Prior participation in early childhood education: new entrants
Why This Is Important
Time spent in early childhood education (ECE) enhances future learning. It has been found to have a significant relationship to achievement at age 8 and age 10 (associated with cognitive competence score including literacy, mathematics and logical problem-solving measures) for children in the Competent Children Study (Wylie, C. et al, 2001). Children’s early childhood education experience’s were still contributing to their mathematics and reading comprehension scores two years later at age 12 (Wylie, C. et al, 2004). Aspects of early childhood education centre quality appear to have made some additional contribution to age-14 mathematics, reading comprehension, and attitudinal scores (Wylie, C. et al, 2006).When linked to a number of other variables including socio-economic mix, maternal qualification and ECE centre teachers being responsive to children, duration of ECE makes up a component of the overall contribution to children's achievement. This is important because it confirms a range of international research that demonstrates the ongoing influence of early childhood education on children's learning.
Indicator
Prior participation in early childhood education: new entrantsNumerator: (Data Source: Ministry of Education: July Roll Returns)
Number of new entrants (Year 1 students) attending early childhood education on a regular basis immediately prior to starting school.
Denominator: (Data Source: Ministry of Education: July Roll Returns)
Number of new entrants (Year 1 students).
Interpretation Issues
This indicator provides a useful measure of ECE participation rates without the double-counting problems of incorporating current early childhood education enrolment data with census-based population estimates. However, it provides no information about the length/duration of ECE participation experienced prior to starting school. For this information consider indicators:
Prioritisation of ethnicity is when people are allocated to one of the ethnicities they have recorded they affiliate with. This usually occurs when data are collected manually and/or aggregate data returns are collected centrally. This allocation is performed using a predetermined order of ethnic groups. For this indicator ethnicity is prioritised in the order of Māori, Pasifika, Asian, other groups except European/Pākehā, and European/Pākehā.For this indicator European/Pākehā refers to people who affiliate as New Zealand European, Other European or European (not further defined). For example, this includes and is not limited to people who consider themselves as Australian (excluding Australian Aborigines), British and Irish, American, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
The number of students from ethnicities other than European/Pākehā and Māori is comparatively small therefore percentage point changes may be a result in small movements in headcounts.
Related Pages on Education Counts
The July School Roll Return data collection page provides links to data, publications and indicators based on that collection.