 28, 2009 - Issue 3: Exploring Music through Neuroscience

June 2017

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Green Kids and SuperMeals offer a healthy start Children at Parnell Community Trust’s

The Green Kids Programme builds on the

In late 2016, KidsHQ SuperMeals’ range was

Parnell and Gladstone Park Early Childhood

Heart Foundation's Healthy Heart initiatives

made available as a catering option for early

Centres in Auckland love eating their veges

and encompasses healthy eating, physical

childhood centres, in made-to-order portion

activity, food and nutrition learning

sizes, delivered twice a week.

– they just mightn’t know it. Every day they eat hot meals, made super-nutritious with

curriculum programmes and a commitment

the addition of hidden veges, chopped

to extend these healthy messages into the

super-fine and snuck into every dish.

wider community.

Four years ago, Parnell Trust developed

After winning three Pa-Harakeke Gold

a menu of more than 20 super delicious,

Healthy Heart awards, and encouraged by

nutritious meals in their quest for gold

parents who were very happy to see their

medal status in the New Zealand Heart

children eating healthy meals and snacks

Foundation’s Healthy Heart programme. The

at the centres, (especially when they were

Trust wanted to ensure that the children in

fussy eaters at home), the Trust launched its

their care were getting the best start in life

range of heart-healthy KidsHQ SuperMeals

and healthy food was a key component of

in 2015.

what became their Green Kids Programme.

“There’s so much research pointing to the

Initially sold to centre parents only, the home-style frozen meals, made in the

importance of excellent nutrition for the

centres’ commercial kitchen, were a hit.

optimal development of little kids’ bodies

Busy parents and grandparents love having

and brains,” said Lyn Fox, Parnell Trust’s

healthy meals kids love to eat on hand when

CEO.

they don’t have the time to cook something

“As teachers and parents, we’ve seen the

from scratch themselves.

effects of processed foods on children. We

KidsHQ SuperMeals’ range of Favourites and

wanted to make a difference for our centres’

changing Specials has been a great success.

children and their parents by serving really

Thousands have been sold since the

healthy food. Our Green Kids Programme

meals were made available to the public at

“We’ve developed a product we’re really proud of, and we see it having such a positive impact in our own centres. We think our catered meals could be a great solution for centres where parents are asking for high quality meals for their kids, for providing meals to kids with special dietary needs, to potentially save time and costs in a centre’s kitchen and even to fast-track entry to the Healthy Heart Programme,” Lyn said.

“As a social enterprise, Parnell Trust’s vision is to take everything we’ve learned and share this with other early childhood centres and their families. KidsHQ SuperMeals will be our way of ‘paying it forward’. We’ve received such inspiring support from the Heart Foundation, we want to share our learnings and help spread the healthy living message,” she said.

For further information on KidsHQ SuperMeals catering: www.kidshq.co.nz/catering For further information on Parnell Trust’s

now plays a core role in life and learning

additional Parnell Trust locations, including

at our centres, and has become a real

Parnell Community Centre and Parnell

ECEs and Green Kids Programme:

drawcard for parents,” she said.

Farmers’ Market.

www.parnell.org.nz/early-childhood

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June 2017

FULL PAGE

The Magic of Teaching Swings & Roundabouts asked ECE centres to share for them what is ‘The magic of teaching!’

It was hard to choose from the entries, in the end these four centres shared such different stories we thought others working in ECE would be inspired by all these stories. Thank you to the centres who shared their story with us.

Wa ora Montessori At Wa Ora Montessori School, we are extremely lucky to see each child grow over the three years that we get to spend with them. During this time we see them develop into their own person and reach their own potential.

However, the true magic of teaching for me, is seeing each individual child develop themselves within the class community they are in. Tamariki help and care for each other, give each other lessons and look after the akomanga (classroom). They also show manaakitanga by making kaiako and manuhiri tea and coffee and preparing kai for the community.

They see themselves as learners and as teachers, being able to get and give help and support and grow to care for those younger than them in a truly heartfelt and spontaneous way.

