A survey showing that 85 per cent of parents are satisfied with their children’s early childhood education service overall is a testament to the hard work of teachers and parents, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

“The 2014 Kiwis Count survey dataset released today by the State Services Commission shows that parental satisfaction in ECE service overall is high.

“Quality early learning gets kids off to the best possible start in life so it’s great that most parents are either highly satisfied or very satisfied with our ECE system,” says Ms Parata.

The survey also found that 82 per cent of parents were satisfied overall with their children’s primary schooling, as were 78 per cent of secondary school parents.

“These results show that our education system has the confidence of most parents, however there is still work to do.

“Parents surveyed told us that we need to do more to provide them with more information on their child’s progress with NCEA and to prepare students for life and work,” says Ms Parata.

“There is already work underway to involve parents more in their children’s education and improve transitions from secondary school to work, including through Youth Guarantee initiatives including Trades Academies and Vocational Pathways.

“The great news is that most parents are satisfied with many aspects of our education system and that is a tribute to our many hard-working teachers and education leaders,” says Ms Parata.