Learning stories in numbers
What real use of StoryLoop shows about documentation in early childhood education, across New Zealand and Australia. Counts and medians only, recalculated every day.
Updated 14 October 2026
- learning stories drafted
- 266
- educators who wrote them
- 49
- the typical educator note
- 65 words
- the typical draft it became
- 371 words
- linked to Te Whāriki or the EYLF
- 99%
- had something raised by the privacy check
- 3%
How much does an educator need to write?
Less than most people expect. The typical note an educator writes or speaks into StoryLoop is 65 words: a few lines jotted after play. The typical draft that comes back is 371 words, with curriculum links, what the learning shows and next steps. The educator then checks and edits it before anything is shared.
How often does a note contain something that should not be shared?
In 3% of drafts, about 1 in 33, the privacy check raised something for the educator to look at before sharing, such as another child identified by name, diagnosis language or a sensitive family detail. Notes are written quickly in a busy room, so these slips are normal. They are why every draft is checked before it can go anywhere.
Does the AI decide what the learning was?
No. 94% of drafts list the assumptions the draft had to make, for the educator to confirm or correct, and 99% link to Te Whāriki or the EYLF only where the note supports it. The educator who was there has the last word.
Do educators type or talk?
Mostly type. 5% of notes were spoken rather than typed, which tends to happen when an educator records a moment on the floor instead of writing it up later.
How these are counted
- Every learning story drafted in StoryLoop, excluding StoryLoop's own test accounts and drafts of the built-in example note.
- Word counts are medians, so a handful of very long or very short notes do not skew them.
- Only totals are published. No text, no names and no figure for any single educator or centre, and nothing at all below 100 stories from 20 educators.
- For the wider picture, independent research found more than three in four Australian early childhood educators work about nine unpaid hours a week (Harper, Wilson and McGrath-Champ, 2025).
You are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Questions: ariacareapp@gmail.com. See also how long a learning story should take.