ECE Participation Programme
The children currently least likely to participate in early childhood education (ECE) are the same ones that would most benefit from it.
The Government is investing $91.8 million over four years on a programme of initiatives to boost participation. The focus of this package will be on Māori and Pasifika children, and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds who don’t currently participate in ECE. These community based initiatives build on promising pilots and the findings and experience of the Counties Manukau participation project.
The participation package will begin implementation from October 2010. Over four years, an additional 3500 children are expected to access quality ECE as a result of this programme.
Where the participation programme will be targeted
Most of the programme will target areas with large groups of children that would benefit the most from ECE but are not currently participating. The focus of the package will be on Māori, Pasifika children, and children from lower-socio economic backgrounds.
Māori and Pasifika children, and children from lower socio-economic status backgrounds consistently participate in ECE at lower rates than other groups. Māori and Pasifika children participate at 91% and 85% respectively. The national participation rate is 95%.
Children from lower socio-economic backgrounds are also much less likely to have participated in quality ECE than their peers from higher socio-economic status backgrounds.
There will also be funding for projects in areas with smaller groups of non-participating children or where the projects meet other government priorities. This could include, for example, ensuring access to quality ECE for rural children.
What does the funding include?
Most of the $91.8 million is for the subsidy costs for children who will access ECE as a result of the programme.
Property assistance and parent engagement funding has also been reworked to give greater focus to boosting ECE participation for the children who would benefit most.
What are the initiatives?
The programme involves six initiatives. The initiatives, funding and target areas are:
Intensive community participation projects:
The Ministry of Education, in conjunction with other central and local government agencies, will provide intensive support to communities to help them identify and address the reasons children are not participating in ECE.
Flexible and responsive home-based projects
Home-based services can offer care in family-like settings, be culturally tailored and have flexible hours of operation.
This initiative will support existing ECE services to expand into home-based provision of ECE and will support the transition of informal family and whānau care arrangements into more formal ECE settings.
Supported playgroups
These certificated playgroups will receive additional support from a kaimanaaki or playgroup educator for curriculum delivery, parent engagement, and management and administration.
Identity, language, culture and community engagement support projects
Targeted ECE providers will be supported to be more responsive to community needs and to work more effectively with Māori and Pasifika families.
Engaging Priority Families/Whānau
This initiative will provide intensive support for the families and whānau of 3- and 4-year old children not currently participating in ECE to become involved in ECE. It will also support learning at home and support children in the transition to school.
Targeted Assistance for Participation
Funding will be targeted to create ECE places created in the lowest ECE participation rates.
Why have these initiatives been selected to improve participation?
There are a range of circumstances that tend to influence participation in ECE. These differ for communities: it can be about affordability, access, fit of provision with family needs and values, whether families are interested, and fit with parenting, work and study. These initiatives have been designed to address many of these types of barriers to participation.
What’s new about these initiatives?
The initiatives focus on injecting support into the neediest communities, and increasing the flexibility and responsiveness of our ECE system by working with these communities. The areas with the largest numbers of children missing out on ECE will be focused on.
In addition the initiatives represent a new approach to raising participation. Individual projects will be community based to increase the likelihood that the local barriers to participation are addressed, and that participation gains can be maintained.
Why have certain areas already been chosen?
These areas have the largest numbers of non-participating children by census area unit participation data.
Participation programme links with other government initiatives
The participation programme will be aligned with Transforming Family and Community Services (the Ministry of Social Development), improvements to WellChild (the Ministry of Health), and Whānau Ora (Te Puni Kokiri).
What’s happening now?
We will be approaching communities over the next month in the areas selected to discuss the feasibility of the projects proposed.
What about other parts of the country?
The Ministry of Education has also committed to addressing smaller pockets of low participation across the country through regional community participation projects in conjunction with the Participation Programme. These projects will focus on Māori, Pasifika and children from low socio-economic areas.