1
Early Childhood Education and
Disability
Survey
Lisa Martin
Parent & Family Resource Centre Inc.
Rod Wills
School of Critical Studies in Education
Faculty of Education
The University of Auckland
2
Contents:
Executive Summary ...3
Introduction and Background ...4
Methodology and Approach ...5
Detailed Findings ...7
3
Executive Summary
The Early Childhood Education and Disability survey was commenced during July 2012. The survey was led by the Parent & Family Resource Centre, City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) and the ECE Implementation Group. Auckland Council Advisors Rachael Trotman, Community Development, Arts and Culture; and Kate Brough, Research, Consultation and Engagement assisted PFRC. Survey data was incorporated into the Auckland Council Ubiquity Engage tool, analysis and preparation of this report was undertaken by PFRC.
The survey was designed to provide information for discussion with different organisations: Ministry of Education Early Intervention on the quality/duration of ECE transition support, Auckland Council regarding access to ECE,
ECE Implementation group and the Southern Initiative - to update them, Early Childhood Council to inform them,
Other disability sector NGO groups for their provision of information to families. This survey offered a snapshot of families’ experiences and concerns arising from engagement with ECE in Auckland for their children with disabilities.
The Parent & Family Resource Centre (PFRC) has long recognised the difficulties families
experience in the ECE sector. Difficulty of access to quality ECE for young children with a disability compounds and results in diminished quality of education in the compulsory sector.
Subsequently, the learning potential of disabled students is reduced, and societal attitudes and stigmatisation of disabled people is reinforced.
The ECE Implementation and the Southern Initiative sought information about the socio-economic factors and cultural issues which impacted upon families accessing ECE.
Parents told us that the current arrangements and support for transition into appropriate ECE for children with disabilities in Auckland are inadequate.
Three main concerns were evident:
Inadequate staff training and knowledge of disability
Lack of access and/or provision of Early Intervention Service
4
Introduction and Background
In May 2012 the PFRC Centre Manager and Board Chair met with Susan Warren from COMET to discuss the development of an ECE survey to investigate the outcomes of families raising a child with a disability and their experiences of ECE in Auckland.
Our previous discussions and involvement with families over the last decade indicated two common experiences:
Difficulty finding a suitable ECE centre prepared to enrol and welcome their child with a disability
Teaching staff and centre management who were inexperienced in the field of disability Discussions with primary school teachers, principals, Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLBs) in the Auckland region indicated that many students with disabilities were starting school aged 5-6yrs with little or no experience of ECE. A lack of data about these students as a group makes planning and inclusive education difficult for primary schools and further hampers individual students’ progress. In this report all identifiers have been removed. Survey participants replied in a more detailed manner when assured of anonymity. Some families did provide identifying information (such as child’s name, ECE centre names, location, etc) in their responses. Those families wishing to be contacted regarding the survey or the Child Disability Allowance provided their email address. The findings of the survey, presented in this report indicate a deeper layer of inadequacies within the current provision of Early Childhood Education in Auckland. This is evident in issues of entry into service provision as well as progress through ECE and transition into primary school. This report identifies these shortfalls, however more research combined with analysis of other data is needed to pinpoint barriers to sustainable inclusive practices for young children with special educational needs.
5
Methodology and Approach
The Survey
A 30 question survey instrument was developed. Half of the questions sought information about the respondents’, their children’s needs, the household composition, location and other
demographic data to align the survey with Ubiquity Engage, the Auckland Council survey database which utilises Census boundaries for its data comparison and reporting.
The experiences and outcomes of ECE provision for families and their children were explored in the remaining 16 questions.
The questions were presented most often as list of options, or categories to select from. There were six open-ended questions presented for response and two questions used
five-point Lkert scales. Questions 1-4 gathered quantitative data from families regarding number of children with a disability, ethnic background, gender of child, etc. Questions 5-9 gathered information regarding whether or not their disabled child attends (or previously attended) ECE and if so, the type of ECE centre, and historic experience of ECE.
Question 10 onwards gathers qualitative information from families about their personal
experience of ECE centres, how welcomed they felt, perceived barriers to ECE, overt requests for assistance or conditional acceptance at ECE. Survey questions were aligned with Census
information categories. For example, question 32A requesting information about a child’s ethnicity used census categories.
