Management's implications concerning ratio numbers.

Karmel Ward

2010001895

Blog 4. Post 4

In order to understand how teachers do they're practice, it is important to discuss management’s implications of policies and politics so that teacher’s pedagogical skills are always improving. Pedagogy may be defined as "the practice of teaching (Siraj-Blatchford, 2004)".

In all early childhood settings in New Zealand they have policies put in place so that children's health and safety should never be at risk. A policy which I am familiar with in my setting is known as a 'staffing ratio policy'.  Management are keeping up with the demands of rostering staff members to the children enrolled in the setting each day.

However, I believe that the Ministry of Education's ratios are not meeting the needs of 'quality care' which centres are expected to provide. My opinion is supported through what the Education Review Office recommends on what the teacher child ratios should be, which is, "one to three ( ERO, 2016)". For children under the aged of two years old. They suggest this number because when "adults provide quality care through the environment, it is understood to have an impact for the development of children (ERO, 2016)."

Free for kids.com. Retrieved from: http://www.free-for-kids.com/simple-ratios-worksheets.shtml

The reason why the ratios have not decreased is because politically, there is not enough government funding. How do you put a price on quality care? Managements implications of ratios, is that some settings are separated by age groups but they are run under one licence. This would affect ratios and the number of qualified staff. For example in blog three I had mentioned that they're may be one teacher catering for 15 children in the outdoor area, and one teacher inside catering for 5 children. Technically they are in ratio for the amount of children however if an accident should arise outside who would look after the other 14 children? Because of this I believe that the ratio standards have not been properly legislated.

    
Kate's pow-wow. (2009). Retrieved from: https://katebowenpowwow.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/confus6.jpg

To answer my question in the first blog as to why the ratios are so high? The numbers are high because that is what the government has set them out to be in terms of funding. Even though the Education Review Office suggests a decreased number of teacher child ratios to improve quality care, there is still not enough funding to cater for the needs of children.

Education Review Office. (2016). Priority learners. Retrieved from:http://www.ero.govt.nz/Review-Process/Frameworks-and-Evaluation-Indicators-for-ERO-Reviews/He-Pou-Tataki-How-ERO-reviews-early-childhood-services/PART-2-Outcomes-for-children-in-early-childhood-education/Priority-learners

Free-For-Kids.com. (2016). Retrieved from: http://www.free-for-kids.com/simple-ratios-worksheets.shtml

Kates Pow-Wow. (2009). Retrieved from: https://katebowenpowwow.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/confus6.jpg

Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2004). Quality Teaching in the Early Years (in) Anning, A., Cullen, J. and Fleer, M. (Eds.). Early Childhood Education: Society and Culture. London:Sage Publications, pp. 137-148

Policies relating to ratios at a macro level

Karmel Ward
2010001895
Blog three.

All early childhood settings have updated policies and legislation acts that they are legally required to follow in order to protect children's health and safety. Therefore, i will be discussing some in this blog relating the topic of ratios to a macro level.

As a part of the education childhood regulations of 2008, under part two of standards it mentions qualifications, ratios and the size of service. "The legislation requires that teachers are obligated to follow the minimum adult-to-child ratios of children who attend the setting at any time (Parliamentary council office, 2016)." Even though the government expect teachers to follow the current ratios it's really a difficult situation when for example 30 children are enrolled on the day, therefore four staff members are working to cover ratios and breaks. However, there may be 15 children outside and only one staff member outside. How do you figure that? Would this be considered quality care?

                                               Napier Kindergartens Retrieved                   from: http://www.napierkindergartens.co.nz/Our+Kindergartens/Visit+Our+16+Kindergartens/Taradale+Kindergarten.html

There are policies that involve ratio size when going on excursions and a policy has been made surrounding toilet ratios. The ratios size still remains the same when going on an excursion, however, "depending on the assessment and management risk, the group size is then deemed accordingly (Education.govt.nz, 2015). The current toilet ratio is that there has to be a toilet for every "one-15 people. Persons are defined as children aged two and older (Education.govt.nz. 2015)."

The government determines everything in the way of education. And even though participation of education is rising due to families needing a second income, the means of quality care is slowly becoming non important as the workload expected from teachers is rising. A child forum report released the major concerns of teacher child ratios in some centers which are mostly "crowd management or like factory farming for children (NZEI TE RIUROA, 2015)." Quality care should not be compromised in order to meet ratio requirements!

