Kids with imaginary guns are learning real safety lessons at kindergartens and early childcare centres around the country.

The previous Government was much taken with the economic benefit of getting and keeping more women in work.

New mum Vanessa Mealings would welcome any change that made it easier for her to stay at home in the first year of her children's lives.

Parents would end up footing the bill for many of the recommended changes in a Children's Commissioner report on pre-primary care, the Government says.

A new report from the Children's Commissioner is a timely call to take the care and education of NZ's under two-year-olds seriously, NZCA says.

Four sets of identical twin boys are keeping caregivers on their toes at a Northland childcare centre.

Thousands of New Zealand parents are going back to school to learn how to be better parents - but experts still do not know if the multiple programmes are reaching the parents who most need them.

Doctors and nurses are being recruited to run parenting programmes in a bid to intervene before unruly children turn into delinquent teenagers.

Dita De Boni is horrified at the fear of a 2-year-old kicked to death after wetting himself.

The parents of tens of thousands of preschoolers can expect to start paying more for early childhood care next year.

A distraught toddler was mistakenly left alone in a childcare centre for nearly two hours while her teachers and friends went for a daytrip to the park.

It's the first few months of daycare that are the worst, writes Scott Kara.

A five-year-old boy hit by a car outside a South Auckland pre-school has been discharged from hospital.

A 5-year-old boy was in a serious condition last night after he was hit by a car outside a kindergarten centre in South Auckland.

The 20 hours of free care children 3 and over receive in early childhood centres is under review.

Popular primary schools could turn away pupils' little brothers and sisters, as they are hit by the start of a new baby boom.