Hundreds of early childhood centres will offer a new language development programme, the Education Minister has announced, as she points to screen time at home contributing to language delays in young children.
Erica Stanford announced today that the Enrich programme would expand from 65 to 525 ECE services, supporting children aged 18 months to five before they start school.
The expansion, backed by $12.4 million from last year's Budget, will be rolled out in phases as provider capacity grows.
Stanford said research showed high levels of screen time at home were linked to lower-quality parent-child interactions, language delays and behavioural problems — making it imperative to improve teacher-toddler interactions.
"We have seen five-year-old children arriving at school with the language skills of two-year-olds, and we needed to take action," she said.
"Language skills are critical for later educational success. They also play a key role in developing the social and emotional skills that support positive behaviour."
The Kiwi-developed Enrich programme gives teachers practical tools and coaching to strengthen children's language through everyday interactions, play, and conversation.
The Government said findings from a trial over the past year showed children in the programme had more advanced oral language and self-regulation and increased early literacy and social skills.
"The earlier children are identified and supported, the better their outcomes are likely to be. This is about giving every child the strongest possible start, so they arrive at school ready to learn and ready to thrive," Stanford said.
Last year's Budget put $298 million into the early learning sector overall, including $217 million in operating funding to extend the early intervention service into year one, with 560 specialist roles and additional teacher aide hours.
The package also included $9.4 million in capital funding to grow the specialist workforce and an increase in funding for providers that had not had a price rise since 2019.
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