EARLY CHILDHOOD MEN OF NEW ZEALAND
STRATEGIC PLAN
Vision
Men fully participating at all levels of Early Childhood Education to represent the diversity of our society in Aotearoa.
Mission Statement
Supporting men to participate in Early Childhood Education.
Goals
- To promote Early Childhood Education as a career for men
- To network with other men involved in Early Childhood Education
- To support men in the Early Childhood Education sector and those in training.
- To lobby the government
To promote Early Childhood Education as a career for men
Objectives
- Current male educators speaking to male high school students about entering the field.
- Promotional material developed to highlight male role models to other men in the field or others thinking of entering
- For ECMENZ to provide scholarships to encourage men to enter the field.
- Workshops presented at Early Childhood conferences around increasing men’s involvement in ECE.
- Male staff members facilitating groups with fathers and other men to encourage male identity early childhood services
- To collect and promote research in relation to men in Early Childhood Care and Education
- To research and disseminate the benefits to children having males as educators and care givers
- Training institutions encouraged to employ male teachers in early childhood courses
- Develop training materials for early childhood staff for the creation of policies around the involvement of males in ECE.
- Invite secondary schools with males to ECE centres as well as male teachers visiting secondary schools to talk to young men about early childhood education as a career path
- School career road shows having an EC-MENz presence
- Contact NZEI to gain support for EC men to attend conferences
- Promote and initiate positive local and national media stories of men in ECE.
To network with other men involved in Early Childhood Education
Objectives
- A regular newsletter disseminated to all men working or studying in the early childhood field
- Central web site developed specifically for men in early childhood, including a discussion forum.
- Annual ECMENZ summit meetings for men and women working in ECE
- Regional networking groups meeting regularly
To support men in the early childhood education sector and those in training
Objectives
- To advocate on behalf of men involved within the Early Childhood sector within New Zealand/Aotearoa
- Male mentoring support established for all male students within their first year of study.
- Database developed to identify numbers of men, where men are working or studying, level of qualifications and service types working in ECE
To lobby the government
Objectives
- To lobby for the development of materials assisting training institutions to target males this includes the training of female teachers / lecturers on the inclusion of male students.
- To lobby Regional and National Government for initiatives to increase numbers of men teaching in Early Childhood Education
- To lobby the government for a funded position to promote ECE as a career for men
- Financial incentives from MOE for men as child care trainees
- Financial incentives for both employers and training providers to include men.
- Lobby government for funding for research on men in early childhood
- Create our own promotional material to lobby political parties.
- Lobby the government to reach a target of 10%.
