The Ministry of Education expects to finish introducing the Early Learning Information System (ELI) that tracks enrolment and attendance to nearly 3,500 early childhood centres next month.
The system records enrolment, attendance and allocates children a student number - which they used to get only when they started school.
The ministry said play centres and kohanga reo are not using the system, but are expected to adopt it next year.
The software has cost nearly $10 million to build and introduce.
Chief executive of the Early Childhood Council, Peter Reynolds, said the new enrolment system will help bring overdue changes to the sector.
Mr Reynolds said that it will allow the Government to address long-standing problems.
"There are a long list of things we would like the Government to do, but continually the government hides behind the ELI promise, and say we've got to wait until we see data coming out before we know what we're doing."
Mr Reynolds also said most of the council's members are happy with the new system.
