HOW EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS HELP CHILD POVERTY

How do the government’s policies and legislations influence the pedagogical implications for practice in early childhood?

Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, and Farmer (2012) defines pedagogy as “all the actions and processes that educators use to translate philosophy and curriculum approaches into practice” (p. 235). So how are these government policies acted through by the teachers in early childhood settings?

It is important for teachers to know that poverty does effect education. NZEI National President Louise Green says that “Poverty is by far the biggest indicator and cause of children not succeeding in education” (NZEI TE RIU ROA, 2015). Children do not go to early childhood services as costs of transport, lunches and warm clothes are not affordable for some families. Guest blogger, Amanda Coulston, is the General Manager of Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens who writes “How poverty stops children making the most of early childhood education” on the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). Coulston writes how Whānau Manaaki operates a transport scheme in order to collect children to bring them to kindergarten to encourage participation. This is one way how early childhood settings can help children in poverty in order for them to receive education. 

Early childhood education is important in reducing the effects of poverty. Evidence shows benefits from several early childhood education program models. Magnuson (2013) says that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of “high-quality, centre-based childhood education is strong” (p. 5-6). Evidence showed that modal demonstration programs reduces crime and the risk of adult poverty. Magnuson (2013) concludes her article by saying that “investing in selected early childhood interventions appears likely to be a very cost effective way to reduce poverty over the long-term” (p. 6).

We know that early childhood education is important, so how can teachers do the best for the children in poverty that come to their settings? 

• Teachers can be supportive of all families.

• If a teachers knows that a family is in poverty they can inform them discreetly about services that they may be entitled to such as working for families,or the free insulation package.

• Food can be provided at the centre through donations by local companies. I know of one setting which is supplied with apples from a local orchard and the children have apples for morning tea every day.

• Settings can also provide warm clothes, shoes and jackets if a child arrives at the setting without them.
• Equity funding provides funding to make early learning opportunities equally available to all. There are different types of funding available such as for lower socio-economic communicates and for isolation. This funding can be used for use in the setting to benefit all children. One setting I know of uses their funding to supply the setting with a chef who cooked a hot meal for the children each day. This takes the stress off families in poverty by providing the children with a healthy, hot meal. 
• Under the Vulnerable children’s Act 2014 everyone who works with children has to have a history check done. Child protection policies for staff are to be put in place in agencies who work with children. This all helps to protect vulnerable children. Teachers can support children and their families by being proactive in this area by promoting this Act. 

Throughout this blog I have discussed child poverty in New Zealand. I have shown that poverty has an impact on children’s education and life. The New Zealand government is doing its part to rid child poverty and I believe that when families use the support that is available to them, and the help of society, they can give their children many opportunities for their future.

References:

Arthur,L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2012). Programming

and planning in early childhood settings (5th ed.). Melbourne, Australia:

Cengage Learning. 

Magnuson, K. (2013, August). Reducing the effects of poverty through early childhood   interventions. Institute for Research on Poverty: Fast Focus, 17, 1-6.

NZEI TE RIU ROA. (2015). NZEI backs calls for action on child poverty. Retrieved from:             http://www.nzei.org.nz/NZEI/Media/Releases/2015/5/NZEI_backs_calls_for_action_            on_child_poverty.aspx?WebsiteKey=868aa165-3deb-46a3-bc55-5  a9fc2637ac6#.VxBDrXF96Uk

WHAT'S BEING DONE?

Polices and legislation to fight child poverty must be thought about carefully and based on evidence and a range of shared values. If this is not done they will not secure “sustained political support or achieve their objectives” (Boston & Chapple, 2014, p. 85).Values include thinking that children should have the equal, fair opportunities to flourish and that by doing this all of society benefits.

This post will discuss the policies and legislation at a macro level as the New Zealand Government and other organisations do their part to rid child poverty. 

The Vulnerable ChildrenAct 2014  is legislation by the government in order to protect vulnerable children and help them “thrive, achieve and belong” (Children’s Action Plan, 2015). This act wants to help and protect New Zealand children and help them in every way in order so they don’t slip between the cracks. This includes helping families in poverty as children in these families miss out on the possibilities that they could be having. The help given to these families are built on foundations of: better public services, easier access to health and education, a productive and competitive economy creating jobs, improving incomes and opportunity, and justice.

