Early childhood centres breath a little easier
With demand for their services high, the registration extension for childcare teachers came as ?a surprise? to some Wellington centres.
Area manager for Johnsonville and Whitby Daycares, Gaynor Llofe, says extending the deadline was unexpected because her staff had been working hard to match the guidelines for registration.
?It was quite a surprise that they postponed it.
?The targets were in place because of a shortage of registered teachers,? Mrs Llofe says.
Early childhood education centres now have an extra two years to get 80 percent of their teacher?s registered. Mrs Llofe says the shortfall in available childcare teachers is partly due to the length of time it takes to become registered.
?Training lasts for three to four years, and it then takes two years of working to become registered.
?There has been a real shortage of quality and qualified people in the area,? she says.
Centres now have until 2012 to register 80 percent of their teachers.
?We still want there to be an aim for 100 percent registered teachers,? Mrs Llofe says.
One reason for the turn-around in attracting early childcare teachers to the profession is that pay conditions have improved.
?Until a couple of years ago the industry was lowly paid.
?It?s a really physical job, and the training is strenuous ? many people think it?s an easy option, but it?s not,? she says.
The profession is now more highly valued as the starting point of a child?s education. Mrs Llofe says early childhood provides the starting blocks to a child?s educational success.
?If you can get them to enjoy learning now and put that in place, then at school it will be a given,? she says.
For the past two years both Whitby and Johnsonville childcare centres have been at capacity, and Mrs Llofe says there has been a ?huge lift in the number of centres?.
Wellington Playcentre Association education convenor Bev Kata says they ?smashed? last year?s record for the amount of teachers graduating from the early childhood training programme.
Last year 321 parents or caregivers graduated from courses one to three of the six courses offered. This year 374 graduated, including three from course four.
?It is great to have smashed 2008?s record graduate numbers,? says Mrs Kata
The courses also empower adults to achieve in different fields and extend themselves.
?Many of our trainees have gone on to study education through other tertiary providers for example the College of Education, universities, or open polytechnics,? she says.
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