Brustics

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June 2017

Castle Kids Kindy Rachel: The magic of teaching for me is recording the unforgettable moments of spontaneous play where the children role model you as a teacher. One recent occasion was when the children had gathered together on the ‘mat’ to run their own mat time. “SShhhhh, I’m calling the roll!” came the call from the children as they sat in front of their friends while holding onto clip boards. They looked particularly confident and very proud. This is just precious and you know your love, professionalism and own feelings of magic have had a loving, positive impact on them.

Phyllis: The magic of teaching for me is when we see the way our 2-4 year olds show respect and interest for the special events in our Centre.

Recently we commemorated ANZAC Day and amongst other activities, the children did some research on the computer to find pictures of soldiers, teachers and nurses that had helped us in the war. The looks on their faces made us as teachers feel so humble and proud. We are turning magical teaching moments in to magical memories that these children will have in their profile books to share with their own families.

We feel blessed to be in this occupation.

June 2017

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Henwood Kindy

We have two classrooms. Te Roopu Kauri (pig story) and Te Roopu Kereru (mounga story).

As highlighted in our Kindy philosophy, "The nurturing of our animals, the garden, and sustainable practices are a valuable part of our learning culture. The essence of nature in our environment engages the senses, cultivates curiosity and creates wonderment and discovery.”

Taking time to honour and respect our beloved, "Mr Pig,” who passed away recently with a tangi/funeral was a remarkable, heartfelt, teaching moment about lifecycles. It was a time of great sadness but also a time to celebrate Mr Pig’s unique life as our pet. We gathered around his resting place, spoke of his life, shared stories and sung waiata to uplift our heavy hearts. We adorned flowers around his grave and planted a tree in honour of him. We spoke about the cycles of life and how everything living has a beginning, an end, and living in-between. We shared how sometimes things die because they are old or too sick to live, and it is their lifetime. These discussions have

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June 2017

supported both kaiako and tamariki to process the loss and rejoice Mr Pig’s quality of life with us at Henwood Kindy. His time with us will be forever treasured in our memories.

Adventuring into the wider world ensures a broadening of human experience.

Let us help our tamariki grow in wisdom and courage by offering them voyages beyond the garden gate. On this day our community of learners experienced and felt the powerfully natural presence of Taranaki Te Mounga, an unhurried experience to soak up nature.

Ps Mounga is Taranaki dialect, not ‘maunga’ as spelt in other areas.

ACG Strathallan Preschool Look at their faces!! A picture sure does tell a thousand words. Here at ACG Strathallan Preschool our children know how to have fun and have fun in their learning. Not everyone appreciates all the beneficial learning that is involved with getting muddy, to some it may appear as work with the dirty clothes that are upon us, but the children’s voice overruled and led to this adventure. We were going to change our little garden we have outside into something beautiful and appealing to the eye, but the children insisted that they wanted to just play with the ugly brown mud. So over the past couple of months the “garden” has stayed as a “mudpit”. All the parents and teachers have come to realise through observations and theoretical findings the importance of children playing in mud. As teachers we now know and see daily the magic that happens when all guards are let down and the children “the heart of the matter” are able to be children. Not a day goes by here at Preschool when the children aren’t playing in their mud kitchen, making mud pies, mud soup, magic mud potions and experimenting with the icky texture of mud on their bodies.

Playing with mud also encourages creative thinking and imagination, mud can be whatever you want it to be, it facilitates the use of open-endedness when playing with their peers and inspires children to delve into the world of pretend play and use rich vocabulary with each other as well. The children have taught us about the magic of teaching and we thank them for this.

Rosie Wells ACG Strathallan Preschool Manager

June 2017

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STRONG RESEARCH CULTURE

FOSTERED AT NEW ZEALAND TERTIARY COLLEGE

Are you looking for an opportunity to share your research or practical expertise in early childhood education?

New Zealand Tertiary College publishes a specialist early childhood

voices of all those working in the sector.