The government, from July 2015, has enabled zero-fee health checks for children under 13 years old. This enables families to bring their children to the doctor free of charge. Free prescriptions are also included in this package. This encourages parents to take their children to the doctor when their children are sick as cost is not a concern. The earlier illnesses are treated the easier they are to manage and possibly cure.

Health checks for under 5s are also included in this including support through Plunket. B4 school checks are done before children go to school. During this free check children are checked for concerns such as health, communication, and sight and hearing. By having check-ups when needed and taking part in health tests health practitioners are able to support families and children who need help.

The “working for families” package was a policy introduced by the Labour government in 2004. It was designed to make it easier to work and raise a family. It pays extra money to New Zealand families, with children, earning under a certain wage bracket (Working for Families, n.d.). 

This package also making housing affordable by giving an accommodation supplement to working families and also to people without children.

The government is also helping insulate housing by offering free insulation. People who are a Community Services Card holder and have someone in their household who has a respiratory condition (like asthma) may be able to get their house insulated free (New Zealand Government, 2015).  This will help families who are in poverty as insulation can make heating homes easier.

The government helps families pay for early childhood education by subsidising all children who attend an early childhood service. For 3 to 5 year olds the cost to attend a setting is subsidised for up to 6 hours a day and up to 20 hours a week (Ministry of Education, 2015). This is a policy set in place to encourage participation in early childhood settings. This in turn takes one pressure off families who want to send their children to a setting but cannot afford to do so.

Here are two organisations that are working to rid New Zealand of child poverty: 

• UNICEF NZ 
• KidsCan

UNICEF NZ 

“UNICEF NZ is a member of the non-government sector group ‘the UNCROC Monitoring Group’ established by the Children’s Commissioner in February 2011 to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UNCROC Monitoring Group includes representation by two Independent Crown entities; the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission.” (Unicef, 2016). 

Unicef believes that no child should experience severe and persistent poverty. Through donations, Unicef will make sure that children’s voices are heard and help change the future for kiwi kids and make their future fair.

Watch this video made to promote Unicef's work in child poverty: 

Video: Make my future fair. (Unicef NZ, 2015). 

KidsCan

KidsCan through the ‘In Our Own Backyard’ programme which through monthly contributions of $15 Kiwi families can support a child which enables KidsCan to provide a “child with the essentials they need to get through the school gates in a position to learn” (KidsCan, n.d.).  

What else?

Fonterra provides milk for children in any primary school that would like to take part in its programme. The benefits of drinking milk include getting nutrients such as calcium to keep bones strong and vitamin B12. Fonterra state that “around two thirds of kiwi kids don’t consume enough calcium” so this programme makes a difference (Fonterra, 2016). 

Watch this ad to promote Milk in Schools: 

Fonterra Milk for Schools TV (Fonterra Milk for Schools, 2013). 

The literature shows that the government and other organisations are doing what they can to tackle child poverty in New Zealand. I believe that the government is doing the best they can to support families in poverty and are still trying to improve the systems that they have in place. It will be interesting to watch what the government offers and continues to offer for families in the next election in 2017.

The next post will discuss how these polices and legislations
  influence the pedagogical implications for practice in early childhood settings. 

References: 

Children’s Action Plan. (2015). Legislation. Retrieved from:        http://childrensactionplan.govt.nz/legislation-/

Fonterra Milk for Schools. (2013, May 28). Fonterra Milk for Schools TV ad 15future [Video file].                   Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ifQV4dmOXs

Fonterra. (2016). Nutrition. Retrieved from: https://www.fonterramilkforschools.com/benefits/nutritional/

KidsCan. ( n.d.). Support a child. Retrieved from: https://www.kidscan.org.nz/get- involved/support-a- child?gclid=Cj0KEQjwipi4BRD7t6zGl6m75IgBEiQAn7CfF7sdD- dS5MPohk4Br5JNO9z_Wm5m69YQe43hyLZ9r7gaAotg8P8HAQ 

Ministry of Education. (2015). For parents. Retrieved from: http://parents.education.govt.nz/early-learning/early-childhood- education/20-hours-ece-2/

New Zealand Government. (2015). Insulation and energy efficiency. Retrieved from: https://www.govt.nz/browse/housing-and-property/insulation-and-energy- efficiency/

Unicef NZ. (2015, November 21). Make my future fair [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8WlbQj1ax8 

Unicef. (2016). Child poverty in New Zealand. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org.nz/learn/our-         work-in-new-zealand/Child-Poverty-in- New-Zealand 

Working for Families. (n.d.) Working for Families. Retrieved from: http://www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz/

WHY DO WE HAVE CHILD POVERTY?

