FIRST STEPS: Norton Harrison, Liam Murphy and Samuel Hosking, of the Y men, a group of young men who underwent an intensive course to train them teach early childhood groups, seen here with kids from Owhiro Bay Kindergarten.

While most young men would run a mile from early starts and crying kids, a group of self-styled superheroes from Wainuiomata enjoy being in the minority.

Known as the Y-men, the group of eight from Lower Hutt are the first graduates of a pilot programme, funded by the Government, to encourage more male kindergarten teachers.

New Zealand has a chronic shortage of male early childhood education teachers, who make up only 1.7 per cent of the country's teachers.

Alongside the Social Development Ministry, the Wellington Kindergarten Association set up the six-month programme to get unemployed young men working next to qualified teachers at kindergartens, while receiving training and career guidance.

Association general manager Amanda Coulston said the Y-men had acted as role models and encouraged different ways of working.

"Young men bring a different energy to some of us old girls," she said. "So many of these children, if they don't see men in early childhood, they won't see them until secondary school in a teaching role.

"It was a matter of how we could start a programme where young men are involved in the kindergarten in a way that benefits the children."

Graduate Liam Murphy, 21, said that, while their mates gave them stick to start with about being weirdos, he and friends Norton Harrison, 23, and Samuel Hosking, 22, did not see any harm in giving it a try.

"We thought, `Oh yeah, sweet as, we'll give it a go,' and the first two weeks we were like, `Oh, all these kids!' And there was so much stuff to do, our morning wake-ups went from noon to 6.30 ... we were a little bit nervous, seeing if we would be able to cope.

"Then a few weeks into it we just started loving it. And driving home, instead of talking about our normal stuff, we'd be talking about what kids made us laugh today and that."

Mr Harrison, who was placed at Owhiro Bay Kindergarten, said the job was rewarding. "At the end of the day you think of the things you've achieved, like teaching a kid how to write his name ... make them stop crying. Every day is different."

Six of the participants were going on to teachers' college, and two pursuing other studies.

The association plans to work with the ministry to expand the Y-men programme this year.