We initiated our first regulatory review, into early childhood education (ECE), in June this year - we’ve talked with hundreds of different people and received over 2,300 pieces of written feedback as part of our ECE review consultation.
We are reviewing the regulatory systems for education, health, safety, child protection, food safety, buildings, and workplaces as they apply to the early childhood sector and looking to ensure the regulations are good for everyone, make economic sense, save time, and improve outcomes for children. Funding is not in scope.
From the get-go, the review team were keen to understand if there were issues that were creating unnecessary burden on ECE providers, teachers, or parents and caregivers that might be quickly resolved, while acknowledging there might be others that would require a longer-term fix.
In working closely with the Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office we were able to clarify several misconceptions based around some ECE licensing criteria. In most cases, the misconceptions were making things more difficult than what the actual licensing criteria specified. Examples include:
- Misconception: Adults supervising children eating or carrying out sleep checks cannot be counted for ratio calculations. Licensing criteria: Adults supervising children eating or undertaking sleep checks still count towards ratios.
- Misconception: ECE providers must launder at a water temperature of 60°C. Licensing criteria: The licensing criteria does not set a required temperature that linen must be washed at.
- Misconception: For every load of laundry, a record is required for who, when and how the laundry was done. Licensing criteria: There is no requirement to record who, when and how laundry has been done.
- Misconception: Daily records of fridge temperatures must be documented. Licensing criteria: There is no requirement in the Licensing Criteria to record fridge temperatures.
- Misconception: Room thermometers must be attached to a wall at 500 mm above floor height to constantly monitor room temperature. Licensing criteria: There is no requirement to have a thermometer attached to the wall.
- Misconception: Sleeping children must be woken every 5-10 minutes. Licensing criteria: Children do not need to be woken every 5-10 minutes. However, they do need to be checked at least every 5- 10 minutes for warmth, breathing and general well-being
We are working with the Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office to communicate with ECE providers, teachers, parents and caregivers to help clear up the misconceptions, and ensure they understand what the licensing criteria specify.
Licensing criteria are stored here on the Ministry of Education’s website.
Clarifying this information should make things easier for teachers and ECE providers, while ensuring suitable risk management for children, their parents, and caregivers.
The ECE regulatory review report will be provided to the Minister for Regulation before the end of the year.
