KEY POINTS:
Education for young New Zealand children is improving, according to the Ministry of Education.
An evaluation of early childhood centres by several interested groups found that almost three-quarters of children in the evaluation attended services rated as "very good" or "good" quality.
The ministry said the group of reports released yesterday showed services studied were improving the quality of teaching and learning, employing more registered teachers and implementing the early childhood education (ECE) curriculum more effectively.
The evaluation follows the introduction last year of the Government's 20 Hours Free ECE.
Ministry ECE group manager Karl Le Quesne said the studies together showed the sector was improving in quality and had responded well to the scheme.
"ECE services have put in place significant changes over recent years and these studies are showing it is starting to pay off by helping children to make a strong start in their learning," he said.
"Our monitoring ... shows that since 2002 the number of services opening has been increasing, while the number having to close has been decreasing."
- NZPA
