📢 PVI Submission: Making Early Childhood Education Inclusive for All
PVI has submitted feedback on the proposed Early Childhood Education reforms, with a focus on disabled children and their whānau.
While around 95% of 3–4-year-olds in Aotearoa attend ECE, disabled children often face significant barriers:
- Long waits for specialist support (therapists, psychologists, and specialist teachers)
- Inconsistent inclusion across centres – some children experience “soft exclusion”
- Physical and sensory barriers in centres
- Extra funding often capped, leaving families to fill the gaps
- Quality of inclusion heavily dependent on staff willingness rather than systemic support
Our submission calls for better funding, improved accessibility, and systemic accountability, so every child can access and thrive in early education.
Inclusive ECE isn’t just a policy goal; it’s a right under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
📄 Read our full submission here:
