PRE-SCHOOL CHANGE

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33095, 9 December 1972, Page 7

PRE-SCHOOL CHANGE

The Change in title from kindergarten director to kindergarten teacher had been an important one in the field of pre-school education, Mrs B. J. Brayshaw, vice-president of the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union, said in Christchurch on Thursday evening. “It indicates a change in the role of the kindergarten. The kindergarten teacher is now an educator arid the kindergarten is not a place where mothers leave their children for convenience,” she said at the graduation ceremony of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association. More people were including pre-school education in What they wanted for their children. With this increased interest came a need for more kindergarten buildings and facilities. More teachers were being trained, and, in addition to kindergarten teacher training colleges, teachers* colleges in Auckland arid Hamilton Were training kindergarten teachers.

> “Unlike the primary school . teacher, the kindergarten teacher has no set programme. She is, in fact, pre- ‘ paring the child for school in I various ways, but most of all , teaching him to be confident and adequate,” Mrs Brayshaw ’ said. Before the child started kindergarten, the teacher had 1 been to his home to meet him ■ in his own environment, meet his family and discuss the child’s needs and talents with i his mother. • “Thus the kindergarten s teacher is able to give the s child special care.” 3 The regional superintenr dent of education (Mr H. M. ’ McMillan) said that the i kindergarten age was an im--1 portant one for the child. - “It is an age when the child is on the threshold of »important development and t when deprivation or mis- - handling in any way can have i a serious effect.” 8 Quite often, the kindergard ten provided the child with more attention than he would g get at home, "with a busy o mother looking after baby g and the house.” n England was about to e undertake big changes in the n nursery school field, Mr McMillan said. More children

were attending the schools now, whereas in 1966-1967 England had a low 7 per cent at nursery schools. "We in New Zealand can look forward to some exciting developments with the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into Preschool Education and the policy statements of the new Government.” His advice to the 37 graduands was to continue their own professional and personal development and to work closely with the junior departments of primary schools. Other speakers included the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr N. G. Pickering), the principal of Christchurch Kindergarten Teachers’ College (Mrs W. L. Haggitt) and the president of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association (Mrs N. E. Larcombe).