12-1
Improving the Quality of Relationships
that Early Childhood Education Services
have with their Male Carer Clients
Elaine Dyer & Geoff Bridgman
Invited Presentation
Fathering Forum 23 March 2011
Families Commission
12-2
Why?
The
male contribution to domestic violence in New
Zealand is very high
High father engagement with their children’s
development in the pre-school years lowers levels
of family violence, aggression, divorce, and
increases educational achievement, and social
competence
Participation rates of men in Early Childhood
Education are very low
12-3
Violence Free Waitakere
Focus on Fathering programme – providing raising
awareness of the male parenting role and creating
supportive interventions
 Awareness raising – FoF week, Photographic
exhibition in a large mall of dads and kids, Dads Day
Out
Interventions – What did you do at work today
Dad? ECE project
Related projects: Toddler’s Day Out, Violence Free
Begins with Me, Our Amazing Place

12-4
Aims
To
Identify the ways in which Early Childhood
Education (ECE) services engage with their male
clients (the “male carers”) of the children in their
services
To identify the gaps in ECE services which if
addressed would improve the quality of
engagement that male carers have with their
children and with ECE services.
To implement and evaluate a “father friendly”
intervention approach with a small number of ECE
services.
12-5
ECE Centre Survey
Demographic questions – carers, children,
staff, volunteers
 Activities and types of engagement –
communication
 Resources, issues of safety
Open ended questions around male carer
engagement

12-6
Who responded?
 15%
of 120 centres so far have responded
 Full range of types – Kohanga Reo, Pacific Island
Language ECE, Montesiori, Playcentre, Kindergarten,
ECE centres – 20-120 children)
15
Number
Largest group
2nd largest group
10
5
0
Pakeha
Maori
Pacific Is
Nzer
cultural group
Asian
12-7
Where are the men?
Less than 5% of all ECE teaching are men
 61% of Centres definitely want to employ men, but
think that parents are less keen (50%)
“There are always going to be some parents who
may question the role a male teacher may play in
caring for their child”
“When we employed a male teacher in the past we
did have two families pull their children from our
care”

12-8
Worried parents?
 “I
would go out of my way to ensure that any concerns
were addressed before the teacher began working for
me - in other words I would consult with my families
and reassure them that this person was the best
applicant for the position.”
 “I think the parents would be surprised, but would also
value the input a male staff member might have.”
 “I just don't whether parents are accepting....”
 “I think the parents would be more than happy for us
to employ a Male staff member.”
12-9
What effect have men had?
89% really value a male presence. Two say that it’s the
person, not the gender that’s most important.
“the older boys thrive by having a male in the centre”
“the response from the older children in having a male
around is profound.”
“some of the children like to go and see him (the cook) in the
morning when they get here, rather than one of their day to
day teachers.”
“dads stick around longer and listen to stories that he tells
them about what their children have been doing. The
children have really warmed to him”.
“male teachers are fantastic for the children and families”.

12-10
Engaging the men
61% think it’s a bit harder or much harder to engage men “
Not interested: “there’s not enough men”, they’re too busy
with work and career”, “they’re not keen on meetings”
“male carers tend to see [Playcentre training) as a huge
obstacle”
Male embarassment: “Shy, worried no other dads will be
here - don't want to be the only male amongst all the
females” “it makes them look soft”
Female conspiracy: “mothers come to the evenings, etc, and
leave dad looking after the kids..” “most the men were not
even asked about this evening - their partners had made
the decision that they would not be interested”
12-11
Centres are attractive to men because:
they are “friendly, engaging”, “welcoming”, “inclusive”
 they recognise male strengths: they are “flexible”,
“unique”, “acknowledging of difference”
 they use specific male engagement practices: “putting out
equipment that attracts males”, “fish and chip nights”,
“makings things with your child events”, “parent evenings”,
“coming on trips”, “asking men to be involved”, “planning
ahead so that dads,and mums, can take time off to for
example attend a trip”
 they have a strong kaupapa, supportive management and
team, clear systems, family based processes,
whanaungatanga
 they have strong wairuatanga or spiritual practice

