Office of Pre-Primary Education and Childcare

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari taku toa, takitini e
Success is not by the work of one, but by the work of many

No teacher deserves to be paid less just because they are working in ECE.  But it's a fact that they are paid less - a lot less.  ECE is not valued well by our political leaders and by the Ministry of Education. 

If you think it's impossible for this to be any different then it will stay that way.  The best thing you can do is make a start to change this. Don't stay in this old bubble of thinking.  Mindset is everything.  If you set your mind to it anything is possible. So, step outside the bubble of thinking that it's impossible and support early childhood teachers to get the pay and recognition they deserve. 

Together, with your help we can make the impossible - possible.

Aroha nui, Dr Sarah
(ChildForum CEO) 

* There is lots of different important stuff on this page - keep scrolling down to view everything here *

The argument for pay parity - why and how, 'in a nutshell'  

It is critically important for the children attending early childhood education (ECE) services that the pay of all early childhood education teachers is on par with their kindergarten, primary and secondary peers. 

Without pay parity qualified teachers will continue to leave the profession and the health, safety, and learning of children will suffer. Even when teachers stay in the sector, when they are disillusioned because of poor remuneration and overworked for the pay that they get, they can withdraw and disengage from children and from their work

For the government to provide the funding needed for pay parity they will need assurance that the taxpayers' dollars are being applied effectively to achieve the government's goals. There will need to be transparency around services' funding, to prove that pay parity is being applied.

See the Open Letter to Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and to Hon Chris Hipkins 

Find information, research, funding and pay figures in the ECE Pay Parity book  

Campaign Updates

• Catch-up with what happened in the first week - see our report here 
• November 2019 report   

Petition - Amazing result - more than 15,000 people signed

• Find the signatories to the petition, the story, and the photos here

 

What you can do

Join the Facebook group set up exclusively for discussion and sharing updates on pay parity - click here to view the group and ask to join 

Get increased funding at the Kindy rate for your service/s - View information on this and have your service provider or owner sign the agreement 

Support the submission to be made to the Education and Training Bill -  add your name or your service's name to the submission for Pay Parity

Posters to share, print and display 

•  "Pay Discrimination must end - We are teachers not babysitters"
•  Keep our qualified early childhood teachers in the profession they love
• "Support Early Childhood Teachers: No ECE Teacher should be paid less than primary and secondary teachers" 

Postcards

•  Print, sign and send this to the Associate Minister of Education 
•  Print, sign and send this to the Minister of Education Chris Hipkins
• Print, sign and send this to the Green Party Education spokesperson
• Print, sign and send this to the National Party ECE spokesperson 

 

ARTICLES

Government responses to staffing issues in different parts of the sector

• Funding recruitment company to place overseas qualified teachers (not NZ teachers) into ECE centres 
  
• Recuiting overseas teachers supported by Early Childhood business Council
• Easing of qualification requirements: Staff without an early childhood qualification to be responsible for children and programmes in ECE
• The 10-year Strategic Plan aka the Action Plan
• Look out Labour, here comes National with its discussion document 

Funding and accountability concerns

• Anna Ryder - Service owner: "We pay our teachers above MoE rates and would love to pay our teachers more"
• How much funding is too much to go on management salaries and profit instead of on children and teacher salaries?
• Cost Analysis: Can centres afford to pay teachers more?
  
• Hugo van Stratum - Recently retired teacher: "Pay disparity, profit making, fair treatment and advocacy for a unified pay scale"

Sector Survey

• National Survey Results: Views on ECE teacher wage rates set by the Ministry of Education and on pay parity with teachers in primary schools/ kindergartens

Thought pieces on the effects of low pay on teachers and exploitation

• Bethany O'Hagan - Centre Supervisor: "Ask an early childhood teacher why there is a teacher shortage and we can tell you"
• Ways to Stop the Exploitation of Teachers Working in ECE 
• Unqualified staff in teaching positions are being expected to take on the work of qualified teaching staff often for minimum or little more than minimum pay
• Karen Girvan - Teacher: "The pay realities for teachers when moving from a kindergarten setting into another community ECE setting"
• Janet Dixon - ECE expert: "Investing in teachers is investing in children - our future leaders"

The differences between 'Pay Equity' x and 'Pay Parity' ♥

• Like chalk and cheese: Pay Equity and Pay Parity an analysis of different paths to get better wages and conditions
• David Haynes: ECE Teachers - Pay Parity or Pay Equity?

NZEI's ill-thought out 11% wage jolt plan

• Misleading: NZEI’s claim it can deliver an immediate 11% pay increase to all ECE teachers
• NZEI’s 11% Campaign – It Sounds Great, but What’s Inside the Package?

Watch Video

Subscribe here to our YouTube chanel to be notified of new videos

• Why do we need to pay ECE teachers a fair wage?  An interview with Irish expert Dr Mary Moloney
• Part 1 of the national meeting on ECE Teacher Pay in Wellington, July 2019
• Part 2 of the national meeting on ECE Teacher Pay in Wellington, July 2019
• Tips for service providers on responding to the teacher shortage and how to reduce the impact of this on their operation
• Video collection

Teacher Pay Parity Book

For a complete copy of the book, click here to read   Or email us for your free copy – email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PREFACE

1. The Lead-Up to the Campaign for Pay Parity
2. The Problem
2.1. Having a qualified workforce brings with it demands for higher wages reflective of qualification and professional status 
2.2. Teachers are subsidising ECE
2.3. Current pay levels 
2.4. Why would anyone want to spend a lot of time and money to become a qualified teacher and work in ECE today?
2.5. Slippage in the quality of ECE has become a serious worry 
2.6. Current methods and policy are failing 
3. The Solution 
3.1. Improve salary attestation rates 
3.2. Make sure funding for pay parity results in pay parity 
4. What Cannot Help as Much as We Might Want to Believe 
4.1. Joining a union 
4.2. The Government’s 10-year ECE strategic plan 
4.3. The re-introduction of a funding band for 100% qualified and certificated teachers and the exacerbation of inequity
5. A Teacher is a Teacher 
5.1. Why lower pay is not about gender or work role
5.2. Where is NZEI Te Riu Roa on campaigning for pay parity?
5.3. Are kindergartens fundamentally different to other services in ECE?
6. Summary
7. Concluding Comment
APPENDICES
1. Salary attestation rates 
2. Pay parity rates
3. Kindergarten teacher working conditions 
4. Current funding rates by service type 
5. Glossary