Administration
The survey was presented as an on-line document, hard copies were made available through a range of community locations, ECE centres and special schools.
The survey was sent as link embedded within a PFRC email to the membership database of 1,200. Those who received email versions of the survey included families and individuals with a disability, disability organisations, government departments (including contacts at Ministries of Health, Education and Social Development), medical/educational professionals and NGO groups. Many parent groups and NGO disability organisations forwarded the email survey invitation to their own membership.
A press release was distributed to Auckland media contacts detailing the survey.
The remaining membership of 700 contacts for whom PFRC did not have email addresses were sent the print version of the survey. Self-addressed post-paid envelopes were included with the survey. Multiple copies of the print version of the survey were also delivered to all special schools in Auckland and to ECE centres, SENCOs, RTLBs, Citizen Advice Bureaus and libraries.
Survey Timeline
The survey was first made available for on-line completion on July 12th 2012. Subsequent reminders to those on the PFRC email database were sent on a further four occasions, the final prompt being made on Sept 5th. In addition to the PFRC email database an E Bulletin is posted monthly. The subscribers to this service were notified of the survey and the link to it on July 26th.
6 The E Bulletin provided three subsequent reminders of the survey, the final prompt being made on Sept 6th.
The survey was also distributed to special schools in Auckland on July 26th, 27th.
Additionally it was posted to libraries, over 200 ECE centres, Citizen Advice Bureaus and all organisations and families who receive communication from PFRC by post, this was completed in late July 2012.
In addition, a special letter of invitation was posted and emailed to SENCO Cluster Leaders of Auckland Schools, with request to distribute to all SENCO’s and any RTLB’s under their jurisdiction was posted September 3rd, 2012.
Appendicies
A copy of the print version of the survey is presented at Appendix 1. A copy of the media release for the survey is presented at Appendix 2. Appendix 3 presents the survey responses sorted by Local Board area. Appendix 4 presents graphics mapping Auckland Council Local Boards.
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Detailed Findings
129 respondents completed the survey between 12 July and 19 September. Average time to complete the survey was 12 minutes. 95% were received electronically, the remainder were completed in hard copy form and the data entered by PFRC staff.
Not all questions were compulsory, accordingly some questions had a lower response rate. Five respondents to this survey identified a second child with a disability aged 7yrs or under. All data in this survey report includes both children.
Responses by Area
Appendix 3 shows the survey responses sorted by Local Board area. Appendix 4 presents graphics mapping their boundaries. Participants were relatively evenly spread across the Auckland region although some participants did not provide this information.
Profile of Children with Disabilities
Number of families with children with disability in the household responding to this survey – N = 129.
70% respondents had 1 child with a disability (90)
26% had no children with a disability under 7yrs (and were either professionals, grandparents or had a child over 8yrs with a disability, (34)
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Type of Disability – N = 100, response rate 78%
Question 3B asked What type of disability the child had – these categories align with the New Zealand Disability Survey published by Statistics New Zealand. Multiple answers could be selected, therefore the percentages below do not add to 100. For example, as a relatively common
disability Autism could register up to four categories on the list. The largest categories of disability reported on are Speaking, Learning or Developmental difficulties and Intellectual.
Ethnicity – N = 92, response rate 71%
78% respondents specified their child’s ethnicity as NZ European/Pakeha 17% identify as Maori
Ethnic categories will not add to 100% as children could be identified with more than one ethnic group.
9 This ethnicity data introduces several possibilities:
Middle class Pakeha families may be more comfortable completing such questionnaires and may be better connected to disability organisations, schools, ECE’s, other professionals and social networks who had promoted the survey
The issues of “reach-ability” of this survey
NZ population melding means respondents to this question could identify as (for example) both Tongan and Pakeha
Language/interpretation barriers may have prevented some families from participating; understanding disability terminology and using survey tools need to be considered – some families would have completed the survey with assistance and support.
Ethnic communities could have been targeted to ensure representative rates of participation within this survey, by approach to Pasifika churches. It is our conclusion that the higher
proportion of NZ European/Pakeha participants reflects their comparative ease in accessing the survey and completing it electronically. Accordingly the survey presented an over-representation of the Pakeha voice. Further research is required, using a various methodologies to reach these other groups.
