Early Childhood Education

COMET has called for Early Childhood Education to become a strategic priority in Manukau City.  This is because of the positive link between educational outcomes for children and participation rates in quality early childhood education. A stocktake of the early childhood education context in Manukau City was published in August 2007.  

There are 268 early childhood education centres in Manukau City. These include;

• community-based services
• private services
• kohanga reo
• Pasifika services
• parent-led services

The challenges for early childhood education in Manukau include;

• participation rates in early childhood education
• provision of services in greenfields communities (eg Flat Bush)
• provision of appropriate services in areas that are underserved
• support for quality services

The early childhood sector is undergoing significant change. Government policies to increase the qualifications and skills of teachers working in early childhood education have resulted in a shortage of appropriately trained and qualified teachers.  

COMET became involved in a Community Development Project - involving early childhood education in New Zealand's digital future.

Early childhood services reflect the resources and skills of the communities in which they are based. To meet Manukau aspirations in the SmartManukau strategy, COMET began the Smart Centres Project in 2005.  This project supports early childhood centres to connect to community resources through information and communications technologies (ICT). It is due for completion in 2007.

A new project, Pasifika Smart Centres Project, commenced in late 2007 and was completed in July 2008. This  project focussed on the use of Information and Communications Technologies in Pasifika early childhood centres in Manukau City, and the ways in which Pasifika centres can use ICTs to strengthen their connections with their communities.