Types of ECE services

New Zealand has a huge range of education and care services for young children. Some of these services are parent-led, others employ qualified and registered teachers and are called teacher-led.
Although participation is voluntary, attendance levels within early childhood education services continue to increase for all ages. By the time they enter primary school, most children have had the benefit of an early childhood education programme in addition to the care and education provided in their own home.

Parent-led early childhood services:

• Playcentres are collectively supervised and managed by parents for children up to school age.
• Kohanga Reo provide programmes in te reo and tikanga Maori for tamariki from birth to school age.
• Licence-exempt playgroups are community-based groups of parents and children who meet for one to three sessions a week.
• Parent support and development programmes help to build parenting capability (such as Parents as First Teachers (PAFT))

The implementation of the Early Childhood Strategic Plan and the increasing participation of young children in early childhood education in New Zealand have led to more opportunities for qualified teachers in teacher-led services.

Teacher-led services:

• Education and care services
  These services provide either sessional, all day, or flexible hours programmes for infants and toddlers, as well as three and four year olds. Services may be privately owned (for profit) or community-based (non-profit making) services. Some are operated as part of an organisation – such as a hospital, university or business. These services include an increasing number of Māori immersion education and care services, and Pasifika education and care services.
• New Zealand Kindergartens operate sessional or full-day education for three and four year olds. Kindergartens employ only qualified and registered teachers.
• Family-based day care consists of networks of home-based educators operating under the supervision of qualified and registered co-ordinators. The co-ordinator places children with educators in approved homes for an agreed number of hours a week and supervises their education and care.
• Qualified and registered teachers also work for the Correspondence School providing distance education for children aged from three to five who are unable to attend a service because of isolation, illness or other special needs.

Culture and language-based early childhood education services include those providing programmes in te reo and tikanga Māori or a Pasifika language for tamariki and their whanau from birth to school age. Delivery ranges from full immersion to bilingual with a strong cultural basis.