Conclusive Thoughts...

My journey in writing this blog on child poverty has had its impacts. My awareness of the issue has changed in the fact that child poverty is not only occurring overseas. The narrow view I held has broadened and sadly it has occurred to me though my research, the extent of which child poverty is occurring in New Zealand… my city, my community , ‘my own backyard’ !

I found a definition describing poverty as an insufficient means to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, healthcare and housing. I have seen in the articles and information I have researched that poverty is a sad reality for too many families in New Zealand and this is reflected in our appalling world ranking for child poverty.

The New Zealand Government has responded to this issue, and that of vulnerable children through their involvement in producing the Green and White Papers for vulnerable children in New Zealand. The Action Plan produced has initiatives with time lines in place for the commencement of programmes such as a special phone line to report abuse.

It is vital that early childhood teachers are aware of child poverty and the extent to which it occurs in New Zealand. Early childhood education centres and teachers have a responsibility to be to build relationships with attending children and their families, provide the basic need of  nutritious food and have a knowledge of, and information available about supportive agencies for families in need.

The progress to decrease New Zealand’s world ranking for child poverty “will require the will, commitment and courage of many to acknowledge the issue and find a way forward” (D’Souza et al, 2003, p.71).

Please watch this short clip about how we as individuals can make a difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2GunVwl6K4M

 References:

D’Souza, A. J. , Turner, N. , Simmers. D. , Craig. E. , & Dowell. T. , (2012). Every child to thrive, belong and achieve? Time to reflect and act in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 125(1352) pp 71-80. Retrieved from http://library.eit.ac.nz:2095/docview/1034429924/fulltextPDF/13DA46A62DE2AA7906E/31?accountid=39646

Dragoneater. (2007, January 29). Touching story – Starfish [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2GunVwl6K4M

Implications for Early Childhood Teachers

 Evidence shows that the well being of our tamariki is important for their later development. D’Souza, Turner, Simmers, Craig & Dowell, 2012, state that “…ensuring the wellbeing of our youngest citizens during their formative years is an ethical issue for our nation… and the best investment for a highly productive, innovative and resilient nation for the future” (p.71). Early childhood teachers care for children during these ‘formative years’ so a quality early childhood setting is essential for the provision of a positive nurturing environment which fosters a child's well being.

So how can teachers in an early childhood setting make a difference to children's lives that live in poverty? I believe that one answer lies in building relationships with the children in our care, and their whānau. Relationships and respect from those around them is how young children establish trust in others, and a positive sense of self. Smith, 2003 supports this idea when stating that “Young children learn best through engaging in spontaneous and reciprocal interactions, meaningful activities and caring relationships” (p.3).  Having relationships with whānau can mean they may be more receptive to support from the centre or referrals to appropriate agencies for assistance.

 The regular provision of food in an early childhood centre is also an important aspect in supporting the child's health and wellbeing. I have found in my research of child poverty that there are several food programmes in schools, but what about early childhood centres? I know of centres who provide regular food as part of their daily routines, but I’m unaware of any specific food programmes for early childhood centres. Wynd, n.d, discusses the social aspect of providing food programmes for children which has spin offs reaching not just the children receiving the food, but the parents / whānau and the community. “Food is never solely about eating; it is about appropriate behaviour towards others at meal times, cultural expectations, a chance to engage with others over a common activity, and using food as an opportunity to show gratitude and respect to others” (Wynd, n.d, p.35). 

Therefore the implications for early childhood teachers is that they know and build relationships with attending children and their families, there is a provision of nutritious food available and that the centre can provide  information about supportive agencies for families in need.

References

Brownlee, P. (2013). In the beginning there was nurture: Learning the nurture story off by heart. Retrieved from http://penniebrownlee.weebly.com/1/category/sacred%20partership/1.html

D’Souza, A. J. , Turner, N. , Simmers. D. , Craig. E. , & Dowell. T. , (2012). Every child to thrive, belong and achieve? Time to reflect and act in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 125(1352) pp 71-80. Retrieved from http://library.eit.ac.nz:2095/docview/1034429924/fulltextPDF/13DA46A62DE2AA7906E/31?accountid=39646

Smith, A. B. , (2003).School completion/academic achievement-outcomes of early childhood education. Retrieved from http://www.enfant-encyclopedie.com/Pages/PDF/SmithANGxp-pdf-

Wynd, D. , (n.d). Hunger for learning: Nutritional barriers to children’s education. Retrieved from www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Publications/2-0%2025804%20for%20Learning%20Brochure.pdf

Community initiatives to combat child poverty:

Take care of our children

Take care of what they hear

Take care of what they see

Take care of what they feel

For how the children grow

So will be the shape of Aotearoa

-      Dame Whina Cooper –

What initiatives do our communities have to ensure the well-being and care of our children of Aotearoa?

My investigations have uncovered different levels of community involvement in fighting child poverty. New Zealand’s community involvement ranges from individuals doing their part within their own communities, to national efforts when the communities of Aotearoa/ New Zealand come together as one. Examples I will expand on include a national lunch box day, the support of children in schools by KidsCan, and the commendable efforts of two Upper Hutt women warming up Kiwi kids.

