Now more than ever, Early Childhood needs a representative for Health and Wellbeing inside of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. An impartial person with the credentials to support pandemic response when it comes to early childhood education. 

Many people will already know that ECE is a hotbed for sickness and infection. Add to that a global pandemic, inability to wear PPE or socially distance from young (unvaccinated) children who regularly require close contact with their teachers, and you are making an already hard job potentially life threatening.

This petition is to support the implementation of an ECE and health qualified practitioner in a contracted role to Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health in regards to health as well as health and safety practices, for at least the remainder of any sort of levels of lockdown (1-4), and for that person to be part of the consultation process for reopening/safety practices, in all early childhood centres in New Zealand Aotearoa.