Acting General Manager Pānui update

Kia ora anō tātou katoa e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa

Ka nui te mihi i tēnei wā o te wāhanga o te raumati me ngā mihi katoa o Kerimete.

We have been busy here at the National Service Centre as we head towards our Christmas holiday break. I really encourage everyone to take time out from the business of Playcentre to spend with whānau and relax this festive season. It has been a challenging year for many of us both professionally and personally and I would like to thank you all of you for your efforts in supporting Playcentre Aotearoa.

In addition, I wish to send out a special mihi to our Playcentre Management team, Regional Managers and their teams and National Service Centre kaimahi for working through some tough assignments this year.

In this update:

  • Review of Playcentre Structure – Phase 2
  • ERO update
  • MoE update
  • Office Holder training
  • Communication pathways
  • Playcentre Open Week 2021
  • Office Shutdown dates

1.     Review of Playcentre Structure – Phase 2

As you may be aware, the announcement for Phase 2 was made to staff last week. Our priority at every stage will be to ensure that services to centres have minimal disruption, however there will be some key changes to the centre facing support. We will put together some resources for centres to explain the new roles, systems and processes as part of our transition in the New Year.

Recruitment has already begun for key roles, and we expect that the transition to the new structure will be complete by the end of term 1. Keep an eye on our vacancies page for the latest listings and share these with your networks. 

* up this week on our Playcentre Aotearoa website:

  • Phase 2 decision doc
  • Phase 2 presentation recording
  • FAQ
  • Org chart image
  • Link to vacancies page

2. ERO

A team of Playcentre kaimahi recently met with ERO to discuss their new methodology and what the future relationship between our organizations will look like. It was really encouraging that all the ERO representatives in attendance were Playcentre alumni and there was a strong sense of united vision for how we can work together better at every level.

Centres should have all received a copy of the new resource, Te Ara Poutama (pictured). Keep an eye out for this amazing resource and if you have not yet received yours, please let your regional office know or contact [email protected] to request a copy.

We are aware that many centres are feeling nervous about reviews that are past due. As I’m sure you can appreciate, with Covid-19 even the best planning has gone out the window as ERO were unable to get into centres for a good portion of the year. Please be assured that your region will let you know as soon as your review is scheduled – in some areas of the country this could be a year or more later than expected. It is also worth noting that reports no longer contain a return date, so moving forward there will be no expected date for a review to be completed by.

The new methodology means that centres will no longer be required to complete self-reports prior to their review, which will hugely reduce the amount of work and admin involved for centres. We will be updating the information on our website to reflect the changes, but in the meantime you can read more about the review process on the ERO website.

3. Ministry of Education (MOE)

There are several initiatives in Early Childhood Education coming out of MOE at the present and Playcentre Aotearoa is part of the reference and key stakeholder groups represented. It is important that Playcentre remains an important contributor to Early Learning education in New Zealand and that we are able to advocate for Playcentre philosophy and values in a teacher led political environment. Much of the conversation in Early learning of late has focused on ‘quality’ in early childhood education and we need to be able to articulate what this looks and feels like for Playcentre. There is so much more for us to learn here and I am so looking forward to Playcentre being involved in this space.

4.  Office Holder Training

We are updating the office holder training recordings and wherever possible, breaking them into topics so that you can select the ones you need. Please check out the website – release dates below. Consider asking your cluster to hold an Officer Meet and Greet night so officers from neighboring centres can connect in order to support each other throughout the year. The videos could be shown in break-out sessions that night or be watched anytime online to guide the mahi of new and existing officers. Kia kaha!

  • Fri 4 Dec: President/Coordinator, Education, Planning & Evaluation, Bicultural Officer
  • Fri 11 Dec: Secretary, Treasurer, Property/Equipment, New Families/Welcoming
  • TBA: Enrolments (Roles & Rosters), Health & Safety, Fundraising/Grants, Wellness Officer

5.  Playcentre Aotearoa Communication

Social Media is an important part of how our community shares ideas and opinions, but it is important to be mindful of the messages that we send on these platforms. Be respectful of the audience receiving the information as we want to promote positive and constructive behavior in these online forums. In doing so your positive interactions and communications will assist us in raising our Playcentre Aotearoa profile for people keen to join our Playcentre whānau. For more information, see our Communications Pathway on the website:

 https://www.playcentre.org.nz/centre-resources/communication-pathway/

6.  Playcentre Open Week

Playcentre Open Week will be in Week 7 of Term 1 (week starting 15 March 2021). More information and resources to support centres will come out at start of the term 1.

7.  Christmas Shutdown dates

Regional offices and the National Service Centre will be closed from 25 December – 4th January (inclusive) and staff availability in January may be limited while people are on leave. Your regional office will let you know who to contact in case of emergency contact during this time.

Centre Support Workers and Centre Administrators will also be on leave from 19th December – 31st January 2021 and I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing them a well-deserved summer break with their whānau.

Remember that you need to provide any paid employees working in your centre no less than 2 weeks’ notice in writing of your closing dates for the end of term. At this time please also confirm your opening date for Term 1 2021.

Please be aware that if a centre chooses to defer their opening dates beyond Tuesday 9th February, any employees scheduled to work will still be entitled to be paid by the centre.