A child born into child poverty misses out on the opportunities that other children in New Zealand take for granted. This lack of opportunity can include not having a birthday party, or going on a family holiday. Not only do these children miss out on these opportunities that shape childhood, but they also suffer hardship. This hardship may include going to bed hungry, living in house so damp that chronic respiratory illnesses are the result, or being wet after walking to school in the rain as their parents cannot afford rain jackets (Boston & Chapple, 2014). 

Figure 1. Poverty Facts (From Child Poverty Monitor, 2015). 

Why are these children in poverty? Household income is a factor. However, Susan Mayer makes an argument in her book What Money Can’t Buy: Family Income and Children’s Life Chances (1997) that poor child outcomes are not caused by low income. Instead she argues that poverty hides the issues of parenting, school, and neighborhood quality that drive outcomes for children (Boston & Chapple, 2014). However, research after Mayer’s book showed that income is a cause for concern when it came to positive outcomes for children. The research suggested that the lower the family income, the longer the child spends in poverty, and the earlier the child experiences poverty, the stronger the “effect of income as a cause of poor trajectories for children” (Boston & Chapple, 2014, p. 49). Statistics New Zealand (2012) confirms this and states that the length of time that families spend in a low-income situation in addition with their ability to access resources such as accumulated savings, can have an impact on child outcomes. 

Poverty in New Zealand has been a topic of interest for some time. Take for example the first childcare centre which was established by the Catholic Church in Wellington in 1908. This was created and based on “Christian motivations of caring for the children of the poor whose mothers where working” (McLachlan, 2011, p. 36). This is one instance which shows how the people of New Zealand where caring for its poor.

Figure 2. Child poverty trends (From Child Poverty Monitor, 2015). 

How does New Zealand compare to the rest of the world? 

In 2004 it was 20th out of 30 OECD countries in terms of child poverty (Baker, 2015).

Figure 3. Where does New Zealand rate? (From Baker, 2015). 

However, by looking at child poverty through lenses focused on household income it can be noted that in the last two decades of the 20th century the income gap in New Zealand has become more unequal (St John & Wynd, 2008).

New Zealand was a prosperous nation whose exports were sold to England. However, in 1971 there was news that they would join the European Common Market and New Zealand had to find new places to sell its exports (Red Sky Television, 2015).  Now New Zealand had to remain competitive and had to be priced competitively to “compete effectively on the international market” (Adams, Openshaw, & Hamer, 2005, p. 40). Since 1984, New Zealand’s “international competitiveness has had a dramatic (and at times detrimental) impact on its economy, society, and education” (Adams, et al, 2005, p. 40). These impacts include unemployment, family burdens, and a widening income gap between the rich and the poor (Adams, et al, 2005).

Video: Why New Zealand has poverty?  (AWATCHFULLEYE, 2011). 

The widening income gap also came about from the economic reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The labour market reforms of the early 1990s depressed wages and kept them low especially for unskilled workers. In 1991 the social welfare benefit were cut significantly. The income gap widened further in 1996 when the Child Tax Credit was introduced (St. John & Wynd, 2008). This was a benefit payment incorporated through means-tested family support tax credits; however, this was only available to parents in paid work (Baker, 2012). This created an income gap between “beneficiaries with children and employed parents” (St. John & Wynd, 2008). 

This graph shows how the income gap between the rich and the rest increased greatly from the mid-1980s on. This gap greatly effects society by dividing communities, encourages competition and leads to more stressful, less healthy society (Inequality: A New Zealand Conversation, 2013).

Figure 4. The widening gap (From Inequality: A New Zealand Conversation, 2013).

 Watch this video by KidsCanNZ to see an example of the difference household income can make.

How does poverty affect children? 

Research suggests that early childhood poverty may be especially damaging. Magnuson (2013) says that there are two factors that make these years of life especially critical to development:

“Development of young children’s’ brains leaves them particularly vulnerable to environmental conditions and their family life dominates their day-to-day existence” (p. 4).

A child living in poverty learns that this is how their life is. Poverty will affect every aspect of their development. It affects a child’s wellbeing and it is a known fact that income is a cause of a child’s health (St John & Wynd, 2008). 