Early childhood topics covered in He Kupu to date include arts, literacy, multicultural and bicultural perspectives, teaching and

education online journal twice a year called He Kupu. This fully

learning, assessment and moderation, technology in early childhood

refereed e-journal provides students, teachers, teacher educators

education, educational policy and philosophy, and teacher education

and related professionals with the opportunity to share and publish

and online learning.

their research and practical knowledge on a variety of early childhood education related disciplines.

The latest issue, released in May, is titled ECE Leadership In Our Times. Drawing from presentations and research shared at the

NZTC aims to develop an inclusive, critical, collaborative and

2016 NZTC Symposium on the same topic, the May issue focuses

informed community of early childhood professionals – including the

on leadership, providing guidance for practitioners to develop and

research and views of academics, practitioners and students.

reflect on their own leadership and management skills.

As well as being a place to share research and knowledge, He Kupu

In the Practitioner Researcher Section practitioners discuss their

provides the early childhood community with an important resource

views and practices of leadership in their work environment. The

for professional development that weaves together the different

section commences with a contribution from Robyn Chaffey, who

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June 2017

writes a reflective piece on how her personal and professional philosophy guides her leadership journey as an early childhood teacher. This is followed by Tania van Niekerk’s contribution, where she discusses how her values and beliefs influence her development of leadership skills and practices, before the section concludes with a paper by Nicolette Mackwood that looks at how her practices of leadership were enhanced by her values.

Commentaries are a regular feature in He Kupu, with the May issue including a short commentary on 2016 NZTC Symposium keynote speaker Luis Hernandez’s leadership journey in early childhood education, and the key elements of his presentations at the symposium. The papers in this Special Theme section reflect the five key leadership characteristics (curiosity, confidence, team, communication and fearlessness) discussed by Hernandez.

Lee-Anne Turton and Helen Wrightson’s article draws on their symposium presentation, where they explored ways positional leadership limits opportunities for members of the community of practice to contribute leading practices. They advocate opportunities to develop mutually supporting and complementary shared practices of leading, between all members of the community of practice; and transformation from individualistic leadership to a more collectivist style, promoting skills and attributes individuals could contribute.

Marjolein Whyte and Barbara Scanlan’s contribution also draws on their symposium presentations as well as their respective master’s theses research, discussing how children, parents/caregivers and

their families can be empowered to become active contributors for learning.

The issue concludes with three book reviews, including one on Hernandez’s Learning from the bumps in the road: Insights from early childhood leaders (2013), which he contributed to alongside Holly Elissa Bruno, Janet Gonzalez-Mena and Debra Ren-Etta Sullivan.

Subscription to He Kupu is free of charge and papers that provide critical reflection and encourage debate are particularly welcomed.

To subscribe or send enquiries to the He Kupu editors please email hekupu@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz The 2017 NZTC Symposiums are quickly approaching in September.

Focused on New Zealand and international early childhood education curriculum approaches, with a particular emphasis on Te Whāriki, the symposiums welcome and encourage ECE professionals to present at the day-long events, sharing their research and expertise with others in the sector.

The international keynote speaker is Dr Sue Bredekamp, an early childhood education specialist from Washington DC, who currently works as a consultant on developmentally appropriate practice, curriculum, teaching, and teacher education for state and national organisations such as NAEYC, Head Start, the Council for Professional Recognition, and Sesame Street.

For more information about the 2017 NZTC Symposiums visit www.nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

BUYERS WAITING - NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS Thinking of Selling?

• Over 84 children • Well known business in Northland.

• Long established.

• educators • Easy to manage centre with good lease.

• working owner Asking: $197,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/18356

• Located in East Auckland area • Licensed ffor 80 children • Currently running around half full owing to vendors personal circumstances • • Possibility to increase license numbers Asking: $895,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/16300

MOE licensed for f 30 children, well established centre. It runs close to full with some variations and occasional waiting list. Great reputation and provides good personal care to individual children. Excellent teaching methods withe

Long established business.

MOE license for f 46 children (0 to 5). Room to expand to

Long established centre in a sought aft f er East ft Auckland location. MOE licensed for f 45 children over 2. Lovely set up and very attractive leaning environment . Good mix

MOE licensed for f 39 Children over 2. Sought aft f er ft location.

