Choosing childcare: Your guide to early childhood education in New Zealand

Carol Chen and her daughter Harper at Eden-Epsom Playcentre, Poronui St. Photo /Michael Craig

Private centre, home-based care, Playcentre, kindergarten ... the world of early childhood education is a complex and often expensive minefield. No wonder parents and caregivers are overwhelmed when it comes to the best options for under-5s. With most mums and dads in paid work by choice or necessity, the number of preschoolers in care and education facilities is higher than ever. So what should you be looking for as a parent? Why does it cost so much? And which is the best childcare option for you and your child? The New Zealand Herald found out in a six-part Premium series - read all the stories here using the easy links below.

Part One: A beginner's guide.

Now most of us are back at work, many parents are again looking for childcare. The choices can be bamboozling, as new centres with attractive names seem to be popping up on every second street corner. We start with an overview of the early childhood education (ECE) sector and what matters most to parents.

Part Two: What are the options?

We run through ECE services in more detail. These days, almost two thirds of children go to education and care centres, many of them privately run. But there are also kindergartens, home-based care, Playcentre and kōhanga reo and unlicensed parent-run play groups. Education reporter Simon Collins gives a full explanation of the pros and cons of each.

Brian Moore with his son Griffin, aged 2, at Eden-Epsom Playcentre. Photo / Michael Craig

Part Three: Why childcare costs so much.

When Jo was looking at going back to work after having her second child, she was shocked at how much she would need to pay. For fulltime care for two children under 3 she was looking at $450 a week - and that was with a discount on the full $600 the daycare centre could have charged. Personal finance reporter Tamsyn Parker explains why it costs so much.

Part Four: How young is too young?

Tori McKinley agonised over when to put her infant daughter into childcare. She wanted more time with Emilia, but was also nervous about the mortgage payments on the family's home. In the end, she placed Emilia in an early childhood centre at 11 months old. Social issues reporter Isaac Davison finds out what effect ECE has on children who start from an early age.

Babies play at the Active Explorers centre, Highbrook, part of the Evolve Education Group. Photo / Michael Craig

Part Five: The big players.

A price war has broken out in parts of New Zealand where new ECE centres have opened up just as more parents keep their children home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the hiccup, the childcare business is big and getting bigger, as Simon Collins discovers.

Part Six: How to make your choice.

Price, location, opening hours, style of education - they're all important but there's one magic ingredient you can't work out from an ERO report or a spreadsheet. Our final story sums up what to look for, with a 12-point checklist and a guide to political parties' election promises. Plus we hear from an ECE teacher about his typical working day.

The Herald has produced this interactive map below so you can search for services in your neighbourhood and see how many children they cater for in each age group and their ERO ratings.

• You can also read the whole series at nzherald.co.nz/education