Kerre Woodham: How is a child's lack of basic skills not the parents' responsibility?

As children head off to school this week, many of them for the first time, a woeful number of young ones are ill-prepared for the classroom.  

A recent survey conducted by the Auckland Primary Principals' Association and released by the ECE sector partnership, found nearly 90% of Auckland primary schools have reported an increasing number of children starting school without basic skills, such as talking, eating, and toileting. To be very clear, these are not children who have mental and or physical disabilities. These are erstwhile normies, kids who should be able to do all of these basic, basic skills. The same survey, undertaken with 120 primary and intermediate schools, said all but 2% of those who responded said there's a real prevalence of new entrants having trouble with following directions and sharing. 92% of schools have new entrants who don't know the letters of their own names. Schools also reported new entrants who have real challenges dressing, identifying their name, they're unable to hold a pencil or drawing utensil, those fine motor skills.  

Now, probably there'll be retired teachers sitting there muttering, going, well this is nothing new, there have always been children in new entrant classes who have required extra help. But the schools in the survey have around 15 children per cohort, per new intake cohort, who need extra help in getting them learning ready. That's a lot of kids, and a lot of extra time and effort to spend on children to get them to the same start line as the other new entrants. One of the schools has introduced, in effect, streaming. At Massey Primary, they've set up two new entrant classes to support children at the different ends of the school readiness spectrum. So, those who are able to identify their names, who are hungry to learn, who can hold pencils, they're in one class, those who need help in going to the toilet are in another class. It's a sensible solution to a problem that really should not exist.  

The report is, in effect, talking up the value of quality early childhood education, and it's calling for more funding for the sector. It can make a huge difference to the school readiness of a child, which is quite true. But so too does a parent who takes an interest in their child. The report, while talking up ECE, is very quick to excuse parents. It says this should not be attributed, the lack of school readiness should not be attributed to parents who are juggling a myriad of obligations in an increasingly busy environment that includes a cost of living crisis.  

So the lack of a child's ability to be ready for school should not be attributed to parents who are juggling myriad of obligations in an increasingly busy environment that includes a cost of living crisis. Come on – how can it not be a parent's responsibility? I would have thought it would take an enormous effort to dumb a child down to the extent that some of them are turning up at school. Children are naturally curious, they want to learn. That's why we're not still primordial slime – we have a natural, innate desire to know. Children also naturally want to be clean, they don't want to be in a nappy at six, unless that's what they've had to get used to. It doesn't have to cost anything to develop a child's natural curiosity, it's just time spent with them. Every single child psychologist will tell you that, those first 1,000 days. It's not about the flashiest pens and pencils and buying them books and it's not even, it's just having a safe, warm, dry place, which can be difficult for some, but then spending time with them. And if you're not confident about answering questions or reading to them, or you can't be bothered taking them to the park, then you can send them to childcare where the well-trained educators will do the hard work for you. There's free hours at childcare centres.  

Please, when we're talking about the readiness or not of children for school, sure, talk up early childhood education, ask for more money, but please, do not exculpate parents who know they can and should be doing better by their children. 

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