Voice activation absent in early childhood education.

Parents’ Views and Early Childhood Education

Parents’ views are often ignored in early childhood education policy. However, a positive change is on the horizon with the establishment of the ECE Parents Council.

Lack of Inclusion

When the government and the Ministry of Education consult on early childhood plans and policies, they primarily involve sector representatives and service providers. Unfortunately, parents are not considered as primary stakeholders.

Importance of Parental Input

The Council’s Spokesperson, Camille Furnandiz, emphasizes that parents want their children to receive excellent care and experience high-quality social and educational environments in early childhood education. Furnandiz believes this is a reasonable expectation.

Concerns About Enrollment

Furnandiz highlights that location and availability are the main factors that determine where parents enroll their children. However, it is often challenging to secure a spot when needed, leading parents to accept whatever option they can find. This can result in some services being of low quality and unsafe, which parents often do not discover until it is too late.

Lack of Transparency and Accountability

Furnandiz expresses concern over the large number of early childhood education centers owned by private companies and both overseas and local private equity firms. These owners do not necessarily listen to parents and can advise them to find another facility if they are dissatisfied. This lack of transparency and accountability in the private ECE market emphasizes the importance of recognizing parents as stakeholders in early childhood education.

Issues to Address

According to Furnandiz, there are several crucial issues that parents and their children need to raise with the government and the Ministry of Education:

• Regular and adequate monitoring of services to identify problems early
• Ensuring increased subsidies are passed on to parents to address the rising cost of care

The OECE’s Perspective

The chief advisor to the Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE), Dr Sarah Alexander, welcomes the establishment of the Parents Council. Dr. Alexander acknowledges the frustration of parents regarding staffing, safety, health, quality issues, and rising childcare fees despite increased subsidies. She believes that the involvement of parents as key stakeholders will contribute to positive changes and improvements in the sector.

Joining the Parents Council

Furnandiz invites parents, caregivers, and grandparents to join the Parents Council. More information is available online here.

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