Choosing an ECE service

When looking at different ECE services in your area, here are some things to think about:

• Does the service have a waiting list?
• What do you and your child require from a service?
• Would you like to attend with your child?
• How many hours do you want your child to attend each week?
• What type of service would suit you and your family/whānau best?
• How much do you want to spend on fees?
• How close is it to your home or work?
• What hours is it open? Is it open during school holidays?
• What do others say about the service?
• What ages does the service cater for?
  (Some ECE services cater specifically for babies over six months old or children over two years old)
• How involved do you want to be with the day to day running of the service?

Finding an ECE service

To find an ECE service in your area:

• contact your local Ministry of Education office
• visit services in your area
• talk to other parents, family/whānau and neighbours
• look in the yellow pages under ‘Child Care and Education’
• talk to your doctor or Plunket nurse.

You can also do a search of ECE services in your region.

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Plan a visit

Once you have decided which ECE service you are interested in arrange a visit so you can ask all the questions you need and get a feel for the service. If you like the service you may want to arrange more than one visit with your child.

During your visits, look for the following.

Children:

• are interacting with each other and teachers are interacting with children
• are free to choose from a selection of play equipment that suits their interests and abilities
• can move freely between indoors and outdoors
• seem happy and are taking part in activities.

Teachers:

• provide a warm, encouraging and supportive environment
• seem to enjoy their work and work well together
• ensure children are well-supervised at all times
• make you and your child feel welcome
• are engaging with children in their learning.

The environment:

• is designed to provide a range of spaces to support a variety of experiences, such as wet and messy play, quiet play, active play and creative play
• provides equipment that is in a safe condition and is easy for the children to access
• provides a range of experiences and opportunities that interest, engage and challenge children
• looks clean and well-maintained.

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Quality in ECE services

Every licensed ECE service is regularly reviewed by the Education Review Office (ERO). Before deciding on a particular ECE service you may want to read their latest ERO report to get a better understanding of the service. ERO reports are available free online at: www.ero.govt.nz.

Setting up your own early childhood group

After looking into what’s available, you may feel that your community doesn’t have a suitable service for your child. If this is the case, one option is to look into starting your own early childhood group.

More information about setting up a playgroup, Pacific Islands early childhood group or Ngā Puna Kōhungahunga can be found on the ECE Lead website.