TV3’s Campbell Live programme which aired on 24th September 2012, appealed to schools, businesses and the New Zealand public to participate in a national ‘Lunch box day’. The Lunch box day which was held on Friday 28th of September 2012, was in support of KidsCan. KidsCan aimed to raise the funds required to provide school lunches for our tamariki in low decile schools (3 News, 2012).  According to the NZ Herald, the chief executive of KidsCan stated that “Lunch box day’ on TV3’s Campbell Live show raised $319,000” (Simon, 2013).  I see this media support as a positive move in bringing child poverty to the forefront of our minds when the issue is so easily forgotten for the fortunate amongst us, as this Youtube clip by KidsCanNZ illustrates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsSK59THwCc.

KidsCan is a charity which has partnered with a number of businesses,  community groups, the government and local schools to provide resources such as raincoats, shoes, healthcare, and food to children in need (KidsCan, n.d.). The KidsCan web site www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/programmes  quotes research completed by Massey University which shows the positive results for the children receiving support.  Research showed an increased attendance at school, concentration levels and self esteem. The following quotes show the positive impact on the children who received shoes – “For many children it is the first pair they have ever owned and they can’t quite believe they are allowed to keep them” and rain coats – “They guard their coats like gold and some even sleep in them as it is the warmest item of clothing they have” (KidsCan, n.d.).  

Another initiative established by Dr Lance O’Sullivan of Kaitaia, contributes to the well being of disadvantaged children by providing free healthcare in schools. Dr O’Sullivan   partnered with KidsCan to create a “programme named MOKO (Manawa Ora, Korokoro Ora or “Healthy Heart, Health Throat”)” (KidsCan, n.d.).

Initiatives like MOKO which started with Dr O’Sullivan being concerned about the health of the disadvantaged children, shows that individuals in our community can make a difference.

An example can be found in a news article http://www.newswire.co.nz/2012/08/hutt-locals-knit-work-to-warm-up-kiwi-kids/ where two ladies are fighting poverty by knitting warm clothing for children.  Freda Lobb and Sharlene Whitaker started a Facebook page to gather support for knitting garments for underprivileged children.  It was great to read that the women received international support from Facebook users and were in turn able to support 60 children at a school in their local community.

Apart from the unsettling statistics of my previous blog, it is truly heartening to see that whether it is on a national, community or individual level, there are small differences being achieved throughout New Zealand in the fight to beat child poverty.

With Dame Whina Cooper’s quote in mind… I would like next to look at the differences early childhood teachers can make to the lives of children living in poverty.

Reference List:

3 News, (2012). Experts lament state of NZ child poverty. Retrieved from www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=270416

Kavanagh-Hall, E. (2012). Hutt locals knit-work to warm up Kiwi kids and fight poverty. Retrieved from http://www.newswire.co.nz/2012/08/hutt-locals-knit-work-to-warm-up-kiwi-kids/

KidsCan, (n.d.). Food for kids. Retrieved from www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/programmes

KidsCan, (n.d.). Health for kids. Retrieved from www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/programmes

KidsCan, (n.d.). Raincoats for kids. Retrieved from www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/programmes

KidsCan, (n.d.). Shoes for kids. Retrieved from www.kidscan.org.nz/our-work/programmes

KidsCanNZ, (2012). Must watch video: New Zealand’s chilling poverty story. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsSK59THwCc

Simon, C. (2012). Govt signals it will feed hungry kids. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10838730

Government Initiatives

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little”

- Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Recent newspaper articles and interviews on television news such as on 3 News www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=270416 , have made me feel sad and confused about the appalling statistics effecting children living in New Zealand. Statistics regarding the prevalence of child poverty this country. This has me wondering… Is New Zealand meeting article 24 of the United Nations convention on the rights of children, when we are ranked twenty first out of thirty five countries for child poverty? Article 24, http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf  is about meeting basic needs of children such as access to health care, food, clean water and a safe environment in which to grow. Child poverty is not an issue which our Government or the community can ignore.

O’Callaghan & Easton (2013) wrote about the appalling statistics that New Zealand currently holds for rates of child poverty. “A Unicef report …criticises New Zealand’s record in child wellbeing across a variety of measures, including ranking it 21st out of 35 developed countries for levels of child poverty” (O’Callaghan & Easton, 2013).

So what steps are the current government of New Zealand taking to meet the needs of our tamariki who are currently living in poverty? The New Zealand Government issued a press release in December 2012 acknowledging the problem of child poverty and stated that they were “spending billions of dollars to support those in most need” (English, Bennett, 2012). The press release discusses programmes which the government has put in place to help vulnerable children. Programmes such as the White Paper which was recently released, a scheme which aims to have all state housing insulated by the end of 2013, and a programme targeting 44,000 effected children for Rheumatic Fever (English, Bennett, 2012).