Low Well managed centre accounts show managed

I have over 25 years of selling experience, so why not give me a call.

Asking $500k for f business and $1.25M for f Land and Building.

Asking: $1,750,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/13625

of experience with the centre. Strong parent relationship tionship is a fe f ature of this centre.

Asking: ing: $2,245,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/14274

meeting only, y genuine buyers please call for y, f an appointment. appoi Asking: ing: $650,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/17847

“Experience counts and costs no more”

• Well established childcare centre with attractive set up inside and out side • It has MOE license for f 46 children •

• One of the best preschool outlooks in New Zealand • Licensed for f 21 - ready to be expand to 26 children • Located in North East of South Island, just on the water’s ’ edge with uninterrupted ’s ocean views • What a lifes f tyle living ffor new owners fes • Veryy llow rentt and good long lease Asking: ing: $240,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/17420

• MOE licensed ffor 68 children • 18 under 2 years and 50 over 2 years • Currently running under management • Accounts show net surplus $247,000 pa • New owners could do much better • Genuine enuine enqui enquires es only Asking: ing: $895,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/14275

with little input ffrom the owner.

Asking: ing: $295,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/14828

HALF PAGE

Vendor wishes to retire.

• Ideal stand alone or add-on opportunity for f prospective ospe buyers y Asking: ing: $540,000 Pra Jain 09 555 6091 / 027 279 4652 linkbusiness.co.nz/15563

There is no doubt we are currently in a seller’s market for good businesses. Market demand exceeds supply and I have motivated business buyers waiting.

I know how to reach the right buyers for your business and take you through to a successful sale quickly and confidential whilst achieving the maximum sales value possible.

I have sold many childcare centres for more than the vendors asking price and some within a week.

I look forward to hearing from you.

For best service & best results contact:

Pra Jain

B.E (Hons)

Specialist Childcare Broker

DDI 09 555 6091 M 027 279 4652 E praj@linkbusiness.co.nz www.linkbusiness.co.nz

For Best Service and Best Results - Experience perience C Counts!

The authority on selling businesses

Link Business Broking Limited (REAA08) - Level 1, 401 Great South Road, Ellerslie, Auckland 1061

June 2017

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Great learners also ask why? (not only the ‘how’ and the ‘what’) – Jan Robertson

ECC CONFERENCE Delegates evaluation on Keynote e Speaker 3 averag David 11% Keane's presentation

5 ex ce

4 above average

24%

2017

Takeaways from Jan Robertson’s keynote: Ngā Hononga and reciprocal relationship in leadership and learning Ngā Hononga – reciprocal, responsive relationships:

●

Give and take

●

Sharing knowledge

●

Always being a learner

●

Partnership

Delegates evaluation on Keynote Speaker Jan Robertson's presentation

2%

llen

65%

The 2017 ECC Conference has now been and gone.

Delegates will have returned to their centres, hopefully re-invigorated, armed with a pile of new ideas, ready to do battle for another year………….. and…………….just possibly…………a little tired?

4. Successful people study 2. Simplify – what can I simplify professionally and personally – does it align with the above statement?

Return to the basics of what is truly important.

3. Schedule – Plan weekly, not daily. Weekly plans are most likely to have the less urgent tasks, but the ones that mean the most.

June 2017

40

2%

3 av era

25%

ge

4 above average

31%

Takeaways from Gilbert Enoka keynote: Great to Great – a personal story

1. Write you lifetime purpose/statement that matters to you.

Put it in your wallet.

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nt lle xce 5e %

t

Dr David Keane’s 5 takeaways from Keynote: How to be Successful

2 Be l aver ow age

1 Poor

Embedding Excellence; lead, learn, live!

5. Stop! Instead of rushing and being busy slow down. What can you see differently? Work on what's important long term.

“ The choices you make, make you.”

– Dr David Keane

“It comes down to the choices we make and the opportunities we take!”

