Struggling to maintain diversity: The marginalisation of Playcentre in government early childhood education and care policy

Suzanne Manning

doi:10.26686/nzaroe.v23i0.5286

Authors

Suzanne Manning University of Auckland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/nzaroe.v23i0.5286

Keywords:

Early childhood education and care, ECE policy, Playcentre

Abstract

Playcentre is a parent cooperative early childhood service where parents are trained and supported as the educators in the service. Once considered a ‘mainstream’ service, policy has increasingly marginalised Playcentres in favour of supporting teacher-led services. This article gives a background of parent cooperative services, and then reviews policies of the fifth National government from 2008, with an emphasis on how these policies have accommodated or excluded Playcentre. This review is presented as an argument for maintaining diversity in the early childhood education and care sector by developing policy which accommodates parent cooperative services.

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Author Biography

Suzanne Manning, University of Auckland

Suzanne Manning has recently completed a PhD through the University of Auckland, which examined the impact of early childhood policy on Playcentres, a parent cooperative service unique to Aotearoa New Zealand, from the late 1980s. Her research interests combine the disciplines of history, policy and education, fitted around work as a learning advisor at Whitireia NZ.

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