OK. I concocted that brief monologue but having worked with a number of young mothers (or in one instance, a young father left with full care of his and another man's child) I can assure you it isn't a figment of my imagination.
Condoning a system that encourages this exact thought pattern and behaviour, five years later, society suddenly expects this child to turn up to school able to write their own name, showing empathy, self-control and not wearing pull-ups.
A report on NewstalkZB about the increasing deficit in school readiness appears to lay blame on a lack of early childhood education. Advocates for more ECE funding are given the sole voice.
But blaming a lack of ECE is putting the cart before the horse.
Surely, engaged parenting is crucial even if it is rarely mentioned by the 'experts'.
As usual, it is difficult to find objective, unbiased and comprehensible NZ research that supports a more conservative view. So I have excerpted a large scale study into school readiness and financial disadvantage published by the Australian government in October 2009:
Yes, ECE can mitigate the deficits but that's after the fact. More ECE also requires the government (or you) to fund a possible solution having first funded the development of the problem.
Whether its National or Labour, the government is endlessly chasing its tail.
I repeat the following fact ad nauseam: each and every year, one in five NZ children is born onto a benefit and will stay there for most of its formative young life.
No, the benefit itself isn't causal. It's the lifestyle the benefit enables that does the damage.
When will a future government recognise and act on this reality?
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced
A report on NewstalkZB about the increasing deficit in school readiness appears to lay blame on a lack of early childhood education. Advocates for more ECE funding are given the sole voice.
But blaming a lack of ECE is putting the cart before the horse.
Surely, engaged parenting is crucial even if it is rarely mentioned by the 'experts'.
As usual, it is difficult to find objective, unbiased and comprehensible NZ research that supports a more conservative view. So I have excerpted a large scale study into school readiness and financial disadvantage published by the Australian government in October 2009:
"... it is important to recognise that many of the risk factors for low school readiness are more common in financially disadvantaged families than they are in other families (see Appendix Table A1). In particular, compared to non-financially disadvantaged families, within financially disadvantaged families the father was more often absent or not employed; mothers were more often not employed, more likely to have incomplete secondary education and more likely to be relatively young; parents were more likely to exhibit low levels of parental warmth and consistency, and to read to their child less often; and children had fewer books and watched more television. Further, 41% of children in financially disadvantaged families lived in the lowest neighbourhood SES quintile."
Yes, ECE can mitigate the deficits but that's after the fact. More ECE also requires the government (or you) to fund a possible solution having first funded the development of the problem.
Whether its National or Labour, the government is endlessly chasing its tail.
I repeat the following fact ad nauseam: each and every year, one in five NZ children is born onto a benefit and will stay there for most of its formative young life.
No, the benefit itself isn't causal. It's the lifestyle the benefit enables that does the damage.
When will a future government recognise and act on this reality?
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced
8 comments:
For a little educated low skilled young woman the lifestyle described is a very attractive alternaive to some tedious job or repeat manoeuvering for the dole. And if a bloke ditto can attach his housing needs solved also. Decades ago no DPB and factory jobs were available but these now all in Asia.
In answer to the question - the parent(s), and then the Govt for incentivising them. The likes of, Carmel Sepuloni, should take a good share of the blame for allowing father's not to be named, but also the welfare system in general that our gutless politicians won't address. Until it is, or country will continue its decline into the abyss.
I agree with everything you say Lyndsay except that I believe even totally responsible , caring parents are not well served by pre-schools. They are seeped in progressive nonsense and consequently a whole raft of destructive ideas that are not helpful to a child's future academic learning.
It is all about play, permissive discipline and the romantic notion a child knows best what to do ,eat , wear and learn when and where ever they please. There is very little structure, or learning to be compliant to adults, learning to concentrate, or have self -control, let alone actually learning the letters and sounds of the alphabet , numbers and counting or writing letters and numbers. Almost all four year olds are capable of this but few are given this instruction at our usual playschools.
It was exactly the same in our progressive primary schools where the most vulnerable are damaged the most by progressve ideas. Structured literacy and more structured arithmetic introduced this year has tackled this but NZ preschools need this reform as well .
So much of our welfare system as you have rightly stated Lyndsay is very wrong and desperately needs changing but we should also be considering remediating the unfortunate children already born into these dysfunctional homes. Gaynor
into these
Successive governments have repeatedly kicked the can down the road because the woke left shrieks loudest. It takes a particular mindset to consciously want to stay on the benefit, even when there are alternatives all around. Nobody in their right mind enjoys being a "State employee", but one can tolerate anything you're not prepared to change...
When you are born to morons you become one. Also, I am sick and tired of paying for other people who have sex and produce an illegitmate 9 months later multiple times. Im over paying for their children and them while Im barely able to pay for my own retirement.
Parents to blame. Parents read and get off cell phones, children follow.
I agree totally that cell phones are a terrible evil . They are unfortunately very addictive for both parents and children. They should be seen as bad as smoking near children .
Actually all digital devices are damaging. They destroy concentration and discourage deeper thinking . Our schools are overloaded with them. Scandinavian countries have banned them from primary schools and returned to text and exercise books, pens and pencils.
Our ministry needs to do the same . Gaynor
Just another example of our modern society going down the tubes, and it is always somebody elses fault, and somebody elses problem to fix
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