– Gilbert Enoka

•

Set the challenge high –you must have a gap between your reality and your vision

•

Get the right mindset – Be open, curious, committed to learning, live a life of play – know your processes to put your plans into place

•

Your thinking needs not to be positive or negative but CLEAR

•

Balance & perspective – perform your role, constantly learning and have FUN!

Here at the ECC we return to our day jobs raring to go! We have a 2017 Wages and Salary report to launch; templates on continuous quality improvement to publish; and a whole website section on policies to re-launch! Talk to you all soon!!

Best regards The ECC Team

Delegates evaluation on Peter's opening speech and address

nt lle xce e 5 4%

4

3 Goo d

12%

e

4

ve abo

rag ave

44%

June 2017

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June 2017

www.facebook.com/Early.Childhood.Council

More ECC Conference photos on Facebook

June 2017

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Running a successful childcare centre and developing your teachers takes time and planning. Let us help you with a great selection of low-cost workshops.

FOR CENTRE OWNERS & MANAGERS

FOR YOUR TEACHING STAFF

Learn new essential skills!

Refine and refresh existing skills!

Enhance your teaching practi Enhanc p acticce and improve outcomes for your learners

•

Good governance

•

Strategic planning

•

Business planning

•

Marketing in a competitive environment

•

Leading a learning culture

•

Internal Evaluation

•

Back to Basics - Notice, Recognise, Respond

•

Supporting children to develop self-regulation & social competence

•

In centre, whole team professional learning by arrangement

•

Authentic bicultural practice: More than waiata & poi

•

First Aid refresher

•

Infants & toddlers

•

Social competency

•

Enhancing leadership

•

Financial management

•

Managing people

•

Compliance

•

Health and safety

•

Unpacking the updated Te Whāriki document

•

•

ECC-Educa Lunch’n’Learn webinars (ECC members only)

Treaty based practise & Unpacking Māori values

•

First Aid refresher

•

In centre, whole team professional learning by arrangement

•

Plus much more!

ECC members - get special rates!

ECC members - spread your payments for workshops over the year!

Go to www.ecc.org.nz for more information & to register now

Resource REVIEWS CHARLEY CHOP CHOP SHARES HER CULINARY MAGIC

Get Babylicous, Let’s make Chutneys and

By Charley Ainscough

from home made baked beans to Ka pai

The passion and energy Charley Ainscough

and apple muffins to banana and blueberry

has for delicious, nutritious and wholesome food is evident throughout her selfpublished book. The author has lived and breathed food from an early age, from her mother’s kitchen to running her own outdoor catering business in Edinburgh and now cooks for an early childhood centre near Hamilton.

The book has been split into nine chapters; Let Breakfast be Brilliant, Let’s do Lunch, Let’s do Dinner, Let’s Make Soup, Let’s Bake,

ice blocks. These mouth-watering recipes will not disappoint and will help get all those important nutrients into our young people’s bellies. A great book for families struggling to cook nutritious meals on the run or who just need some new ideas. Being that Ainscough works in an early childhood centre the recipes are definitely suitable for ECE centres but you will need to adapt the recipes for larger groups.

Find out more at www.charleychopchop.com

THE GIANT JUMPEREE

When Rabbit’s friends Cat, Bear and

By Julia Donaldson

Elephant try and help Rabbit take back

Puffin

mysterious and threatening voice.

A new read-aloud classic from

The story explores fear and showing how

Donaldson (The Gruffalo), beautifully brought to life by award-winning illustrator Helen Oxenbury (We’re Going a Bear Hunt).

I had high expectations for this book and I wasn’t disappointed!

Rabbit was hopping home one day when he heard a loud voice coming from inside his burrow.

'I'm the giant jumperee and I'm scary as

his burrow they are all scared away by a

it doesn’t matter how big you are you can still experience fear and if you dare to face it, the fear might not be as scary as your imagination allowed it to be!

Like previous Julia Donaldson’s books, children will enjoy the humour and the anticipation the story offers. A book to be read out loud repeatedly where children will soon learn the words to read with you. Great for sharing on the mat in both small and

can be!'

large groups.

MAGIC OF NATURE

hallmark Kelvin Roy.

