New Zealand Early Childhood Centre Management Proposal

Young Learners Early Learning Centre in New Zealand, once a thriving early childhood centre, has more recently been underperforming and struggling to increase its occupancy rate. It is licensed for 40 children –10 in the nursery and 30 in the preschool – but current enrolments are sitting at five in the nursery and 15 in the preschool. Jo (who currently owns centres in other parts of the city), recently took ownership of the centre and is seeking to reach maximum occupancy in two years, based on the potential opportunity that has arisen with a very large housing development under construction less than two kilometres away. The community is diverse with a mixture of ethnicities. One of the first steps Jo has put in place is a change to the centre philosophy, so it is more in alignment with the philosophy of the early childhood curriculum framework, TeWhāriki and her other centres. This will result in a shift from a very teacher-led approach to one that is child-centred. There are currently three staff working in the centre, one teacher has over ten years’ experience working in this setting and the other two staff members, one of whom is in training, have two to three-years’ experience. Task Jo has appointed you as centre manager and asked you to prepare a detailed proposal to make the shift in curriculum approach and raise the enrolments.

How do you as manager undertake at least two to three responsibilities from the list below, to effectively address the management challenges in the scenario:

• parental involvement in the centre, including assessment
• self-review
• staff appraisal
• recruitment and induction of new staff
• community, communications and relationship development
• funding, finances and resourcing the centre Consider your personal and professional values, and a range of literature to support your proposed actions.

Experts Answer on Above Question on Childhood Centre Management Proposal

Parental Involvement in the centre

The actions proposed are to introduce learning stories that are consistent with Te Whariki which will allow parents to contribute observations and their own convenience. In addition to this, parent-teacher conferences are important to discuss the progress of children, and utilise digital platforms to share learning experiences of children. Parental involvement can also be encouraged by organising monthly cultural events which require family participation, and also establish a parent advisory group to get their opinion on centre improvement.

Expected outcomes from these activities would be increased family engagement, stronger home centre partnerships, higher satisfaction within parents and improved reputation and new enrollment.
Staff appraisal and professional development

The proposed actions are to introduce a new structure appraisal system that is consistent with teaching Council of New Zealand standards. Clear classroom observation with emphasis on child-led teaching practices, and professional development workshops that encourage Te Whariki implementation, play based learning and inclusive education. It is also important to review the progress every six months and utilise SMART goals.

The outcomes from these activities of improved teaching quality, increased staff confidence and better learning experience for children.

Community communication and relationship development

The proposed actions are to partner with nearby housing developers to provide enrollment information to new families, build relationships with community organisations, promote centres through social media platforms, host family fun events, and celebrate Maori and multicultural events reflecting the principles of Te Whariki and attract diverse families.
The outcomes from these proposed initiatives would be greater community awareness, stronger local partnership, and improved centre reputation.

Supporting personal and professional values

It is important to respect each and every child individually, promote inclusive practice to support diverse culture, collaborate with families, reflective leadership, commitment to continuous improvement and bicultural practices that are in line with Te Whariki.

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