Gender of the child – N = 92, response rate 71%
70% children cited in the survey were male, compared to 28% female which is unsurprising given general increased susceptibility of male children to disability
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ECE Attendance
Current/previous attendance, whether ever tried to enrol, where the facilities are based. Question 5A - Is your child currently attending any form of Early Childhood Education? (N = 92 - 71% response rate) - 60% children were currently in ECE.
Question 6A requests what type of ECE they are attending – N = 55, response rate 43%. Several respondents specified more than one option of ECE.
Question 7A - Has your child previously attended any form of Early Childhood Education? N = 37, response rate29%. 86% of respondents to this question answered yes, most specifying either Private ECE or Kindergarten. The comparison between current and previous ECE providers indicates previously attended ECE centres (largely Private ECE or Kindergarten) are not necessarily where the disabled child currently attends ECE.
This may indicate dissatisfaction with the initial ECE provider and a shift to a more suitable centre. However, the introduction of 20 free hours ECE support has also resulted in families switching to such a provider. The current ECE provider for these children is more evenly spread across
categories than the previous ECE provider. Fewer surveys showed data about the previous provider. Current providers include a significant proportion of Disability Specialist centres and Playcentre. This may indicate that families exercised their ability to move their child from a provider they felt was unsatisfactory. It is evident in the data that more families chose to utilise specialist centres and Playcentre.
No respondents indicated Kohanga Reo or a Pasifika provider as their ECE service, reflecting the predominantly NZ European/Pakeha demographic of the respondents.
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The Enrolment Experience: Why people haven’t enrolled, satisfaction, likes and dislikes
Referring to the enrolment process for the ECE centre currently/most recently attended Question 11B, (N = 89, response rate 69%) 49% respondents stated they were Very Satisfied. When asked to specify what they liked about the enrolment experience, Question 12A
(N = 89, response rate 69%) the top three categories were: Welcoming and accommodating staff = 69%
Enrolment process was easy = 61%
The service was easy to access for inspection = 52%
Each of these categories relates to parental experience. Often when approaching service providers and professionals parents of children with special needs feel trepidation, anxiety and fearfulness. The nature of the initial contact and communication is important in creating a sense of welcome and ease, which in turn will be interpreted as positive.
Possible multiple answers to this question means the percentages do not add to 100.
When asked at Question 12B What didn’t you like about your enrolment experience? (N = 89, response rate 69%):
No Issues (51% – 89) were indicated
30% indicated “Staff lacked knowledge about my child’s condition” as the main reason for dissatisfaction
At the enrolment process while it may be unreasonable to expect staff/management to have knowledge about all possible childhood disabilities parents nonetheless found this expressed lack of knowledge unsettling.
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Participation in ECE: Hours attended and whether the parent/caregiver stayed
Question 13A Do you typically leave or stay with your child at the early childhood education service that you currently use? (N = 55, response rate 43%)
56% stated “I never stay”
44% respondents “Always Stay” or “Sometimes Stay” When asked why they stayed:
(N = 23, response rate 39%) indicated that they are “Required to by the ECE service” (N = 23, response rate 43%) indicated that they “Wish to see what their child does at the centre” or “Oversee their ECE programme”
30% respondents stated “For my peace of mind”
22% respondents indicated “The ECE service cannot adequately meet my child’s needs” Most respondents to this question demonstrate a lack of confidence in the ability of the ECE centre to adequately meet the needs of their child.
Some centres openly indicated a lack of ability to provide support and requested the parent stayed during the session.
Not all sessions in ECE are teacher led. Those that are provided under 20hrs free must be. Support staff working alongside individual children with special needs may have experienced a variety of training and hold varying levels qualification. The standards for registration do not prescribe in particular detail course curriculum or training content offered by providers, however these organisations are required to attest to the ability of registered teachers to work with children with special education needs. The respondents replies indicate a lack of training in inclusive practice for young children with special education needs. Some providers may have accessed support from Early Intervention Teachers and some children may be aided by the provision of an Education Support Worker. However, there is no consistent requirement for training of staff to a high level or the provision of specialist support.