By Kelvin Roy

The tones and rhythm will lull any child who is restless and unable to settle. The songs range from gentle instrumental to jazz instrumentals that have a bit of pep to allure the listener with. The album is just over an hour long, perfect to take you through the routine times. Find out more at www.kidsounz.com

Kelvin Roy Martian Music If you are looking for a calming instrumental album for your sleep room, rest and meal times, Magic of Nature is an album to consider. For fans of Kelvin Roy’s albums, the underlying sound, rhythm and tone is

June 2017

hippy pie to gluten and diary free blueberry

Let’s Make Ice Blocks and Smoothies, Let’s

internationally bestselling author Julia

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Dressings & Let’s Get Crafty. Recipes range

WE’RE ALL WONDERS

must remember to practice self-love and

By R.J Palacio

recognise that you are a wonder.

Puffin

These are all very important messages

We’re All Wonders is an important picture book for young children to develop an understanding of diversity, the book’s text and illustrations feature various types of children and provide an excellent example to what diversity is.

We’re All Wonders talks about the importance of kindness, and how we all must show kindness toward each other despite any differences that may exist.

Author R.J Palacio also touches on how it can feel isolating when you look different to the other people around you but how you

NGĀ ĀHUA – SHAPES; TE KAUTE – COUNTING; NGĀ TAE – COLOURS

By Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson Reo Pēpi Tāpui Ltd After an outstanding response with their earlier bilingual board books, Kirsten Parkinson and Kitty Brown from Aotearoa’s newest bilingual publishers have created three new bilingual board books. This time the focus is on colours, shapes and counting.

to teach children from an early age and this book manages to do so without being complex or dense, the story is fun and the pictures are colourful and interesting to look at.

Children will be able to engage in the story and will be provided with an important introduction to diversity, kindness and selflove.

This book would be good for both a group discussion or reading and one on one time with a child.

Reviewed by: Fern Marie Anderson

find the shapes hidden in the illustrations, ‘Rapua ngātapa whā rite. Find the squares.’

Te Kaute – Counting explores counting in Māori, ‘E hia ngā paihikara? How many bikes? 3 – E toru. Ngā Tae – Colours, asks the reader the colour of the illustrated subject, ‘He aha te tae o te noke? What colour is the worm? He māwhero – Pink.’

These attractive books have a lot to offer, from their bilingual concept to the beautifully detailed illustrations and will be a real asset to your children’s library, from young to older children who are learning

Ngā Āhua – Shapes asks the reader to

beginning Māori.

BATHTIME FOR LITTLE RABBIT

keeping clean.

By Jörg Mϋhle

From front to back cover this sweet little

Gecko Press

book is brightly coloured, and features cute

Bathtime For Little Rabbit by Jörg Mϋhle, is an interactive children’s book for a young audience.

Each page gives the reader a fun little activity or instruction to follow to help Little Rabbit get through his bath time routine.

Such as washing Little Rabbit’s ears and drying him off.

Mϋhle’s book would be a great for any parent or educator struggling to get their little one to follow or understand a simple bath time routine. This book would also be good when teaching the importance of hygiene and to help reinforce the idea of

illustrations of a young cartoon rabbit, the colouring and illustrations will be sure to hold the attention of any young reader.

The language used throughout the book is simple and will be easy enough for a younger audience to understand, the book has a range of common and basic language features including; adjectives, onomatopoeia and rhetorical questions.

This fun and bright book that such as the title suggests takes a young rabbit through his bath time routine would be best for one on one time with a young child.

Reviewed by: Fern Marie Anderson

June 2017

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OUR DOG BENJI

adult and child with plenty of entertainment.

By Pete Carter

Author Pete Carter has written Our Dog Benji

Illustrated by James Henderson EK Books Our Dog Benji follows the life of a family dog whose life revolves around food. The narrator, a young child, learns love from Benji.

