Get-to-bed texts make for daycare dreams

Trials have proved so successful there are plans to extend it throughout the country. Photo / Thinkstock

Parents are getting texts on Sunday nights reminding them to put their children to bed early so they wake up in time for pre-school.

A new initiative to ensure South Auckland children attend early childhood education features the personalised bedtime reminder texts, health advice and lists of activities their children can take part in over the holidays.

Trials have proved so successful there are plans to extend it throughout the country.

Ministry of Education Early Learning Taskforce project manager Jilly Tyler said the initiative had boosted early education enrolments in Weymouth where it had been running for the past year.

"Since March 2014 enrolments across the seven centres have increased from an average of 70 per cent to 99 per cent. One centre doubled its attendance," she said.

Known as Rapid Cycle Change, the project between early childhood centres, and health and education officials, was aimed at finding quick and effective solutions to get children into pre-school education.

Tyler said the Weymouth centres, which had been struggling with enrolments, had previously thought expensive marketing was the only way to increase attendance.

Instead, they found simple ideas like texting helped.

She said each text was tailored to individual parents.

"One of the participating centres sent texts to a family to ask why their child was away," Tyler said.

"If it was a health issue, the centre manager would provide simple messages about how to manage the illness and provide information on when it would be safe for the child to return to the centre."

Illustration / Peter Bromhead