How many children are currently in Early Childhood Education?

Answer

Early Childhood Education (ECE) participation numbers are sourced from the ECE Census administered each year. Data is captured from ECE services for a one-week period, typically in the last week of June. During the 2025 ECE Census period, 193,033 children attended licensed early childhood education services. The results of the census are published each year on the Education Counts website linked below: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/participation Participation numbers for 2026 will be published in December this year.