Responses to the question identifying the hours per week attended were spread relatively evenly between 6-10hrs per week, 11-15hrs per week, 16-20hrs per week and more the 20hrs per week.
13 The slightly larger group (29%) responded that their child attends ECE for 16-20hrs per week. When asked why they attended this long the largest group (51%) stated this “Suits the needs of my child”. It is possible that in choosing this rate of attendance parents seek continuity and momentum of an Individual Development Plan which may be in place at the ECE centre, although a question regarding the existence of an IDP wasn’t specifically asked.
Finding out about ECE
Most respondents stated they found out about the current ECE either as the “Service was recommended by early intervention specialist” (33%) or “From a friend/family
member/acquaintance” (35%). Fewer respondents (18%) indicated “Older sibling attended this service”. Catering to the needs of the child’s disability is a prominent factor in deciding on which ECE centre to attend. Recommendation by a family friend or early intervention specialist could indicate staff experience and knowledge that drew a disproportionate number of families to a particular centre because of the reputation it had gained, often referred to as a ‘magnet’ centre.
Satisfaction with ECE provider: Why they choose that one, overall satisfaction, likes, improvements need
Question 15B - What attracted you to this early childhood education service? This question allowed for multiple responses. The largest group (67%) stated that location was the attraction, the next group (second equal to “other”) reported that the ECE centre was “recommended as a service that welcomes disability”. However, again the parents’ experience of staff expertise, inclusivity and a welcoming attitude - emerged as prominent in parents’ feedback.
14 This concept is borne out in the open ended (Question 16B) What do you most like about the early childhood education your child current attends, or most recently attended? Responses to this question were detailed. Of the 72 respondents to this question 52 specifically mentioned the staff as a factor. These 52 answers reflected that a welcoming, inclusive response is important and that parents appreciate a ‘nothing is too difficult’ approach. Below are some responses to this question:
“Amazing teacher aide provided by Group Special Ed”
“I got to know the management well and could go to them with any problems/concerns” “Caring, consistent and firm...”
“Supportive and accepting...”
“Has the most amazing teachers that know my child inside and out” “Staff are amazing”
“The centre supports parents...”
“They take the time to openly discuss....” “My son was fully included...”
These responses clearly indicated that parents most liked a welcoming supportive attitude, empathy and inclusiveness. These were key factors in parental engagement in ECE for their child with special education needs.
Similarly, most of the responses to (Question 16C) “What improvements would you like to see at the ECE your child currently attends, or most recently attended?” elicited responses pointing towards improvements in the knowledge/experience of staff:
“More understanding and tolerance of special needs kids” “Staff turnover rates...”
“More MOE support staff availability”
“Staff need knowledge, especially junior staff” “The staff needs to up-skill”
“Better knowledge on how to teach children with disabilities”
Whilst training programmes and professional qualifications have been geared towards the participation of disabled children in ECE since the mid-1990s the overall professional regard toward the education of disabled children in Aotearoa New Zealand is still strongly influenced by the sentiments and practices of well over a century of segregation arising from childhood
difference and the provision of separated education.
Where some of the responses to this question have indicated the need for particular techniques and approaches or resources arising from impairment and disability, the provision of such support is usually contingent upon a complex sequence of assessment, planning and resourcing, not under the immediate control of the ECE centre.
“More funding from the MOH and MOE so that we get a service that is uncompromised and fully supported.”
“Sign language to be undertaken by teachers to help communicate with the child” “Teachers receiving more training on recognising children with special needs”
15 Two respondents referred to the need for the centre to be wheelchair accessible. Several
respondents indicated that whilst the ECE centre claimed to be inclusive and accessible, in reality it was not.
Support Received: Receipt of Early Intervention Service and Child Disability Allowance
Question 45A (N = 89, response rate 70%) Is your child currently receiving Early Intervention support from Group Special Education or have they received it previously? The 89 respondents to this question answered yes.
Question 45B (N = 89) Are you receiving the Child Disability Allowance? 83% respondents to this question answered yes.
The overall survey response rate was 129 – this represents 5% of those receiving the Child
Disability Allowance for children aged 3-6yrs. Given the current criteria for CDA, we can conclude this survey has not reached a sufficiently high proportion of the target cohort (parents raising a child with a disability under the age of 7yrs) to indicate accurate levels of CDA uptake.
