Tēnā koutou katoa
COVID-19 information
Clarification on funding in Level 2.
As Centres in Auckland prepare to re-open on Monday, we’ve had some questions around funding implications. It is expected that all Playcentres should be able to open at Level 2. Any Centres that choose not to open straight away will not receive funding. Any staff impacted by this will continue to be paid as per normal. If there is a health reason impacting on your ability to open or run licensed sessions, please let your Regional Office know as soon as possible so we can work with the Ministry of Education about any possible solutions.
The Ministry understands that many services may see another drop in attendance, so they have confirmed that funding will continue for permanently enrolled children who do not attend from 12 August until the end of the current funding period (30 September 2020). More info can be found here.
Early Learning Bulletin
The Ministry of Education’s latest bulletin contains a range of information on COVID-19 from face coverings to returning to early learning.
Centres having access to Discover
We’ve had a few queries about Centre members having access to Discover. Discover directly links into the Ministry of Education so it is vital that access is kept secure both to ensure the integrity of the data that we receive our funding for, and also to protect the privacy of our members and staff. It is our hope that once Discover have completed some of the more urgent projects for us, we’ll be able to create some tools that enable centres to pull reports that will be helpful in your planning and day to day operations.
We are currently looking at how we can fine-tune the enrolment process and ensure that the flow of information between centres and staff is well understood by all. Once we have this information ready we will test these processes with a range of Centres before releasing this to the wider group.
Playcentre Aotearoa Phase Two of re-organisation
This week I have written to all our staff advising them of progress on the next stage of our restructure.
We are currently finalising the decision document after consultation with the Trustee Board, Regional Managers and other management team members. We expect to deliver this to you at the beginning of September in a similar way as previous announcements.
The decision document will outline the general process that we will use to implement the changes. As noted previously we received $4.2 million to offset the deficit and allow us to implement the necessary changes so that means that while we need to make changes we do not need to rush them through and can do this systematically. Positions will still be disestablished and new positions established as we work to refocus the delivery of our services. As previously advised we cannot continue to absorb the costs associated with the 1800+ roles or the 1000+ paid employees and we will need to have roles with more substantial hours so that we can better support employees and provide the essential services to our Centres.
Again I would like to apologise for the delay in delivering on Phase Two but a lot of this has occurred for reasons outside of our control. I can state that I believe the new structure will work to position Playcentre as a viable and credible organisation delivering on our philosophy and I want to thank you for your support as we work to implement this.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
We are fast approaching Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and we will be taking the opportunity again to celebrate the Māori language Our Kaiwhakahaere Hononga Māori, Thomas Tawhiri, has more in this update on our plans for Māori Language Week.
Have a great weekend,
Ka kite anō au i a koutou.
From Thomas Tawhiri, Kaiwhakahaere Hononga Māori/Maori Development Manager.
“Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku mapihi mauria”
My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul
Tēna koutou katoa e Te Whānau Tipu Ngātahi o Aotearoa
Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou i runga i ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā. Kei te harikoa e tata atu anō tātou ki te wā kia whakanui tō tātou reo rangatira, ā, he reo e ora ana, he reo e whakatipu ana i roto i te ngakau o te tangata.
Māhuru or September is a wonderful time of the year when we celebrate and honour the Māori language from 14-20 September. The Māori language as our indigenous language is a unique taonga to be treasured by all New Zealanders. It is through organisations like ours that we play a huge role in the lives of children that grow and nurture our bilingual values as a nation. This year, as part of a national focus across Playcentre we would like everyone no matter how big or small to participate in Māori language week, whether you are a mokopuna, mātua, Kaiako, kaimahi or kaiwhakahaere, everybody no matter who or where you are, can contribute to Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in Playcentre. This year we have a number of prizes to be won for those who participate in our challenges being run during Māori language week. Let’s get together whānau and have fun with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Check out the Playcentre website for the Te Wiki o Te Reo activities and resources for your Centres or your offices. We will have more activities, including a national challenge, going up on the website over the next few weeks.
Kia kaha whānau, kia toa kia manawanui.
Ngā mihi me ngā manaakitanga o te wā
Thomas