Te Whariki

Te Whariki is the early childhood curriculum policy statement issued by the New Zealand Minster of Education. Te Whariki, emphasises the learning partnership between teachers, parents and families. Teachers are meant to provide a holistic curriculum in response to children's learning and development in the early childhood setting and the wider context of the child's world (Gov, 2014.)

The curriculum is founded on the following aspirations for children:

 

to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society (Gov, 2014.)

 

 



 The curriculum is provided by the child's environment: the people, places, the physical environment and the resources. It includes both specific planned activities and spontaneous activities. The early childhood curriculum has been shown to be a mat, woven with principles, strands and goals. Different programmes, philosophies, structures and environments will contribute to the distinctive patterns.

 

Distinctive Patterns will come from:

• cultural perspectives, such as in various Pacific Islands early childhood centres
• structural differences, such as in sessional or full-day programmes;
• organisational differences, such as in kindergartens or child care centres;
• different environments, such as in homebased or centre-based programmes;
• philosophical emphases, such as in Playcentre, Montessori, or Rudolf Steiner programmes;
• different resources which are available in urban and rural settings;
• the ways in which the local community participates;
• the age range of children in the programme. (Gov, 2014.)

For children with special needs an Individual Development Plan or Individual Education Plan (IDP or IEP) is developed for the children who need extra resources that are not part of the curriculum or extra resources for those within the curriculum.

At the centre of the early childhood curriculum, there are four broad principles:

1. Empowerment
2. Holistic Development
3. Family and Community
4. Relationships

From the four principles, arise 5 strands. Together, the principles and the strands, form the framework for the curriculum. Every strand has several goals, and learning outcomes for each goal have been created. Each strand as a minimum of three goals.

Strand 1: Well-being
Strand 2: Belonging
Strand 3: Contribution
Strand 4: Communication
Strand 5: Exploration

Strand 1: Well-being
Goals
Children experience an environment where:

• Their health is promoted;
• Their emotional well-being is nurtured;
• They are kept safe from harm.

Strand 2: Belonging
Goals
Children and their families experience an environment where:

• connecting links with the family and the wider world are affirmed and extended;
• they know that they have a place;
• they feel comfortable with the routines, customs, and regular events;
• they know the limits and boundaries of acceptable behaviour

Strand 3: Contribution
Goals
Children experience an environment where:

• there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background;
• they are affirmed as individuals;
• they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others.

Strand 4: Communication
Goals
Children experience an environment where:

• they develop non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes;
• they develop verbal communication skills for a range of purposes;
• they experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures;
• they discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive.

Strand 5: Exploration
Goals
Children experience an environment where:

• their play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised;
• they gain confidence in and control of their bodies;
• they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning;
• they develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical, and material worlds.

The strands and goals are often imagined to be woven together like a mat