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Overall Views on ECE Provision: Key concerns, improvements/changes
When asked the open ended Question 46A What are your key concerns about early childhood education provision for children with disabilities? Survey respondents provided a rich array of answers across several key areas:
Funding
Expertise of staff Inclusive practice
Difficulty accessing timely, quality MOE services Some key quotations in response to these concerns were:
“The lack of time allocated to each child and the high case loads of the providers” “Some are accepting and others don’t want to know them”
“There is not enough knowledge about how to teach children with developmental and communications differences”
“Fear amongst staff that a child with disabilities will result in heavy workloads”
“Often feel decisions are made amongst the Early Intervention Team and then as a parent are told about the decision after it has been put in place”
“Teachers need more training into individual learning disabilities and ongoing support” “The restrictions and screening is too harsh”
In response to Question 46B What would you ideally like to see provided for children with disabilities in terms of ECE? Responses were shared across issues related to staffing:
More expertise Training
Welcoming approach Resources/funding
Access to specialist staff, therapists, Waiting lists
Some key quotations include:
“More teachers who have understanding and knowledge about how to work with special/high needs children”
“Access to courses for parents and teachers and ongoing training”
“I would like more teacher training around the child’s rights so that there became a shame associated with discriminating against disabled children. Currently it seems to be the norm.” “A minimum of 3 sessions a week in an ECE with a support worker plus access to therapists” “The help should come EARLY”
“More equipment appropriate to the needs of the children”
Question 45A (N = 89, response rate 70%) Is your child currently receiving Early Intervention support from Group Special Education or have they received it previously? The 89 respondents to this question answered “Yes”.
Question 47B (N = 89, response rate 69%) What is your current household type? 79% answered as a Couple with Children. 87% of the respondents to the survey (Question 47C) were the mother of the child and 8% of the respondents to the survey indicated they had a disability (Question 47D).
17 When asked to make further comments these were some of the statement provided:
“Inclusive education is a noble goal and is what will ultimately help a child with ASD be able to live in “our world” BUT education of the people who work in this area still seems to be sorely lacking in many cases. Knowledge, understanding acceptance and inclusion are the keys to successful inclusive education.”
“We accessed an independent provider that was kaupapa Maori based...for early intervention and they were fantastic.”
“If we have the right supports in place for early childhood learning, outcomes for our children at secondary school and adult life can be much more positive. Invest in our children and they will invest in our communities when they are adults.”
“They need to be included even if the only thing they can do is stare. Be creative, and include these children, they are all someone’s daughter or son, they are precious human beings that need our protection. Let’s pull together and make them feel human! Let’s bring all our resources together and find ways to make things happen for them.”
Conclusion
A minority of families with a child under the age of 7yrs in Auckland elected to access this survey. The respondents to the survey were evenly spread across the Auckland region. However, they did not represent the ethnic distribution of families with young children. A variety of experiences in approaching and participating in ECE have been reported. There is a corresponding match amongst those families using ECE and their uptake of CDA.
Further research and investigation is warranted to pinpoint needs of sections of the Auckland region ie: south Auckland and west Auckland where socio-economic and cultural factors are evident alongside educational difficulties in these communities. It is of concern that this survey does not present a clear picture of the pathways and progress of young Maori and Pasifika children with special education needs as they enter the compulsory education sector.
Nonetheless, it is abundantly clear that for families of children with disabilities there is no escape from the need for a welcoming empathetic and inclusive response to their situation and the needs of their child. Without affirmation and nurturance the goal of Te Whariki (1996, p9) will never be achieved:
to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.
Appendices
1) Print version of the ECE in Disability Survey 2) Media release for the ECE in Disability Survey 3) Responses by Local Board chart
Appendix 1
Print version of the ECE in Disability Survey
Early Childhood Education Survey – July/August/Sept 2012
Introduction
Welcome to the Parent & Family Resource Centre’s Early Childhood Education Survey.
The Parent & Family Resource Centre (PFRC) is seeking the views of families with a child or children with a disability aged 7 years or under, on Early Childhood Education (ECE). We intend to use the information to help us lobby for better Early Childhood Education provision for these children.
