Longitudinal cohort studies have significant potential to inform policy across a range ofchild and family areas, including early childhood education and care. Here we describethe relationship between policy-makers and New Zealand’s contemporary pre-birthcohort study. We outline a model for policy interaction that highlights the relationshipbetween Growing Up and policy across study design, implementation and analysis. Wethen describe key policy-relevant questions in the early childhood education and carearea that Growing Up has addressed when children were age 2. We used parent-reportdata for 6242 children to consider: whether socio-economic factors and ethnicity arerelated to the type, amount and quality of care children receive, and changes in thiscare across the early years; whether families are intending to utilise ‘20 Hours ECE’ whentheir children reach age 3, and if not, why not; and whether differences in intentionsto use ‘20 Hours ECE’ are based on socio-economic factors, ethnicity and the type ofchildcare children are receiving at age 2. Results indicated clear differences in nonparentalcare at age 2 as a function of maternal ethnicity, income, area deprivation andhousehold structure. Several child care proxy quality indicators were lower for childrenof Māori, Pacific and Asian mothers compared with children of European mothers, andfor children living in higher deprivation areas. While 88 % of mothers were intending toutilise the Government’s ‘20 Hours ECE’ funding, Asian and Pacific mothers and motherswhose children were cared for by family members were less likely. These findings highlightthe importance of continued policy efforts to reduce socio-economic and ethnicdisparities in education and care during the preschool years.
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