The Early Childhood Council is advocating for a major overhaul of early learning regulations, criticizing current rules on pay parity and teacher-to-child ratios as ineffective. In a comprehensive submission to the Ministry for Regulation, the Council proposed several changes. The Council criticized the minimum teacher-to-child ratios as impractical and argued that monitoring compliance is challenging. They also highlighted that current pay parity rules create significant financial strain and suggested deregulating teacher pay. Chief Executive Simon Laube emphasized that the existing system is unsustainable due to inadequate funding and high compliance costs. The Council’s submission seeks to simplify regulations while addressing staffing and financial challenges in early childhood education.