The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. The online and print versions of the survey will close on Friday 7th September 2012. Please use the prepaid self-addressed envelope supplied with this survey to post back to Parent & Family Resource Centre, P.O. Box 13385, Onehunga, Auckland 1643 or fax to 09 636-0354.
Please be assured that your responses are completely confidential and you will not be identified in any way during analysis or reporting. Your answers will be grouped with those of others and any comments you make are not linked to your personal information. If you wish to be contacted by PFRC to clarify issues, give more in-depth feedback or request a summary of the survey results, you can provide your contact details at the end of the survey.
A summary of the results will be available on the PFRC website from end of October 2012.
Please contact Lisa Martin at the Parent & Family Resource Centre on 09 636 0351 or lisa@pfrc.org.nz for further information or if you have any feedback or queries.
ABOUT YOUR CHILD OR CHILDREN
Q1. How many children with a disability live in your home and what are their ages? Please select how many children with a disability you have in each age group.
Age group Number of children with a disability
1 2 3 None
Less than 1 year old 1-2 years
3- 5 years 6-7 years 8 years and over
IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 1 CHILD UNDER 7YRS WITH A DISABILITY, ESTABLISH AN INDENTIFIER FOR EACH CHILD (E.G. NAME) AND REPEAT Q2 – Q18 FOR EACH CHILD AGED UP TO 7 YEARS. IF YOU ONLY HAVE CHILDREN 8 YEARS AND OVER SKIP TO Q21
Firstly, we have some questions about (INSERT CHILDS NAME PROVIDED AT Q1)...
Q2. The following list is taken from the New Zealand Disability Survey. Using the list, please identify the type/s of disability your child has. If there is not an appropriate category, please describe at ‘Other’. Please select as many as apply.
Hearing (deaf or has difficulty hearing that is not corrected by hearing aids or grommets)
Seeing (blind or has difficulty with seeing that is not corrected by glasses or contact lenses)
Speaking (has difficulty speaking or being understood because of a long-term condition or health
problem)
Uses technical aids (such as splints or limb supports, wheelchair, special buggy, crutches, walking
sticks/frame or walking aid, standing frame, artificial limb, or any other type of equipment used because of a long-term condition or health problem)
Chronic long-term condition or health problem Intellectual disability
Psychiatric / Psychological (limited in the kind or amount of activity that they can do at home,
school or play because of a long-term emotional, behavioural, psychological, nervous or mental health problem)
Learning or developmental difficulties (such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder or attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder) Other (please specify)
...
Q3a. Please indicate which of the following best describes your child’s ethnicity. Please put a tick next to as many as apply.
NZ European/Pakeha Other European Maori Samoan Cook Islands Tongan Niuean Tokelauan Fijian Chinese Indian Southeast Asian Middle Eastern Latin American African
Other (please specify): I’d prefer not to say
Q3b. Please indicate the gender of your child. Female
Male
I’d prefer not to say
Now some questions about the provision of early childhood education.
Q4a. Is your child currently attending any form of Early Childhood Education? This includes a
kindergarten, playgroup, Kohanga Reo, Language Nest, Disability Specialist Centre or home based early childhood education.
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO Q4b)
Q4ai. What type of Early Childhood Education is your child currently attending? This includes a
kindergarten, playgroup, Kohanga Reo, Language Nest, Disability Specialist Centre or home based early childhood education.
Early Childhood Education service Currently attending
Kindergarten Playgroup
Community ECE centre (e.g. run as a community-based trust)
Private ECE centre (i.e. run as a private business) Kohanga Reo
Pacific provider (e.g. Language Nest) Disability Specialist Centre
Home based (e.g. Barnados) Other (please specify)
Q4b. Has your child previously attended any form of Early Childhood Education? This includes a
kindergarten, playgroup, Kohanga Reo, Language Nest, Disability Specialist Centre or home based early childhood education.
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO Q5)
Don’t know (SKIP TO Q5)
Q4bi. What type of Early Childhood Education has your child previously attended? This includes a
kindergarten, playgroup, Kohanga Reo, Language Nest, Disability Specialist Centre or home based early childhood education.
