Latest news with #early childhood education
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Jan Taouma: Tributes flow for pioneer of Samoan language
By Khalia Strong , PMN Janice 'Jan' Taouma is remembered as a pioneer of bilingual Pacific early childhood education. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Leading educators are honouring the late Janice 'Jan' Margaret Cockburn Taouma as a powerful advocate for the Samoan language. Taouma passed away on Saturday in Auckland, surrounded by her family, after battling lung disease. She was 77. For more than four decades, Taouma championed Pacific language and culture, establishing A'oga Fa'a Samoa, the country's first licensed Samoan-language immersion early childhood centre. Pauline Winter, the chief executive of the Auckland Kindergarten Association, describes Taouma as a pioneer who was friendly, supportive, and deeply committed. "Jan was a powerhouse, but also a gentle woman with sparkly eyes and a smile that always welcomed an opportunity to have a chat. "She had a vision, a very strong one, grounded in Samoan values…just a wonderful, wonderful legacy she has left." Taouma established A'oga Fa'a Samoa in the 1980s, on the grounds of Richmond Road School in Grey Lynn, at a time when culturally responsive, Pacific-led early childhood education was virtually unheard of. Dr Tafili Utumapu-McBride, a senior lecturer at AUT's School of Education, describes Taouma as a role model who truly embodied her beliefs. "She was a palagi, a Pākehā, and comfortable speaking our language. That stood out. People took their children there because of the love, the values, and the solid foundation Jan built. "Jan's love for our children and for maintaining our language and culture was visible. She set the standard." Utumapu-McBride first encountered Taouma in the early 1990s while researching Sāmoan language nests. She recalls the centre as one of the most well-managed and widely respected in the country. "I know quite a few people who've taken their children there over the years because of its reputation and the intergenerational aspect. "The grandmothers learning language alongside their children and grandchildren - that was highly evident. The dedication, and the fact that it's still going strong after 40 years, really speaks volumes. Not all centres last that long." Fa'alogo Dr Jacoba Matapo, pro vice-chancellor Pacific at AUT, says Taouma nurtured not just tamariki (children), but an entire movement. "As a visiting lecturer, I witnessed firsthand her generosity of spirit, her openness to serve the community, and her commitment to nurturing the professional journey of emerging teachers through mentorship. "Her mentorship was deeply relational - shaped by fa'aaloalo (respect), alofa (love), and tautua (service). I witnessed her gentle yet resolute leadership, her belief in growing Pacific leadership from within, and her remarkable ability to hold space for others to rise and lead," she says. "I know that Jan's legacy lives on in every Pacific child who learns through their language, in every teacher she mentored, and in the enduring strength of A'oga Fa'a Samoa as a beacon of Pacific excellence. She leaves a profound imprint on the hearts of many, and a reach that will continue to guide Pacific early childhood education for generations to come." In an earlier interview with Early Childhood New Zealand, Taouma reflected on returning from Samoa with her husband, Pita, and her desire to provide a space for their five children to maintain their cultural heritage. "I had a baby who was about 18 months old, so I was keen that this child had the same language opportunities as my other children in Samoa. I got involved and I've been here ever since. I never thought it was going to be my vocation in life!" In 2014, Taouma received a Queen's Service Medal for her commitment to Pacific children. Starting as a grassroots initiative, A'oga Fa'a Samoa has grown into a nationally-recognised centre of Pacific excellence. Its continued success, more than 40 years later, is a testament to Taouma's enduring vision. Despite ongoing challenges in the sector, including persistent funding gaps for culturally-grounded services, Winter says Taouma's unwavering commitment remains a beacon for other bilingual programmes. "She showed us what's possible. Jan never gave up. That's a true lesson for all of us. "We've now got a Tongan kindergarten, and we work with other Pacific ECEs when they ask us to. It's about generosity from providers, working productively together to bridge resource gaps across different areas," she says. "The dream was to have children and their whānau taught in a different way, a way where they could achieve, feel comfortable, and feel supported. I think that's part of Jan's legacy too, people who were passionate about education put in blood, sweat and tears to establish these centres." As tributes flow from across Aotearoa, Taouma's influence resonates not only in educational circles but in every Pacific home touched by her legacy. "Manuia lau malaga, Jan," Fa'alogo says. "You will be deeply missed and forever remembered." Taouma's life will be celebrated on Friday, 1 August at PIPC Newton Church, 2 Edinburgh St, Newton, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, with a burial to follow at Waikumete Cemetery, Plot 21, Chapel View area at 2pm. The family invites everyone to wear bright colours and flowers in their hair, and to come "in the spirit of Taouma's last fiafia ." -This article was first published by PMN .
