Wednesday, February 17, 2010

More about daycare

When I picked Amiri up this afternoon, he was sitting up on a tower outside, looking over the little fence and watching the babies play.  He ran to me with a big shriek and smiles.  Arram was sleeping when I arrived, and accepted some cuddles and then serenely drank his bottle on the walk home.

And you know how they say that going preschool is good for kids?  Well, here's another example of how NZ is awesome.  The govt supports early childhood education (ECE) by ensuring that all daycares above a certain size have qualified teachers and a real curriculum for children aged 3 and up.  And then, they also encourage parents to enroll their children in these programs by providing a financial incentive:  20 hours per week of ECE, free.  So, as soon as Amiri turns three (in six days!!!), his daycare bill goes down by half!

1 comment:

Mom said...

The school I work for (CNPS) has a Young 4's program. It provides 12 hours a week of curriculum by a licensed teacher for children who are at least 4 by Dec 1st. Not anywhere near what NZ does, but even this gives the little ones a significant boost in their education. The Kindergarten teacher really appreciates this!