12-12
Who comes?
Men are usually not present when a new child is
introduced to the centre
 21% of drop offs and pick-ups are done by men
 Two centres see no male carers, and another 4 have
10% or less male carers.
 Three centres have 45-50% male carers
 Centres with a male staff member (33%) don’t
necessarily have more male carers.
 Being friendly seems to be best correlated with the
presence of male carers

12-13
Male volunteers
21% of volunteers are male
 Many centres have no volunteers or just one. 50% have no
male volunteers
 Three centres – a Kohanga Reo, a playcentre and a
kindergarten have 30 or more volunteers
 Key male volunteer roles: gardening, security,
maintenance, committee work, accounts, kaumatua,
minister
 Restricted roles? Women: Teachers, Support Staff, Kitchen
Staff Men: Handy Man, Gardener, Security
 Roles playing/working with children “rough and tumble
programme” very rare.

12-14
Activities
Good male attendance at Xmas parties,
Father’s day events, parent evenings,
maintenance working parties, social events
 Not so good for excursions, parent education
evenings
 Kohanga Reo men are more engaged in
classroom work and excursions

12-15
Conversations with men
a) short hello, goodbye conversations
b) 'male talk' - sport, work, facts about the world
c) discussion of an incident report
d) what Manu/Suzie did today in your ECE centre
e) Manu/Suzie's strengths interests and abilities
f) general discussion of the child's notes and
profile
g) areas of possible engagement with the service
h) how the service could work better for men
never once
0%
0%
14% 21%
7%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
6%
8%
46%
0%
15%
8%
12-16
Communication
a) When emails and/or letters get
sent out, who are they addressed
to?
b) When carers are phoned, who
do you speak to ?
c) When a child is sick, who will
you call?
more to
female
equally
to both
27%
73%
71%
29%
71%
29%
12-17
Newsletters, notices
never
a) stories designed to appeal to male
interests?
b) stories about the experiences of men in
the role of carer?
c) requests for male volunteer involvement in
ECE service?
d) pictures of male carers interacting with
children?
e) articles written by men?
f) surveys of male opinion about the ECE
service?
60%
57%
43%
33%
73%
93%
12-18
Resources for men
not
visible
a) a range of reading resources on children targeted at men
e.g. Men as carers, men's health information, parenting for
men
b) a range of play areas where men feel comfortable
interacting with children e.g. tool work benches, dinghy,
sandpit, vegetable garden
c) pictures of male carers interacting with children
d) environments which encourage energetic physical play
e) notices of events and volunteer roles of interest to male
carers on notice boards
60%
7%
33%
0%
33%
12-19
Safety for men
very very
unsafe safe
a) The way that staff dress - e.g. revealing or
inappropriate clothing
b) The visual safety of the environment being able to be seen by staff
c) The open door and child privacy policies
of the service
d) The service's practice/policy around safe
touching
13%
60%
7%
67%
7%
67%
7%
60%
12-20
What can be done?
How friendly are we? 27% “respectful”, 33% “friendly”,
40% “very friendly”
More appealing information targeted at male care giving
roles. Newsletters more appropriate
More readings left out for dads to pick up and get good
ideas from Put our books and resources in a more
prominent place for them to see
Advertise in newsletters the resources that we do have
that they could borrow
Ask for more help with community projects that could
promote male carers
12-21
What can be done?
More “male” discussions. Think more about our
environment and making it more male friendly.
Give more authority to our men, and strength to our
teachers to deal with these difficult issues
The support male teachers and carers need should be
outlined in policy, procedures and requirements for
the safety ..along with the Police vetting to keep
parents and the community feel safe
Ads on the TV during the rugby or other sports that
support Dads at ECE Big billboards that show
dads/male carers their child at an ECE centre
12-22
Mens Survey
 many
men play a major role if not the major role in the care of
their children.
 many men are very busy with their work
 the vast majority spend no time at ECE centres other than in
dropping off and picking up
 many are not entirely comfortable at the Centre and have no
interest in volunteering.
 a quarter do volunteer time, but this is confined to governance,
fundraising, equipment and maintenance work and not to
volunteer work that involves interactions with children.
 one respondent did drawing and writing, another would like to
do so, while third said he would like to cook at the centre. One
respondent said: “I don’t think I have anything to offer.”
12-23