Growing Up in New Zealand: A longitudinal study of New Zealand children and their families. Transition to school

This report is a summary of mother-reported information about the nature and impact of the transition to formal schooling for the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort children. It contains information gathered during the 72-Month Data Collection Wave (DCW) and continues Growing Up’s collection of longitudinal data to document the developmental trajectories of children growing up in New Zealand today.

This report is a baseline descriptive report from the electronic Data Collection Wave undertaken by the mothers of the cohort children when they were approximately 72 months of age. The 72-month Data Collection Wave questions were designed in tandem with planning for the constructs to be measured at the next face-to-face Data Collection Wave, and also in the context of the longitudinal plan to understand the children’s development at key transition points in their lives. The 72-month Data Collection Wave questions sought information to provide context specific indicators of school readiness, enabling an assessment of how school readiness might impact child development.

Whilst focusing on the 72-month Data Collection Wave this report also draws on information about the mother-reported experiences of the Before School Check for their cohort child. The Before School Check is a free health and development check available to all four year olds in New Zealand.

This report discusses three aspects of school readiness - the 'ready child', the 'ready school' and the 'ready family'.