Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO) Programme

CORE has several contracts with the Ministry of Education providing whole-centre professional support and development to early childhood services. These programmes are aimed at increasing the quality of early childhood services. The SELO programme is only offered in targeted areas and focuses on responding to Ministry of Education requirements for strengthened practice, particularly with regards to priority learners.

  • Programme One

    Programme One Programme One

    Access to this programme is exclusively via Ministry of Education referral and is dedicated to services needing robust and often multi-faceted support and development. This programme is funded to ensure prompt, high quality responsive development is available to services to meet and/or maintain Ministry of Education requirements and expectations. Services can expect a committed facilitator to work directly with management and teachers, for a specific timeframe on identified topics.

    Scope, focus topics, and timeframes are developed in consultation with the Ministry of Education at the outset of centre engagement in this programme. CORE facilitators work in negotiated and flexible ways to progress development and enhance centre-based insight and practice.

  • Programme Two

    Programme Two Programme Two

    This programme is designed to strengthen the responsiveness of ECE services to the identity, language, and culture of their communities. In most cases, it provides professional learning and development to clusters or networks of services in targeted locations. Participating services and/or clusters are identified by the Ministry of Education and the programme is flexible in duration. 

    Topics vary according to needs identified by the Ministry. CORE facilitators work in negotiated and flexible ways to progress development and enhance each teaching team’s insight and practice.

  • Programme Three

    Programme Three Programme Three

    This programme involves professional learning and development delivered to services in targeted communities identified by the Ministry of Education; those with high proportions of Māori children and Pasifika children, and services in low socio-economic communities. Topics CORE offers through this programme are:

    • Literacy 
    • Mathematics
    • ECE leadership
    • Pasifika leadership
    • Infants and toddlers


    CORE Education contracts for this programme operate only in South Island locations. Facilitators use a variety of delivery modes which can include: seminars, workshops, individual mentoring, online webinars and discussion forums. In all topics, clusters and networks of services form part of the delivery model.