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There are different funding rates for different categories of services.  Funding also varies according to child age. 

If a service claims the 20 hours ECE funding rate for a child who is aged between 3 to 6 years, but the child stays longer than 20 hours, then up to a further 10 hours can be claimed at the usual subsidy rate.

Services are paid up to 30 hours funding for every child under 3 years (and over 3 years if the service does not provide 20 hours ECE free for children). 

Taxpayer funding is provided to services to help to reduce parent fees.  Funding is not intended to cover the full-cost of providing ECE, except for 20-Hours ECE for 3 - 5 year olds as no fees can be charged for this and any charges a service makes must clearly be communicated to parents and families as being optional to pay.

See also information in these related articles

• Wage and salary rates, and conditions for teachers in different parts of the ECE Sector
• WINZ childcare subsidy and rates - click here.  
• Fees and other charges/ what parents can expect to pay

Education and Care all-day centres and Hospital-based ECE

Notes:

• Services on a notional roll, such as hospital-based, are funded as per any teacher-led centre.
• The specific rate a service is paid at, is determined by the percentage of certificated teachers who provide education and care.  From 1 July 2020 services must attest to paying all their certificated teachers at least $23.97 hour to receive funding for employing certificated teachers. The Ministry of Education does not require any funded early childhood service to pay their teachers a wage that is greater than this Read more 

Kindergarten funding - Funding rates applicable to Education and Care all-day licensed centres funded to provide pay parity clause within the Kindergarten Teachers, Head Teachers and Senior Teachers’ Collective Agreement (2019 – 2022) 

Sessional-licensed education and care centre funding

Homebased Teacher-Led ECE Service funding

Home-based services are required to employ a person responsible/ co-ordinator for every 50 children who is qualified and holds a current practising certificate.  A service licenced for 51 children must have 2 qualified and certificated teachers.  

Te Kōhanga Reo funding

To support teachers, the Trust advocates for Te Tohu Tino Rangatiratanga Whakapakari o Te Kōhanga Reo - a Level 7 qualification delivered in te reo - to be recognised as a qualification accepted by the Teaching Council for graduates to register and gain a practising certificate. The majority of staff in Kōhanga Reo are currently undertaking a Kōhanga Reo course or hold some type of Kōhanga Reo approved course qualification.

Playcentre funding

All Playcentres are required to have a person responsible and that person may hold a Level 4 early childhood qualification on the NZQA framework or a teaching diploma or degree and a practising certificate

Donations

Tax credit can be claimed for donations to early childhood services that are approved charitable organisations. For more information go to the Inland Revenue website.

WINZ childcare subsidy

WINZ childcare subsidy and rates- click here.  

Fees and other costs to parents - click here for fees and charges