NZEI TE RIUROA. (2015). Early childhood teachers back "factory faring report". Retrieved from: http://www.nzei.org.nz/NZEI/Media/Releases/2015/10/Early_childhood_teachers_back__factory-farming__report.aspx?WebsiteKey=868aa165-3deb-46a3-bc55-5a9fc2637ac6#.Vwmxvy6qpBc

 Education.govt.nz.(n.d). HS17 excursions. Retrived from: (http://www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/running-an-ece-service/the-regulatory-framework-for-ece/licensing-criteria/centre-based-ece-services/health-and-safety/hazards-and-outings/hs17-excursions/

 Parliamentary Counsel Office.(2008). Education (early childhood services) regulations 2008. Retrieved from:  http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2008/0204/latest/DLM1412611.html

History of quality care in early childhood settings.

Karmel Ward

2010001895. pg 2. Blog 2.

Due to very little information based on the history of ratios, I extended my search to the quality of early childcare education. 

Quality of childcare education has been studied since the 1970's. Majority of researchers focused on how childcare affected children's development through the areas of cognitive skills and social development. From the 1970's until the late 1980's, discussions of quality care have focused on the following variables: “Curriculum and program philosophy, physical environment, staff characteristics, adult-child interactions, and parent-staff communication (McCartney, Scarr, Phillips, Grajek, & Schwarz, 1982)."

 Between 1980 till late 1990's, Discussions of childcare quality had an analysis of adult/child ratios and comparing the ratios to the ages of children in the room. "Low adult child ratios were associated with higher quality settings (Field, 1980)".

Family Resources: Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/family/childcare-centers-on-campus/boston-university-childrens-center/staff/ 

In 2002 the Ministry of Education announced a 10- year strategic plan for improving quality care in early childhood education. The plan had three goals. The first goal was to increase participation in quality ECE services, the second goal was to improve quality of ECE services, and the last goal was to promote collaborative relationships.

Under the second goal of improving quality of ECE services, improving ratios and group size was a strategy that had been put in place. The action was to “Review regulation of ratios and group size so that it supports the provision of quality ECE. And to reduce under-two ratios and group size, and over-two sessional ratios and group size (Ministry of education, 2002).

 During 2008 when John key had been elected Prime Minister of New Zealand the 10 year strategic plan had been axed.

Field, T. (1980). Preschool play: Effects of teacher: Child ratios and organization of classroom           space. Child Study J. 10: 191-205.

McCartney, K., Scarr, S., Phillips, D., Grajek, D., and Schwarz, C. (1982). Environmental differences             among day care centres and their effects on children’s level of intellectual language, and social             development. In: Zigler, E., and Gordon, E. (eds.), Day-care: Scientific and Social Policy Issues,             Auburn House, Boston, pp. 126-151

  Ministry of Education. (2002). Pathways to the future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki: a 10-year strategic plan  for               early childhood education. Wellington: New Zealand: Learning Media. 

Pg.1, entry 1.

Karmel Ward, 2010001895.
Blog 1, post 1

The current political issue in early childhood education is ratios. "A ratio is a statement of how two numbers contrast one another (Discovery Education, 2016)." The current ratio requirement is one adult to 10 children, above the age of two years old. And one teacher for every five children under the age of two. These ratios can differ depending on what kind of early childhood setting it is. The minimum adult to child ratios are as seen in the following link: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2008/0204/latest/DLM1412637.html

I am interested in this topic because quality care can be at fault for how high the ratios actually are. Especially for children under the age of two years old who cannot access an adult to soothe them when feeling upset. I feel the more children present to an adult would only result in toxic stress given to the child. In terms of attachment and communication.

The Casa Update. (2014).

What I am hoping to discover during this blogging experience is to gain a better understanding as to why the ratios of children per adult are so high.

 Discovery Education.(2016).  Retrieved from:  https://casaofsantacruz.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/continuing-education-webinar-how-toxic-stress-impacts-cas-children-families-communities-2/

Parliamentary Counsel Office.(2008). Education (early childhood services) regulations 2008. Retrieved from: https://casaofsantacruz.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/continuing-education-webinar-how-toxic-stress-impacts-cas-children-families-communities-2/

The Casa Update. (2014). Retrieved from: https://casaofsantacruz.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/continuing-education-webinar-how-toxic-stress-impacts-cas-children-families-communities-2/