Get furniture, fittings and equipment
A. You will need to consider what will be the appropriate learning and teaching equipment and resources for meeting the curriculum standards in the regulations, and for:
- your philosophy
- the range of children who will attend
- your community
- actively acknowledging the unique place of tangata whenua in the programme
- meeting regulated standards.
- Visit other ECE services and discuss with teachers the choices available for particular equipment.
Resources:
Resource: Suggested equipment for licensed ECE services.
This includes:
B. Make a list of equipment you plan to get. Many suppliers have catalogues and price lists available.
C. Ensure that play equipment complies with New Zealand Safety Standards. Safety Standards New Zealand has developed Supervised Early Childhood Facilities - Playground Equipment and Surfacing Handbook (NZS 5828.2:2006) which is available for purchase.
D. Order all indoor and outdoor equipment (including tables, beds, display units etc). Allow enough time for delivery and set up so that your service will be ready for the Ministry of Education’s licensing visit. Please note that the centre must be 'ready for children' before the Ministry will visit the site. This includes outdoor playgrounds being ready for use.
Articles
The following articles provide useful information, however please be aware that any references to the ECE Regulations and DOPs are out of date.
If the Environment is the Third Teacher, What Language Does She Speak? [PDF, v1.3; size 393 kb]
This article, by Lisa Terreni and Ann Pairman, includes useful information about creating physical environments for children and has some interesting photos of equipment and spaces.
Developing Playgrounds in Early Childhood Environments [PDF, v1.3; size 3.57mb]
This article was written and compiled by Lisa Terreni and Ann Pairman for Early Childhood Development and Hutt Valley District Health Board. Although some of the references to regulations and standards are out of date, this article includes useful information about developing playgrounds for children and has some interesting photos of equipment and spaces.