In early childhood education (ECE), data drives decisions. But what if the data we collect tells only half the story? Attendance, compliance, and enrolment are easy to measure, yet they rarely reflect the deeper work of care, connection, and protection. According to OECD (2021), the world’s most effective ECE systems use evidence that tracks both access and wellbeing, not one at the expense of the other.
The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) can reset the balance by designing data systems that reflect humanity as much as efficiency. What we choose to measure is what we choose to value.
"If it is not measured, it is rarely funded. If it is not funded, it is rarely prioritised."
1 - Engage: Seeing What Is Missing
Engagement starts with visibility. Current dashboards capture attendance and funding flows but overlook indicators of safety, stability, and emotional wellbeing. The Ministry of Education’s (2024) Regulatory Review of ECE highlights this gap, noting that compliance reporting often substitutes for genuine quality measurement.
We need to measure what matters:
- The percentage of staff completing safeguarding PLD.
- Time-to-escalation for child safety concerns.
- Educator wellbeing and retention rates.
- Whānau satisfaction and trust in relationships.
When data captures protection as clearly as participation, it drives investment where it matters most.
2 - Enable: Building Dashboards That Tell the Truth
According to OECD (2021), quality ECE data systems are integrated across agencies and designed for learning, not punishment. The Funding Review can support digital infrastructure that connects education, health, and social services while protecting privacy.
Imagine a national dashboard that shows:
- Safeguarding training coverage (Teaching Council, 2024).
- Inter-agency collaboration metrics between ECE services and Oranga Tamariki.
- Stability of educator-child relationships.
- Family engagement rates.
The goal is not surveillance; it is insight. When data informs reflection, not reaction, systems become safer and more responsive.
"Good data tells a story, not just a statistic."
3 - Empower: Data as a Leadership Tool
Data should empower leaders, not overwhelm them. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ (2024) encourages evidence-based reflection as part of Our Code, Our Standards. By aligning data with these principles, the Funding Review can enable leaders to use information ethically and effectively.
Leadership tools could include:
- Digital dashboards that visualise wellbeing and workload trends.
- Early-warning systems for safety or burnout risk.
- Data storytelling frameworks for reflective leadership development.
Empowered leaders use data as a compass, not a compliance tool.
4 - Evolve: Learning Systems That Grow Safer
Systems should learn from their own data. Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child (2016) and WHO and UNICEF (2018) both stress that responsive systems adapt based on what the evidence shows. The Funding Review can foster continuous improvement by embedding feedback loops across agencies including the Teaching Council, Ministry of Education, Oranga Tamariki, and the Education Review Office.
When data informs policy in real time, we move from static compliance to dynamic learning. The safest systems are those that learn from themselves.
"Protection lives in the patterns we notice early."
Closing Reflection
Data is not neutral; it reflects values. The ECE Funding Review can shift our system from counting attendance to counting care, from compliance reports to meaningful insight. When we measure belonging, safety, and wellbeing, we make them visible, fundable, and enduring.
"The future of quality is not in more data, but in better data."
Reflection Prompts
- What indicators of protection or wellbeing could you measure in your service today?
- How could a shared dashboard between agencies improve safety outcomes?
- How might data storytelling strengthen leadership reflection and culture?
Inline References
- Ministry of Education (2025). ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025). education.govt.nz.
- Ministry of Education (2024). Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education. education.govt.nz.
- OECD (2021). Starting Strong VI: Supporting Meaningful Access and Quality in ECEC. oecd.org.
- Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (2024). Our Code, Our Standards. teachingcouncil.nz.
- Oranga Tamariki (2024). Annual Report and Child Safety Data. orangatamariki.govt.nz.
- Harvard Center on the Developing Child (2016). From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts. developingchild.harvard.edu.
- World Health Organization and UNICEF (2018). Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development. who.int; unicef.org.