He Pānui Kōhungahunga
Update - 31 March 2022
He Pānui Kōhungahunga
Ahiahi mārie,
This week we have entered the latest phase of Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to COVID-19. Although the new Red is a more simplified version than what we knew last week, it’s a good time to remember that we are still in Red.
Although South Island numbers are continuing to climb, it is good to see the overall decline. But with winter approaching, there is, however, potential for more pressure on the health system, not just from COVID-19, but from the flu and other diseases such as RSV and measles.
Please encourage your communities to get their boosters, to get flu vaccinations, and to make sure childhood immunisations such as MMR are up to date.
Kia maiea tō rā,
Iona
Pay parity revenue and expenses survey extended
On 3 March we sent the 2022 pay parity revenue and expenses survey to education and care and home-based services.
Several services have requested an extension of the submission date due to the challenges faced by the COVID-19 Omicron surge, so we have moved it to Tuesday 19 April.
If you haven’t responded to the survey yet, we encourage you to do so as your contribution is valuable and will inform the pay parity funding review.
New curriculum strategies launched
'Hei Raukura Mō te Mokopuna' and the 'Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy' were launched on Friday by Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti.
Find further information about the strategies and the launch:
Literacy and communication and maths strategies – Ministry of Education
Developed by Te Poutāhū | Curriculum Centre, these strategies pave the way for strengthening:
- te reo matatini and pāngarau in and through te reo Māori with Hei Raukura Mō te Mokopuna
- literacy and numeracy through the 'Literacy and Communication and Maths Strategy' for English-medium settings.
We will now work collaboratively with the sector to develop action plans for these strategies that will guide early learning services within the framework of Te Whāriki.
TESSOL further study awards
We are pleased to offer additional awards for further study in the Teaching English in Schools to Speakers of Other Languages (TESSOL) field.
TESSOL further study awards – Ministry of Education
These awards are targeted at teachers who:
- have successfully done the TESSOL scholarship funded courses of a New Zealand TESSOL qualification but who have not completed it, or
- teachers who have completed a TESSOL qualification and wish to do further study.
Teachers in early learning services are invited to apply for an award to study at a graduate or postgraduate level and are open until Sunday 22 May.
Deciding whether you need extra mitigation measures in your COVID-19 safety plan
The COVID-19 Protection Framework sets out various public health measures that apply at each stage of the traffic light framework.
We are currently in the Red setting. At any setting, early learning services can choose to apply additional mitigation measures that they believe are appropriate for their context.
COVID-19 Protection Framework for early learning services – Te Mahau
While the mandatory requirement for workers (paid and unpaid) in early learning services to be vaccinated will end from 11.59 pm on Monday 4 April, it is important to remember that this will not change the fact that we have a highly vaccinated workforce.
Getting vaccinated and boosted remains one of the best protections against COVID-19 and is still strongly encouraged by the Ministry of Health. In addition to this your other protective mechanisms, such as staying home when sick, spending more time outdoors and increasing ventilation indoors remain important.
What risks should you consider when you make your plan?
We know that young children generally experience less severe illness from COVID-19 than those in older age groups. Serious illness and hospitalisations are rare, but they do happen.
It remains important to do what we can to minimise COVID-19 infections in early learning settings to protect those who are more vulnerable to poor outcomes, and to reduce overall pressure on the health system.
The Unite Against COVID-19 website describes some of those that are higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This includes infants under one month old and children under the age of two who were born premature (less than 37 weeks).
Prepare and stay safe – Unite Against COVID-19
Just as adults will be, young children can also be vectors for transmission in their households. You should consider the demographics of your wider community, including vaccination levels in the population as part of developing the risk profile for your early learning service. You should also revisit your plans for vulnerable workers as part of your health and safety risk assessment.
We provided some guidance for this risk assessment and planning for COVID-19 template, but WorkSafe and Employment New Zealand have also updated their guidance in light of the changes to vaccination mandates.
WorkSafe and Employment New Zealand guidance
We strongly recommend you engage with these tools and information as you work through the risk assessment process for your service.
COVID-19 Employer vaccination requirements and other measures – WorkSafe
Vaccines and the workplace – Employment New Zealand
It is important to note that now Omicron has entered the community, outside of those sectors still covered by Government vaccine mandates (such as the health sector), WorkSafe considers that few workplaces will be able to justify an employer vaccination requirement for health and safety or public health reasons.
For those who can, this would likely be only for specific roles. Employers should first consider the controls that are least intrusive to employees before requiring vaccinations.
You need to take time to get this right
While the new legislative framework will give early learning services the ability to make their own decisions on vaccination requirements going forward, it is important that you carry out a robust assessment process and involve your employees and early learning community.
The time required to carry out appropriate consultation may mean you need to effectively continue operating with your existing health and safety plan from Tuesday 5 April, until decisions are made on the suitability of vaccination or other mitigation strategies in your early learning service. It is important not to preempt any outcomes.
There may be quite differing views in your community about the importance of vaccinations, masks or other measures. We recommend you seek legal advice to support you with this process.
Parents whose children have COVID-19
There is helpful information for parents on the KidsHealth website that clearly explains the symptoms of COVID-19 in children and outlines how to care for an unwell child at home.
There are visuals and videos as well as clear written guidance for parents around COVID-19 prevention as well.
KidsHealth is a joint initiative between The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation, supported by the Ministry of Health.
Letter template to support attendance
We have drafted a letter templates to support your communications with your community, which can be edited to meet your needs.
Update to parents and caregivers – English [DOCX,14 KB]
Update to parents and care givers – te reo Māori [DOCX,16 KB]
