Early childhood education (ECE) providers in Marlborough are frustrated at a government funding change that will mean new teachers are no longer subsidised to become registered.
The change from Friday means education centres with more than 80 per cent registered staff will no longer get about $4000 from the Government for every qualified teacher they hire who is working towards becoming registered.
Teacher registration requires extra study and practical work.
Centres use the funding to pay for things such as relief teachers and resources so new teachers can have time during work hours to meet criteria to become registered.
Blenheim's Little Footsteps education centre co-owner Angela Fitzpatrick said the move was frustrating.
"The Government says that ages zero to three is the most crucial time in a child's development and meanwhile they still keep whipping [funding] out from underneath us. It just doesn't seem fair; it penalises the staff for being the best they can be."
Funding levels differ between early childhood centres and is partly based on the number of registered teachers they employ. More than 80 per cent of Little Footsteps staff are registered.
Little Footsteps teacher Kelly Davis is about halfway through the two-year registration process. She said she would have to do the work in her own time and would not be paid for it.
Teachers were expected to be registered, she said.
The worst part of the change would be missing out on professional development such as conferences and training courses, "which will help me grow and develop as a teacher", she said.
Teachers can still apply for an Education Ministry grant to help them get registered.
The ministry website says funding is being focused on centres with fewer than 80 per cent registered staff to encourage more teachers to become registered. The Government aims to have 80 per cent of teachers registered by 2012 and 64 per cent of early childhood workers to be qualified and registered.
Little Footsteps co-owner Tony Fitzpatrick said the centre had four options to make up the shortfall for funding teacher registration – the centre to pay, the teacher to pay, increasing fees for parents or a combination of these.
Marlborough Kindergarten Association executive officer Sheila Dixon said funding for teacher registration was invaluable.
The association, which runs seven centres in the region, would support teachers in whatever way they could to be registered.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
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