Centre-based Parent Support and Development

Background

The Parent Support and Development project is part of a package of services approved in 2005 under the Kia Puawai vision:

“All children have the best start in life, flourish in early childhood, and are supported to reach their potential”

It supports the Early Intervention Programme (EI), which is led by the Ministry of Social Development. It is built on the vision that all vulnerable children receive the support they need from before birth to their transition to school. This ensures they get the best start in life enabling them to maximise their potential.

The Parent Support and Development Project links to the EI Programme as it is aimed at improving support to vulnerable families by piloting parent support linked to Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres. It seeks to develop the role of ECE centres as a community hub, or venue, for the provision of parent support and is aimed at helping government to better understand what works in parent support programmes in New Zealand. The project is aimed at families at risk of poor health, education, and social outcomes and who have children aged birth to three.

The project is piloting 18 programmes over a period of four years – eight sites in Phase 1, and ten sites in Phase 2. Each site receives funding for three years. The programmes provide parent education, social support and outreach activities to families. The project is aimed at families at risk of poor outcomes who have children aged 0-3.

Evidence Base

• two generation programmes that combine parent education/support and ECE can raise child outcomes
• connection between home and ECE environment, leads to positive education outcomes
• early years are a critical opportunity to engage parents: cases studies suggest some vulnerable parents will access ECE centres even when reluctant to access other services
• comprehensive programmes that address the real needs of parents, especially in children’s early years (0-6), can significantly improve children’s achievement.

Objectives

• Improve effective parenting by vulnerable parents, building on their skills and knowledge
• Increase participation and engagement in ECE of vulnerable children and their families
• Improve the consistency between what children learn at home and in the ECE environment
• Lead vulnerable parents to be better connected to broader social supports and informal networks

Future of the ECE Centre Based PSD project

• Independent evaluation underway, which includes case studies, data analysis and phone surveys
• Eight centres have been selected for case studies to capture detailed analysis
• Results will inform advice to government on the future funding of the existing centres and potential expansion of the programme.

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