1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Now, in some alarming news, the Education Review Office has 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: found that some kids are turning up to school unable 3 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: to talk properly. Some five year olds, for example, say 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: me go P instead of I need to go to 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: the toilet. Now, teachers reckon that what's going on here 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: is COVID is to blame because kids got hooked on 7 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,920 Speaker 1: the screens and parents let it happen. Early Childhood Counsel 8 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: CEO Simon Lawber is with me. Now, hey, Simon, Hi, Simon, 9 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: this is a parent problem, not an ECE problem. 10 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 2: Right, Well, it certainly starts with parents, that's for sure. 11 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 2: ECE can really help. 12 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: What about that not all the kids go to ECE. 13 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 2: Well, that's right, I think that is the top issue here. 14 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 2: You know, yes, you could always improve oral literacy for 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: the children in the e C. But there's a growing 16 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: number of children who aren't even getting to go to ECE, 17 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 2: of them in Auckland. So there would be the group 18 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 2: to start with, and the ones in ECE are probably 19 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: starting from quite a low base, but they will be 20 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 2: their literacy will be improved on starting school compared to 21 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 2: if they didn't go to EC. 22 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: So if the kids are turning up, let's say it's 23 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: three years old at ECE whatever age and they're not 24 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: speaking properly for their age. What can an ECE do 25 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: to help here? 26 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 2: Well, it's actually it's quite simple. It's they haven't had 27 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: a lot of adult interaction. They haven't been spoken too much. 28 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 2: That's that's the cause. So, you know, it kind of 29 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 2: goes without saying that in an early childhood the teachers 30 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 2: will be talking to the children that will be interacting. 31 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: Great teachers have lots of quality interactions with children, and 32 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 2: the more teachers you've got there, the better that experience 33 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 2: will be. It really does depend on the child, but 34 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 2: it's not necessarily talking as well, you know, early on 35 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: before you develop that oral literacy, you know, there are 36 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 2: other ways of communicating with you know, eye contact and gestures, 37 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: you know, that's what that's what early childhood is about. 38 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: The EROS also found half of parents aren't getting updates 39 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: on where their kids are at with language development from 40 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: the ECE center. Is that a problem? 41 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 2: Well, that's a bit of a scary one because that 42 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: goes down the track of you know, are we going 43 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 2: to be holding these teachers to more account? You know, 44 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 2: will they be having to document. 45 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: I mean, Simon should it not be obvious to a parent? 46 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:34,119 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know. You know, for most parents, yes, 47 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: I guess it would be obvious, But for some it 48 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 2: won't be, especially if it's your first child and you 49 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 2: haven't been through it before. You know, you don't really 50 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 2: have anything to compare it to. And what what was 51 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 2: your childhood like? You know, so these things do make 52 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 2: a big difference. But you know, putting requirements on teachers 53 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: to measure oral literacy and put it into some tool 54 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 2: or something, you know, I wouldn't want to be asking 55 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 2: he just do that right now. There got enough to deal. 56 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: With quite especially at the time when we were trying 57 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: to cut red tape. Simon, thank you very much. Simon 58 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: Lober Early Childhood Council CEO. By the way, ece e 59 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: A if you want your kids to start because I checked, 60 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: I checked. We made my little my little angel troll 61 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: sometimes love him. I checked him in a little early, 62 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: at two and a half, and they said to me, well, 63 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: actually was a little bit more than that. It was like 64 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: two and two months, but he was ready. A. I 65 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: was like, you are ready, mate, you're getting bored with me. 66 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,839 Speaker 1: Chucked him in and immediately the language just went through 67 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: the roof all of them because just because there's just 68 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: so many kids, talk talking to them like you can 69 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: talk to them heaps, but you're still just one or 70 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: two people. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen 71 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 72 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.