Policy settings for infants and toddlers in New Zealand early years services: Will we ever get it right?

New Zealand participation rates for under-3-year-olds in ECE services continue to show the biggest growth rates across the 0–5-year-old age range. Yet policy provisions to safeguard high-quality experiences in their early years settings continue to lag behind research-based indicators of high-quality provision for this age group. This article traces the ups and downs of policy for under-3-year-olds since the late 1980s and argues that urgent action is needed to ensure our youngest citizens are in settings that enable them to thrive and lay the foundations for lifelong wellbeing.