St John and Wynd (2008) state that “a child growing up in poverty is three times more likely to be sick than a child growing up in a higher-income household” (p. 6).A child in poverty is more susceptible to poor nutrition and a stressful environment. This contributes to a child’s poor health and the ability to fight infections. The child’s parents also may not have money to pay for a doctor visit and medicine. A child’s level of health is an influencing factor to how well they do in their education. If a child is unwell they will miss important learning experiences. Children who live in poverty are also “more likely to start school with an educational disadvantage” (Fletcher & Dwyer , 2008, p. 51). Children in poverty are limited at developing basic skills because of factors including overcrowding housing, receiving less early childhood education, and poor parental skills (Fletcher & Dwyer, 2008). They may also lack the energy and enthusiasm to learn to their greatest potential. This contributes to the wellbeing of a child and ultimately their education.

So what is the government doing about child poverty in New Zealand? 

References:

Adams, P., Openshaw, R., & Hamer, J. (Eds.). (2005). Education and society in Aotearoa

                           New Zealand (2nd ed.). North Shore, New Zealand: Nelson. 

AWATCHFULLEYE. (2011, November 23). Why New Zealand has child poverty [Video

file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLH2u2uIBhw

Boston, J. & Chapple, S. (2014). Child poverty in New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand:

Bridget Williams Books. 

Child Poverty Monitor. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/resources

Fletcher , M., & Dwyer , M. (2008). A fair go for all children: actions to address child poverty in New Zealand. Retrived from http://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Reports/Poverty/A-fair-go-for-all-children.pdf

Inequality: A New Zealand Conversation. (2013). Understand Inequality. Retrieved from:

http://www.inequality.org.nz/understand/#!prettyPhoto

 KidsCanNZ. (2012, April 2). Must watch video: New Zealand’s chilling child poverty story `

[Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsSK59THwCc

Magnuson, K. (2013, August). Reducing the effects of poverty through early childhood           interventions. Institute for Research on Poverty: Fast Focus, 17, 1-6. 

Maureen Baker. (2012). Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: 'Family welfare - Family

policy, 1980–1999'. Retrieved from: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/family-welfare/page-6

Maureen Baker. (2012). Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Story: Family Welfare.

Retrieved from: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/26099/child-poverty-rates

McLachlan, C. (2011). An analysis of New Zealand’s changing history, policies and

approaches to early childhood education. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36, (3), 36-44.

Red Sky Television (2015, June 5). Inside Child Poverty [Video File]. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AnC8yMph78

St John, S., & Wynd, D. (Eds.). (2008). Left behind: How social and income inequalities damage New Zealand children. Auckland, New Zealand: Child Poverty Action Group Inc.

Statistics New Zealand (2012). Measuring child poverty in New Zealand: Issues and          
            practicalities. Retrieved from: http://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/EAG/Working-                            papers/Statistics-NZ-Measuring-Child-Poverty 

OUR CHILDREN ARE IN POVERTY

New Zealand should be one of the best places to raise children. However, some New Zealanders do not share this view as they and their children live in poverty.

People may think that poverty only exists in the countries of Africa. They can imagine a young child, whose ribs are showing, holding a bowl with outstretched arms and eyes open wide. 

But poverty exists in our backyard too. 

Boston and Chapple (2014) state that “all poverty is relative and considered in comparison to others” (p.23). This means that there is a distinction between child poverty in countries like New Zealand and poorer countries. Organisations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the OECD make this distinction (Boston & Chapple, 2014). Poverty then is about how people can “function in a society, rather than merely and solely about survival” (Boston & Chapple, 2014, p. 23).

Boston and Chapple (2014) define child poverty as “children who have insufficient income or material resources to enable them to thrive” (p. 22).

In New Zealand one in four children lives in poverty (Child Poverty Monitor, 2015). These children miss out on the basics needs of life such as enough food to eat and a warm place to live. This affects their well being, health and the way that they learn.

Figure 1. I Can't Eat the Flag (From Kahkiwa, 2016). 

I am interested in this topic as I believe that it is a political issue that needs to be addressed by the New Zealand government and society. I would like to find out what the current government’s response is to poverty and what impact poverty has on young children from babies to school age. The support that the government, I believe, is essential for the future generation of New Zealand. 

References: 

Boston, J. & Chapple, S. (2014). Child poverty in New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books. 

Child poverty monitor. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/flow-infographics/income-poverty

Robyn Kahkiwa. (2016). I Can’t Eat the Flag. Retrieved from:                               https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=1110810335625837&set=ecnf.100000906447111&type=    3&theater