Registered early childhood education teachers

What We Have Found

The proportion of early childhood education teachers who are registered has been rising over time.

Date Updated: May 2011

Indicator Description

The proportion of early childhood education teachers who are registered with the New Zealand Teachers’ Council (NZTC).

Why This Is Important

Children benefit from participation in quality early childhood education services. Quality is achieved through a number of interacting factors such as the interaction of the ratio of trained adults to children, the number of children (or group size) and the qualification levels of teachers.

One of the ways to improve the quality of early childhood education is to increase the number of qualified and registered early childhood education teachers. Teacher registration ensures the quality of teachers because it shows that newly graduated teachers have completed suitable teacher education programmes and are supervised and supported through an advice and guidance programme. Gaining full registration and maintaining practice certificates assures currency of professional knowledge and practice.

How We Are Going

Before teachers can become registered with the New Zealand Teachers’ Council (NZTC), they must hold a qualification approved by the Council. Once qualified, teachers can apply for provisional registration with the NZTC, as long as they are of good character and are fit to be teachers.

The proportion of teachers who are registered with the NZTC has increased from 34.7% in 2002 to 67.4% in 2010. By 2008, the proportion of teachers registered was the same as the proportion who were qualified. This has remained true for 2009. For 2010, the proportions were nearly the same, with 66.8% teachers qualified and 67.4% registered.

The proportion of teachers who were registered increased significantly in 2005, due to the combined impact of: the requirement that all Persons Responsible in ECE be registered; additional funding incentives; and the teacher registration targets implemented in 2007. Previous to then, many qualified teachers had not taken the additional step of becoming registered.

Figure 1: Percentage of teachers who are qualified and percentage of teachers who are registered (2002 to 2010)

A higher proportion of European/Pākehā teachers are registered than is the case with other ethnic groups. However, Pasifika teachers had the greatest increase, with six times the number of registrations since 2002. By 2010, 69.8% of European/Pākehā teachers were registered, 62.9% of Pasifika teachers, 65.2% of Asian teachers, and 57.7% of Māori teachers.

Figure 2: Percentage of registered teachers, by ethnic group  (2002 to 2010)

The trend of teachers who are registered is largely shaped by the registration trend of Education and Care Service teachers who employ 84.5% of early childhood education teachers. Almost all Home-based Service network co-ordinators and Kindergarten teachers are registered. By 2010, 62.2% of Education and Care Service teachers were registered, 96.3% of Kindergarten teachers, and 99.4% of Home-based Service network co-ordinators.

Figure 3: Percentage of teachers who are registered, by service type (2002 to 2010)

References

• Farquhar, S. E. (2003). Quality Teaching Early Foundations: Best Evidence Synthesis. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
• Cameron, M. and Baker, R. (2004). Research on Initial Teacher Education in New Zealand: 1993-2004. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Education Research.