The White Paper has new measures for the government and community, which aim to protect the most vulnerable amongst us… the children. The White Paper tackles issues which unfortunately affect families in our communities such as, child poverty, child abuse and neglect, access to agencies including health and education, and improving family incomes. Although the paper does not solely focus on poverty, other issues discussed in the paper all contribute in their own way to the concern of child poverty. It is encouraging to see that the government has realistic goals for the wellbeing of children. Goals such as a special phone line to report child abuse, and the development of a “Vulnerable Kids Information System …” which will “draw together information on the most vulnerable children from government agencies and frontline professionals” (Ministry of Social Development, 2013). I feel this is a good start to assist the community, agencies and other professionals to report, assess and assist our vulnerable children and their families.

So now we can see some of the interventions the government has put forward to assist our vulnerable children and families, I would like next to explore what initiatives the community have in place.

Reference List:

Children’s Action Plan: Identifying, Supporting and Protecting Vulnerable Children, (2012), Retrieved from http://

English, B. , & Bennett, P. (2012). Government receives child poverty report. Retrieved from http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-receives-child-poverty-report

 Experts lament state of NZ child poverty. (2012). Retrieved from www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=270416

Mandela, N. (n.d). Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/poverty

 Ministry of Social Development. (2012) The white paper for vulnerable children: Children’s action plan Retrieved from http://www.childrensactionplan.govt.nz/children-s-action-plan

Ministry of Social Development. (2012) The white paper for vulnerable children: Volume one Retrieved from http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/policy-development/white-paper-vulnerable-children/white-paper-for-vulnerable-children-volume-1.pdf

O’Callaghan, J. , & Easton, P. (2013, April 11). ‘Hold ministers to account’ on child poverty. The Dominion Post, p.

Unicef.  (n.d). Conventions of the right of the child: Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Defining Poverty

Nau te rourou, Naku te rourou, ka ora te iwi.

With your food basket, with my food basket, we will have enough to sustain us all.

- Māori Proverb -

When I think about poverty, my mind wanders to what I see on television, of small malnourished children with swollen bellies and fights breaking out when aid agencies are giving out measured amounts of dried food. This is a somewhat narrow view and already my investigations are proving that there are varying degrees of poverty and that it is a lot closer to home than the overseas news items I often see.

UNESCO,  www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international-migration/glossary/poverty has a broader view of what it means to be in poverty and ways to define it. As with other definitions I have looked at, this site describes poverty as insufficient means to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, healthcare and housing. There is also discussion about poverty in relation to quality of life, relative poverty and from an income perspective. I found it interesting to see that culture was also included as a type of poverty. The ability to hold your cultural identity is important to well being and the involvement in your cultural community.

Poverty has been with us though out history, however Danahey, (n.d), argues that between 1930 and 1980 approximately, New Zealand had near no unemployment, free education and health care, and involvement in society was close to a hundred percent.

However recent statistics show that “Since the 1980’s, New Zealand’s income inequality has grown more than any other OECD nation” (Poverty, n.d).  Statistics provided in Anglican Life http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/cardboard_house_4_-_child_poverty_fact_sheet.pdf now show that poorer parts of society often have the inability to buy food or provide their children with the nutritional breakfast they need to learn. Sub standard / damp housing has also resulted in high numbers of New Zealand children being admitted to hospital with respiratory illnesses and serious skin complaints.

In light of how poverty can be viewed and how many children “in our own back yard” are living in poverty situations, it will be interesting to see what initiatives the government has planned or put in place for housing and incomes for families in need.

REFERENCES:

Child poverty in New Zealand: Facts and resources. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/cardboard_house_4_-_child_poverty_fact_sheet.pdf

Danahey, P. , (n.d). Poverty. Retrieved from http://uitrustnz.org/poverty.htm

Social and human sciences. (n.d). Retrieved from  www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/international-migration/glossary/poverty

Poverty in Aotearoa / New Zealand

“There can be no keener revelation of society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” - Nelson Mandela-

I would like to investigate the social issue of poverty. I am interested to see where this journey will take me in regards to the impact on our tamariki, in particular the possible effects on their ability to learn.

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model is one example of how the government, local community and parental/ caregivers circumstances all have varying impacts on children’s wellbeing and development. I aim to research the impacts of poverty from home life to government policies.

A recent brief article in the Hawkes Bay today notes that “thousands of children turned out for Children's day events…” and also gave a statement from a political party that commented “...it has been a less than happy year for many children, with little being done to combat child poverty”

The kind of questions I have in mind at the moment at least, are:

• How is poverty defined?
• How big is the problem for our tamariki and their whanau in Aotearoa / New Zealand?
• What are the government’s interventions and policies for family incomes to reduce poverty?
• What initiatives are in place within the community?
• What can early childhood centres / teachers put in place to help children who live in poverty circumstances?

So here my journey starts…. I wonder what I will find out?

REFERENCES:

News in ten (2013, March 04). Hawkes Bay Today, p. 2.  catgmx (2013, March 4) Student Documentary retrieved from : Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_x2L7edgME