2010 Changes to Prior Participation in Early Childhood Education Rates
The prior-participation in early childhood education (ECE) rates have been revised. The collection method for prior-participation in ECE data has been improved, and this change has caused a reduction in the reported prior-participation in ECE rates.
What is prior-participation in ECE?
When a child is enrolled in school as a new entrant, parents are asked whether the child has participated in ECE. Schools provide these data to the Ministry of Education, and they are used to calculate the prior-participation in ECE rates.
Why has it changed?
The collection method for prior-participation in ECE data has been improved and is now more accurate. The Ministry has streamlined the collection process for schools, and this has improved the completeness of the data collected.
The collection of information about prior-participation in ECE is important to the Ministry as it provides the most accurate indication of rates of participation in ECE before school. It has been used to identify priority areas for the ECE Participation Programme.
The new data collection will be more complete and more regular, which gives a more thorough picture of ECE participation before school.
What were the prior-participation in ECE rates for 2010?
The national prior-participation in ECE rate for the year ending June 2010 was 94.5% – an increase of 0.6 percentage points on the revised July 2009 rate.
The 2010 prior-participation in ECE rate for Māori children was 89.4%; for Pasifika children the rate was 85.3%.
How is this different?
The national prior-participation in ECE rate for the year ending June 2009 was previously published as 95.1%. With the additional information this rate has been revised to 93.9%. The rates for each of the main ethnic groups have also been revised for 2000 to 2009 – more information is available on the Ministry of Education’s Education Counts website (see below).
Does this mean fewer children have participated in ECE than previously reported?
No. It means that we have information about more children. However, including the children we did not previously have information about has lowered the overall prior-participation in ECE rates, as more of these children had not participated in ECE than the national average. The improvement in the data collection has led to more children not participating in ECE being identified.
While the new data does show slightly lower rates than previously reported, this is simply a reflection of more accurate data.
Where can I find out more information?
The Ministry’s Education Counts website is a 'one-stop shop' for information about education statistics and research. Prior-participation in ECE rates are currently reported annually in the Student Participation indicator series Prior participation in early childhood education: new entrants on the Education Counts website.
If you have any questions about information on Education Counts, or you would like some information not available on the website, please contact us at:
Information Officer
Ministry of Education
Email: Information.Officer@minedu.govt.nz
Phone: +64 4-463 8065
Fax: +64 4-463 8088