Illustrator James Henderson provides images that both child and adult will be intrigued by and appreciative of. Each page provides a different world of images to be explored, and both child and older audiences will find themselves smiling. A velvet underground vinyl with the classic Andy Warhol art cover is featured on one of the pages, and on the same page a fun looking toy sloth sits near cute dog Benji,

the young audience. The book touches on respecting animals and how animals are to be loved and can be important members of a family. The narrator is constantly admiring his beloved dog Benji and appreciates the way he ‘bravely’ eats such a range of food.

Our Dog Benji is a fun book, with excellent illustrations and will provide children with entertainment while expanding their vocabulary and reading abilities. This book would be a great pick for getting a child who doesn’t like reading into books.

This book would be suitable for both group reading or one on one.

Reviewed by: Fern Marie Anderson

MY DOG MOUSE

Anyone who has ever walked an old dog

Gecko Press A delightful story about a friendship between a child and a dog called mouse that is “old and fat with ears as thin as pancakes. His walk is kind of waddle and he’s always please to see me”.

will appreciate this story, as well as others who have affection and an understanding of companionship between a human and a dog, and those who enjoy quality stories that explore joy and humour in the smaller things in life.

A book celebrating living in the moment, taking time and friendship. The simple illustrations replicate the simplicity. Overall a

Through the story we experience their

touching story and will be enjoyed particular

friendship during a long slow dog walk.

by older preschoolers.

I DON’T HAVE TIME

beings achieving the impossible but busy Mums who live busy and complicated lives like most of us.

15-MINUTE WAYS TO SHAPE A LIFE YOU LOVE

By Emma Grey & Audrey Thomas Exisle Publishing This is the perfect self-help book for those who want to make some changes in their life and who don’t believe they possibly have the time or even know where to start!

The authors bring their knowledge and experience from a variety of careers to offer a practical guide in health and wellbeing, careers, relationships, finances, home environments, personal development and recreation. They do this in a easy to read style with plenty of personal anecdotes to show that the authors are not superhuman

June 2017

into the story. The book features various adjectives that will expand the vocabulary of

the illustrations themselves will provide both

By Eva Lindström

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in a way that encapsulates the audience

Now before you shake your head and say I haven’t got time! The authors show you how to find time through small daily tasks in 15 minutes increments to help you design a life that you are yearning for. For example one of the ‘experiments’ is to create a memory jar with loved ones and start a new tradition. I personally struggled to complete the tasks in this short time, but that probably says more about me than the book.

This book if you follow the exercises will remind you what you value in all areas in life and gives you the opportunity to move away from the busy treadmill many of us are on to remind you what’s important.

THE ART OF DELIBERATE SUCCESS: THE 10 BEHAVIOURS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

By Dr David Keane Wrightbooks I usually avoid these sorts of books, but having met David to invite him to be a key note presenter for our 2017 Conference, I not only found a plain-speaking and enthusiastic academic and author, but an engaging and plain-English practical guide on what it can take to become truly successful in one’s career.

The book, and David’s theory, re-defines what success is all about and presents it in the form of an acronym: “DELIBERATE”, standing for Decide, Eliminate, Language, Information, Beliefs, Energy, Responsibility, Action, Time, and Evaluate.

The DELIBERATE model helps you identify strengths and weaknesses so you can focus your attention and effort where it matters most. The book includes an online self-

THE LOST KITTEN

By Lee Illustrated by Komako Sakai Gecko Press

assessment tool that helps you pinpoint the areas you need to focus on, followed by chapters dedicated to helping you focus on what matters, I recall the saying: “If you want something done, ask a busy person”. This book advocates the theory that success comes from focussing on the few things that really matter and discounting the rest; thus it is advocating for you to be less busy.

The “trick” to these things is your commitment. If you start down this DELIBERATE road, be prepared to stick to it. Use the regular review tool and, like many others, enjoy the results of increased success in your life and your work. If this book doesn’t do it for you, then keep exploring for the answer. It will be out there somewhere.

Dr David Keane was a key note presenter for the 2017 ECC Conference recently held in Wellington.

