More kids off to a great start in education

Education Minister Hekia Parata says more kids are getting the best start to school, with early childhood education participation at its highest ever level.

Ms Parata says latest figures show 96 percent of children starting school in September this year had already participated in some form of quality ECE.

“That’s up from 94.7 percent in early 2012 when the Government set its Better Public Service targets.

“The early childhood years are vital to a child’s development and to their future ability to learn so it’s great to see that the vast majority of Kiwi kids are getting the best possible start in life.

“Our focus is on making sure that as many young children as possible are involved in early learning as part of our wider investment in kids.

“That’s why we set a BPS target that by 2016 at least 98 percent of kids starting school will have participated in quality ECE,” says Ms Parata.

The figures also show an increase in Māori and Pasifika ECE participation. Since 2012, there has been an increase of 2.9 percentage points for Māori children and 4.2 percentage points for Pasifika children.

“Significant gains are being made with Māori and Pasifika through working closely with them in their communities. We want to make sure that five out of five of our kids are succeeding,” says Ms Parata.

In 2013/14, the Government invested $1.5 billion in ECE, up from over $800 million in 2007/08. This investment subsidises the cost of ECE for parents, making it around 33 percent more affordable than it was before 2007.

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