Participation in early childhood education

Over 90 percent of the enrolments of children aged 3 and 4 years are in licensed ECE services. Licensed services include kindergartens, playcentres, education and care services, te kōhanga reo, home-based services and the Correspondence School. Children enrolled in more than one ECE service will be double-counted. We include an alternative measure which avoids double counting – the proportion of new school entrants (Year 1 students) reporting regular participation in early childhood education immediately before starting school.

Relevance

Evidence from New Zealand and international research shows that the early childhood years are vital to a child’s development and to their future ability to learn.⁵⁰ Quality early childhood programmes prepare young children socially, physically and academically for entry into primary education and can help narrow the achievement gap between children from low-income families and those from more advantaged families.

1. Enrolment

Current level and trends

At 1 July 2009, the enrolment rate in licensed early childhood education services was 92 percent for 3 year olds and 100 percent for 4 year olds. These figures are similar to 2008 levels of 93 percent for 3 year olds and 99 percent for 4 year olds. Since 1990, the enrolment rate in licensed ECE services has increased by 42 percent for 3 year olds and by 15 percent for 4 year olds.

Figure K1.1 Early childhood education enrolment rate, 3 and 4 year olds, 1986–2009

Sources: Ministry of Education; Ministry of Social Development
Notes: (1) Rates in excess of 100 percent are possible because children can be enrolled in more than one service. (2) Includes licensed services only from 1990.

Sex differences

Enrolment in early childhood education varies slightly by sex. In 2009, the enrolment rate for 3 year old children was 94 percent for girls and 91 percent for boys. For 4 year old children, the rates were 101 percent for girls and 98 percent for boys.

Enrolment by type of early childhood education service

In 2009, education and care services (51 percent) and kindergartens (34 percent) had the largest number of enrolments of 3 and 4 year olds in early childhood education. Much smaller numbers of children were enrolled in home-based services (6 percent), playcentres (5 percent), and ngā kōhanga reo (4 percent).

2. Prior participation, Year 1 students

The prior participation rate is an alternative measure that avoids double counting. The percentage of new school entrants who had attended early childhood education services has increased from 91 percent in July 2000 to 95 percent in July 2009, but growth has slowed since 2004.

Ethnic differences

New Zealand European children are the most likely to attend an early childhood education service before entering primary school, followed by Asian children. From 2000 to 2004, the proportions of both Māori and Pacific new school entrants who had attended ECE services increased faster than the rate for New Zealand European new school entrants. Growth in the rate for Māori then slowed, and the rate for Pacific children decreased slightly. In the year to 1 July 2009, increases in early childhood education participation were greater than average for Māori and Pacific new entrants.

Table K1.1 Early childhood education attendance (%) by Year 1 students, by ethnic group, as at 1 July, 2000–2009

Source: Ministry of Education
Note: These figures exclude cases where attendance was unknown.

Socio-economic differences

Children in low decile schools (those that draw their students from communities with the highest degree of socio-economic disadvantage) are much less likely to have attended an early childhood education service than children in high decile schools. In 2009, 82 percent of new entrants in decile 1 schools had previously attended early childhood education services, compared with 96 percent in decile 5 schools and 99 percent in decile 10 schools.

Regional differences

In 2009, the proportion of Year 1 students who had attended early childhood education services was highest in the Nelson, Canterbury and Otago regions (each 99 percent), and lowest in the Northland (90 percent) and Auckland (93 percent) regions.

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