Why choose Plunket?

Plunket-provided Early Childhood Units offer competitive and affordable learning experiences. Our resources, designed to be easy to use and relevant to a wide range of student needs, provide authentic first-hand learning opportunities for students.

• Trained Plunket Educators currently deliver to schools around New Zealand

• Units can also be delivered by the classroom teacher

• Material is constantly revised to meet NZQA requirements

• Local volunteer parents and their children are a key part of the unique Plunket-delivered experience in some units

Why teach early childhood at secondary school?

• An opportunity to sow seeds in the minds of our future parents

• Students able to have an informed and reflective insight into their own experiences

• Raises awareness of the skills required to effectively care for and nurture young children

• Highlights the commitment required in the role of caregiver

By starting to teach some of these skills at high school, we are hoping that these students become better brothers, sisters, uncles and aunties. By the time these students become parents, they will have built on this base knowledge and be confident in learning more to become a competent parent.

Aims of our units

• To develop the knowledge and confidence required to responsibly care for a child/tamariki and understand that this role should be given the highest value and status amongst all cultures

• To convey that caring for children is very demanding and at times challenging but, with a supportive environment, it can also be an extremely rewarding and enjoyable experience

• To teach the basic skills required for the positive care of young children, which includes love, sense of belonging, safety, security and education, all appropriate to the child’s age and stage of development

• To promote Plunket and its role in health promotion and support within communities, families and whānau

The National Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care

The National Certificate in early Childhood Education and Care (Level 3) recognizes basic introductory skills and knowledge involved in the education and care of infants, toddlers, and young children, that are required to go onto further study in the education and care of children or the teaching of children: infants, toddlers, and young children in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It recognizes basic knowledge, skills and attributes required for early childhood education and care services across all early childhood contexts.