Early Childhood Education service Previously attended
Kindergarten Playgroup
Community ECE centre (e.g. run as a community-based trust)
Private ECE centre (i.e. run as a private business) Kohanga Reo
Pacific provider (e.g. Language Nest) Disability Specialist Centre
Home based (e.g. Barnados) Other (please specify)
ENROLMENT
Only answer this question if your child has never attended an ECE as indicated at Q4a OR Q4b Q5. Have you tried to enrol your child in early childhood education?
Yes No
Only answer this question if you have not tried to enrol your child in ECE as indicated at Q5
Q6. What are the main reasons you have not tried to enrol your child in early childhood education? ... ... ...
FOR EACH SERVICE THAT CHILD CURRENTLY ATTENDED OR PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED, ANSWER Q7-Q15 Q7. Thinking about the early childhood education services that your child currently attends or most recently attended, in which suburb is it located? (Please indicate suburb and city).
...
Q8. Now thinking about your most recent early childhood enrolment experience, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the enrolment process?
1 – Very dissatisfied 2 3 4 5 – Very satisfied Don’t know
Only answer Q9a and Q9b if your child currently attends or previously attended an ECE or if you have tried to enrol.
Q9a. What did you like about your enrolment experience?
Please select any that apply or list additional factors under ‘Other’
Welcoming and accommodating staff
Staff seemed knowledgeable about my child's condition Enrolment process was easy
The early childhood service met all my requirements The service was easy to access for inspection
Other (please specify)
... Nothing / no positives
Q9b. And, what didn’t you like about your enrolment experience? Please select any that apply or list additional factors under ‘Other’
Negative attitude of staff
Staff lacked knowledge about my child’s condition Enrolment process was complicated
The early childhood service did not meet my requirements I could not access the service for inspection
Other (please specify)
... Nothing / no issues
Answer this question if your child currently attends an ECE:
Q10. Do you typically leave or stay with your child at the early childhood education service that you currently use?
I always stay I sometimes stay I never stay
Q11. What are the main reasons that you stay with your child at the early childhood education service? Please select any that apply or list additional reasons under ‘Other’
I am required to by the ECE service
The ECE service cannot adequately meet my child’s needs For my own peace of mind
I never leave my child in the care of others Other (please specify)
... Don’t know
Q12. On average, how many hours a week does your child attend the early childhood education service? 1 – 5 hours per week
6 – 10 hours per week 11 – 15 hours per week 16 – 20 hours per week More than 20 hours per week
Q13. What are the main reasons your child attends this many hours of early childhood education per week?
Please tick any that apply or list additional reasons under ‘Other’
Current free ECE funding is for 20 hours per week These are my hours of work
Suits the age of my child Suits the needs of my child Service is fully booked Other (please specify)
... Don’t know
Q14. How did you find out about this early childhood education service? Please tick any that apply or list additional ways under ‘Other’
From friend / family member / acquaintance Through a web search
From GP / doctor
From local media (radio, magazine, newspaper) Older sibling attended this service
Service was recommended by early intervention specialist as an appropriate facility Other (please specify)
... Don’t know
Q15. What attracted you to this early childhood education service? Please tick any that apply or list additional factors under ‘Other’
Location
Recommended as a service that welcomes disability Appropriate resourcing and aid support
Range of facilities available Relevant therapists available Teacher aides available
Additional support available at no extra cost to me Affordable attendance fees
Transport provided
Facilities were accessible (e.g. wheelchair ramp, etc.) Other (please specify)
... Don’t know
Q16. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the early childhood education your child currently attends, or most recently attended?
1 - Very dissatisfied 2 3 4 5 - Very satisfied Don’t know
Q17. What do you most like about the early childhood education your child currently attends, or most recently attended?
... ... ...
Q18. What improvements would you like to see at the early childhood education your child currently attends, or most recently attended?
... ... ... Please answer this question whether your child attends ECE or not:
Q19. Are you currently receiving Early Intervention Support from Group Special Education, or have you received it previously?
Yes No
Please answer this question whether your child attends ECE or not: Q20. Are you currently receiving the Child Disability Allowance?
Yes No
Don’t know
Q21. What are your key concerns about early childhood education provision for children with disabilities?
... ... ... Q22. What would you ideally like to see provided for children with disabilities in terms of early
childhood education?