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- The Guardian
As a male kinder teacher I agree more needs to be done to protect children. But the solution is not to vilify people like me
My name is David, and I am a kindergarten teacher. Every time I read another headline about Joshua Dale Brown, my stomach drops. It's not just the horror of the allegations themselves – though that's devastating enough. It's knowing that the parents of the children I teach are reading these same articles. It's imagining the quiet alarm they must feel, the questions they might not voice, the shadows of doubt that may now creep into what used to be trust. It's deeply personal. I know that as a man working in early childhood education, I already carry a weight of suspicion that my female colleagues never have to shoulder. I see the difference when I'm introduced at enrolment interviews. I am acutely aware of it when I approach a child crying in the yard. I feel the hesitation, however slight, before a parent leaves their child with me for the first time – not always, but often enough. And I get it – I do. We live in a world that has given them reason to be cautious. But it doesn't make it any less painful to live beneath that constant cloud of implication. What's unbearable is watching that cloud darken when allegations like those Brown is accused of surface. Suddenly, my choice to devote my professional life to the education and wellbeing of young children is subject to renewed scrutiny. Not for the quality of my care, my experience, or my qualifications – but because of my gender. Then along comes commentary suggesting my mere presence in this field is 'an uncomfortable truth'. That somehow, simply by being male, my motivations must be questioned, that perhaps there is something unnatural or dangerous in my desire to work with children. But it is worth considering the human impact of such claims. There are thousands of male educators like me, already battling systemic underrepresentation, isolation and the persistent pressure to prove we are safe, kind and worthy of trust. I have a seven-year-old son. He still believes the world is mostly good. Thankfully, he's not reading the news or some of the commentary around this case yet. But if he did – if he saw articles implying that men like his dad might only work with children because of deviant desires, what would that teach him about masculinity, about care, about empathy? And what are we teaching society when we double down on suspicion rather than taking a wider, structural view? The issue is not that men work in early childhood education. The issue is that predators can exist in every profession and our systems of oversight, training and reporting need to be stronger – not more discriminatory. I agree much more needs to be done to protect children. That's the very reason I do this work. But the solution is not to vilify or pathologise men who choose to care for and educate young children. The solution is to overhaul a fractured system – starting with the ridiculous patchwork of state-based regulations governing early childhood education and care in Australia. We need a unified, national approach that ensures consistency, accountability and support – for children and educators alike. We need robust, mandatory training in child protection for all educators, regardless of gender. We need professional standards that uphold child safety and the dignity of workers. We need appropriate reward and remuneration to encourage the very best to answer the call of early childhood education. And we need to acknowledge that good men in this field are not the problem – they are part of the solution. The toll of being a male early childhood educator is growing heavier. Not because I'm not proud of what I do – I am. Every day I see the positive impact I have in the lives of the children I teach. I see the bonds we build, the confidence they gain, the joy we share. But I'm tired of having to explain myself. I'm tired of the quiet stigma. And I'm angry that sensational headlines and speculative think-pieces chip away at the fragile progress we've made. Children deserve the best educators – regardless of gender. And the men who choose to work in this field deserve to do so without being seen as threats. Until we address this cultural bias and build a system that truly values care and education, we will keep failing both the children and the educators who care for them. David Kelly is a kindergarten teacher in Victoria
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ireland needs publicly funded and delivered childcare to tackle high costs, says National Women's Council
A publicly funded and delivered childcare system should be introduced in Ireland to help tackle the significant costs of childcare and the disproportionate care responsibilities on women, the National Women's Council of Ireland has said. At the launch of its pre-budget submission for 2026, the council petitioned for an additional €300 million to be allocated to the sector next year, including a pilot programme for publicly delivered services at a cost of €30 million, prioritising under-serviced communities. Ireland ranks among the top three European countries for the cost of early childhood education and care. The organisation asked the Government to deliver on its commitments to significantly expand family leave provisions and to remove the means test for the carer's allowance. READ MORE To achieve this, Donal Swan, the council's economic equality co-ordinator, said the Government needs to adopt a social protection model 'which is focused on delivering public services where and to whom they are needed'. [ Childcare in Ireland: 'Even as well-paid professionals, it was an exhausting struggle. The numbers never added up' Opens in new window ] Continued investment in services targeting domestic and gender-based violence, a mother-and-baby unit for postnatal mental healthcare, and an extension of the fuel allowance to those who receive the working family payment – the vast majority of whom are women – were the council's other key asks. 'We want to see the first budget of this new Government as a real marker for women's rights and equality,' said Orla O'Connor, director of the council. The launch featured a contribution from Anne Waithira Burke, project manager at AkiDwA, a national network of migrant women, who spoke about the multiple barriers faced by marginalised and migrant families in accessing childcare. Other panellists including Chloe Ní Mháille, the national development co-ordinator at Community Work Ireland, Emilia Marchelewska, of Cairde's migrant mental health initiative, and Paula Soraghan, community development worker with Independent Living Movement Ireland, spoke about how increased investment in these areas would improve the lives of minority groups and communities.
