A need for formal early childhood teacher training
New Zealand Tertiary College was founded in Auckland in 1982 by Glennie Oborn, who had established Kindercare Learning Centres throughout New Zealand. At the time, Kindercare provided in-house training for its teachers, but Glennie wanted to develop a training program which would result in formal qualifications.
The College was originally named Kindercare Early Childhood Teachers College. In 1997 its name was changed to New Zealand Tertiary College. This more generic name reflected that its programs were attracting students from other learning centres than Kindercare, as well as members of the public who wanted to start a career in early childhood teaching.
Gaining recognition for early childhood teaching programs
Throughout its history, NZTC has made a considerable effort to gain accreditation and recognition for its quality learning programs.
The College was the first and only (prior to 1995) training institution in New Zealand to gain approval for an early childhood program. In 1991, NZTC was the first Private Training Establishment (PTE) to be approved by the newly-established New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
Today, all NZTC programs are NZQA-approved. In addition, NZTC works with the New Zealand Teachers Council and Ministry of Education to ensure our graduates are granted professional status in teaching. Graduates from our Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) and Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) programs are eligible to apply for teacher registration in New Zealand.
Online learning option for distance learning
In 1988, NZTC gained approval to offer a distance learning mode of course delivery to offer its programs to students who work full-time or live in remote areas. In 2003, Selena Fox took over leadership of the College, and expanded the distance learning mode to include online learning.
Following years of research, Selena and long-time colleague and friend Dr Chip Donohue (from the University of Wisconsin-Madison) developed ecelearn, an innovative online teaching and learning environment designed especially for the early childhood profession. In 2009, NZTC started offering its courses via its customised version of ecelearn called NZTC Online.
Next step: India
In 2006, NZTC founder Glennie Oborn and Chief Executive Selena Fox visited India for the first time. As they visited the KGs (kindergartens), preschools and schools in India, they recognised a strong commitment to early childhood teaching. Selena and Glennie saw an opportunity to complement the current programs in India with a New Zealand and global perspective, and decided to offer a qualification to students and partners in India which would be delivered through its specialised online learning program.
After 3 years of hard work developing the curriculum, NZTC is proud to offer its Certificate in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) to Indian students.
