14th April 2026
A recent Education Review Office (ERO) report has found that nearly half of early childhood education services in New Zealand are not meeting the organisation’s benchmark.
The report indicates that while many early childhood services are performing well, a significant proportion are falling below expected standards on at least one of ERO’s key quality measures. These measures typically assess areas such as teaching practice, leadership, curriculum delivery, and the learning environment.
Variation in service quality
One of the key issues highlighted is the wide variation in quality between services. Some centres demonstrate strong teaching and leadership practices, while others struggle to meet basic expectations for consistent educational delivery and care.
ERO’s evaluation framework is designed to identify both compliance with regulatory requirements and the broader quality of learning outcomes for children. The findings suggest that meeting minimum standards does not always guarantee a consistently high-quality learning experience.
Ongoing concerns in the sector
The results add to ongoing concerns about the pressure facing early childhood education providers, including staffing challenges, workload demands, and differences in resourcing. These factors can influence how effectively services are able to deliver structured learning programmes and maintain stable, high-quality environments for children.
The report also reflects wider scrutiny of early childhood education in New Zealand, where previous findings have pointed to uneven quality and the need for continued improvement across parts of the sector.
Focus on improvement
ERO continues to use its review process to support improvement across early childhood services, identifying areas where practice does not meet expected standards and encouraging targeted development. The aim is to lift overall quality and ensure consistent outcomes for children across all services.