... ... ...
Lastly, we have some questions about you. These will help us understand the mix of people completing this survey.
Q23. In which suburb/community do you live? (please indicate suburb and city)
... Q24. What is your current household type?
One parent with child(ren) Couple with child(ren)
Other multi-person household (living with one or more people who are not partners, parents, or children)
One person household Other (please specify)
Q25. What is your role in relation to your disabled child/ren? Mother
Father Grandparent
Other family member Carer/Guardian Other (please specify)
Q26. Do you consider yourself to have a disability? That is, a long-term health condition/problem which limits your activity.
Yes No
Q27. Would you like to make any further comments?
... ... ...
Q28. Would you like to be contacted by the Parent & Family Resource Centre with information about the Child Disability Allowance?
Yes No
Q29. Would you like to be contacted by the Parent & Family Resource Centre regarding this survey? Yes
No
Q30. A summary of the results will be available on the PFRC website (pfrc.org.nz) from September 2012. Would you like a summary of the results to be posted or emailed directly to you?
Yes No
Q31. Auckland Council has hosted this survey on behalf of Parent and Family Resource Centre. Auckland Council has an online research panel called the People's Panel. This is an opportunity for you to provide local feedback on council activities, policies and plans which may or may not affect you. Residents who are interested will be sent surveys by email approximately once a month. Would you be interested in joining the People's Panel?
Yes No
Answer this question if you answered ‘yes’ to questions 28, 29 or 30: Q31. Please provide your contact details below.
Your personal details will be kept confidential and only used for the purposes you agreed to above. Your personal information will not be linked to your survey answers.
Name:
Contact phone number: Email address:
Postal address (if you would prefer to receive information by post):
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. If you would like further information or if you have any feedback or queries, please contact Lisa Martin at the Parent & Family Resource Centre on 09 636 0351
Appendix 2
Media release for the ECE in Disability Survey
Thursday 12 July 2012
Press Release: Parent & Family Resource Centre Inc. Early Childhood Education in Disability Survey:
The Parent & Family Resource Centre has devised an Early Childhood Education Survey for parents of a child aged 7 years or younger with a disability in Auckland. The survey has been developed collaboratively with assistance from Auckland Council. The survey will provide valuable feedback to PFRC regarding parents’ experience of enrolment and attendance of their child in ECE, enabling PFRC to help lobby for fair and equitable access to ECE in Auckland for all children with a disability.
Lisa Martin, Centre Director of the Parent and Family Resource Centre comments: “Anecdotally we are aware of the difficulties many parents encounter when enrolling their child with a disability in an Early Childhood Education facility. This survey can be completed anonymously and the information collected will be treated confidentially. This survey information will formalise the evidence around ECE attendance and disability. It is our aim that all children with a disability in Auckland will have inclusive access to quality Early Childhood Education.”
The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete and is available on the Parent & Family Resource Centre website at www.pfrc.org.nz/surveys-2/ or print versions are available on request. The survey closes at midday on 31st July 2012. The survey has been sent to all members of PFRC including families and organisations and it is hoped that these members will send the survey on to others in the community. Mayor Len Brown comments: "As Mayor of all of Auckland, I welcome this important piece of work. One of the pillars of my vision of Auckland as the world's most liveable city is the concept of cohesive, connected communities. If we are to be the inclusive Auckland we all know we need to be, then initiatives like this will play an important role in meeting the needs of children with disabilities in early childhood learning and their parents."
Colleen Brown, Chair of the Early Childhood Implementation Team says: “I believe that this is a unique survey. Not only is it a collaborative effort between an NGO and Auckland Council with the support of the Ministry of Education and other associated organizations like COMET and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, it is the first time so many parents of children with disabilities have been surveyed about their early childhood education experiences.”
“The information we will get from this will be crucial in the delivery of early childhood learning for children with disabilities for many years to come. Every aspect of early childhood education will benefit from this survey; from looking at good practice to some of the barriers parents with disabled children face when trying to place their children, to any gaps in the provision of ECE across Auckland.” she said.
“It goes to show how collaboration can work successfully and how a process like this can work for the Southern Initiative.”
Lisa Martin
Centre Director, Parent & Family Resource Centre Inc. ENDS
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