Reviewed by Peter Reynolds

broadening a child's vocabulary as although the book doesn’t use overly complicated language it has many descriptive words which can be easily learnt by a young audience. Lee has written The Lost Kitten in a way that while remaining a simple story

The Lost Kitten is a book about learning

it is heartfelt, engaging and touching, and

to love and care for something and the

this is very much enhanced by Sakai’s

emotional distress brought on when you fear

illustrations.

you may have lost that. This story will bring on emotion and will go straight to the heart of both adults and children alike.

The Lost Kitten will capture the attention and curiosity of young children, and has an added appeal with an animal as a main

The Lost Kitten is a beautiful book, both

subject. The book will deepen a child's world

aesthetically and in an emotional sense.

view and understanding of emotion without

The illustrations by upcoming Japanese illustrator Komako Sakai are incredibly well done, they will very much appeal to both anyone interested in art and those just looking for a sweet picture book.

The book features a range of language features such as adjectives, onomatopoeias, dialogue and rhetorical questions. These language features will not be too complex for a young child to understand but it will give them an opportunity to begin to learn and understand several basic language features. Lee’s, The Lost Kitten is ideal for

being dense. The book remains light and an easy read while still packing an emotional punch. The illustrations in The Lost Kitten will set this book apart from others and will become a favourite among children for the same reason.

This book would be best suited for one on one time with a child so that the child has better time to reflect on the books emotion and story and greater opportunity to be impacted by the art of Komako Sakai’s illustrations.

Reviewed by Fern Anderson

June 2017

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THAT’S NOT THE MONSTER WE ORDERED

By Richard Fairgray & Terry Jones Picture Puffin Acclaimed comic writers Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones have once again created a picture book that's bursting with wacky humour and clever illustrations. That's Not the Monster We Ordered will have kids clamouring to get their own monsters, too! A playful picture book with a twist on family pets that children will love.

WHERE IS THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

By Eric Carle Picture Puffin In this new bright and beautiful lift-the-flap peekaboo book, children are asked where the Hungry Caterpillar might be hiding. The lift-the-flap on every spread lets little readers join in the fun as they search in this interactive take on the beloved children's classic. Great for our younger children.

Penguin Random House Prize Pack

Penguin Random House has kindly donated THREE prize packs for Swings and Roundabouts readers, each pack containing THREE Books!

To be in the draw to win a Penguin Random House Prize Pack answer this question, Who is the bestseller author who wrote The Gruffalo and whose latest book is reviewed in this issue?

Email your answer with your contact and postal details to publications@ecc.org.nz by Friday 4 August 2017 to go in the draw.

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June 2017

Competition Winners Congratulations to the following winners who have won 3 Penguin Random House books for their ECE centre: Tammy Woodward, TopKids Stratford, Stratford, Taranaki Kirsten Gilberd, Kids Barn Childcare Centre, Hawera Emma Gunn, Polykids Early Childhood Centre, Dunedin

CONNECT WITH PA P RENTS AND SHARE BEAUTIFUL LEARNING STORIES FULL PAGE EDUCA WITH

Join over 150,000 teachers already using Educa.

SIGN UP NOW, PAY NOTHING FOR THREE MONTHS VISIT WWW.GETEDUCA.COM TO REQUEST FREE DEMO NOW

Last Laugh by light What did the ba mummy? bulb say to his

The best part of being over 40 is that we did most of our stupid stuff before the internet.

ts "I wuv you wat and watts."

Finding one of her students making faces at others on the playground, Ms. Smith stopped to gently reprove the child. Smiling sweetly, the teacher said, "Bobby, when I was a child, I was told that if I made ugly faces, it would freeze and I would stay like that." Bobby looked up and replied, "Well, Ms. Smith, you can't say you weren't warned."

oom Why was the br late for work?

It has been raining on and off in our area of Auckland for quite some time and today I had a good laugh as I read the noticeboard in front of our local pre-school:

Because he over-swept. when the What happened ed? nt ve wheel was in lution.

It caused a revo

“Puddle (noun. Small body of water which attracts other little bodies with dry shoes).�

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Mob: 0275 299 399 - 0274 988 126 www.reharvest.co.nz

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June 2017

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