Quality in early childhood means much more than meeting government regulations, video shows

A video released last week by New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) expert Sarah Farquhar aims to show parents what to consider when choosing an early childhood service. We spoke to Dr Farquhar about what prompted her to make it.

Dr Farquhar said the video was a response to concerns such as: "How families can learn where to get the best care and the best education for their child, what they should expect of an early childhood service, what they will gain from it and how they can tell if a service is meeting their child's needs, and their own".

Porirua-based Dr Farquhar has extensive experience in teaching and research, and is cited internationally for her work on quality in ECE.

Her research has repeatedly shown the importance to parents of information about the choices they face, and her experience as a mother of four young children has also pressed home the need for policy makers, officials and researchers to pay attention to the values, perspectives and needs of parents and families.

"I've written research for many years about quality in early childhood education but have realised that it was only read by a small group of other researchers and policy makers. "My video is an attempt to reach parents to let them know that what makes quality in an early childhood centre is a lot wider than simply what the government says and requires of services. It tells parents that they can and should have a voice in saying what best suits them, their child and family. "And at the same time policy makers and officials might learn a thing or two about the requirements and concerns of children and parents."

Dr Farquhar said ECE centres needed more than just 'quality' - which had come to hold quite a narrow definition, focusing on such things as adult-child ratios, teacher qualifications, and whether regulations and charter requirements are being sufficiently met.

"We need 'remarkable' early childhood services that parents can genuinely get excited about and will talk about for years to come because of the value they added for their child's learning and the great support their family experienced."

Dr Farquhar said parents needed to know about the importance of making choices and of questioning early childhood service providers to get the insights and knowledge to make decisions about the best service for their child.

"Officials worry that if parents are left to make the choices about what centres their children should attend they will always choose the cheapest. While cost is a major factor the research data does not support the officials' view.

"We need to engage in more dialogue with parents about what is best for their children, rather than ignoring the perspectives of the least powerful but most important stakeholder group."

Fourteen early childhood services are shown in the video, including nanny and home-based services, Te Kohanga Reo, Pacific Island language centres, childcare, kindergarten, playcentre and a Montessori school. The video does not recommend any one type of service.

"We shouldn't be telling parents what service is best, and the current government message that a community service has got to be a better choice than a private service is very risky because no one knows their child better than parents and family," Dr Farquhar said.

• Dr Farquhar is founder of the New Zealand Early Childhood Research Network and managing editor of the peer-reviewed New Zealand Research in Early Childhood Journal, and has undertaken a number of studies on ECE programmes for children and families.

To purchase a copy of the 20-minute Choices for Children video (NZ$20 plus $5 p&h), visit Dr Farquhar's website at http://www.childforum.com.

The video may be used by services to raise funds. Contact Dr Farquhar to discuss opportunities, or other information, at Sarah@childforum.com.