Licensing criteria for home-based ECE services

Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020(external link) defines home-based ECE services as the provision of education or care, for gain or reward, to children who are under the age of 5 years, or who are aged 5 years but not enrolled at school, in:

  • the children’s own home; or
  • the home of the person providing the education or care; or
  • any other home nominated by a parent of the children.

These services are licensed in accordance with the Education and Training Act 2020 under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008(external link), which prescribe minimum standards that each licensed service must meet. Licensing criteria are used to assess how the services meet the minimum standards required by the regulations.

For each criterion there is guidance to help services meet the required standards.

The publication of the criteria on its own can be downloaded as a PDF [PDF, 1.3 MB] and printed.

The licensing criteria were last updated in September 2022.

PF15 First aid kit

  • Criteria
    • Criteria

      Premises and Facilities criterion 15

      There is a first aid kit that:

      • complies with the requirements of Appendix 1;
      • is easily recognisable and readily accessible to adults; and
      • is inaccessible to children.
      Rationale/Intent:

      To ensure:

      • there are adequate provisions available for the treatment of minor injuries
      • adults can easily find the necessary provisions for administering first aid, and
      • children cannot access any hazardous materials themselves.

  • Guidance
    • Guidance

      Any examples in the guidance are provided as a starting point to show how services can meet (or exceed) the requirement. Services may choose to use other approaches better suited to their needs as long as they comply with the criteria.

      First aid kit contents and placement

      A list of first aid kit contents can be found in Appendix one (note that this is the minimum requirement). The first aid kit should be stored in a place where it is readily available to adults, but is secure and out of reach of children.

      First aid kit maintenance

      Items in first aid kits will need to be replaced as they are used, and regular checks should be made to ensure that any perishable items are not past their use-by date (once a month or term is recommended). Regular checks are particularly important in the home setting where family members may also be accessing first aid kit items.

      First aid kit identification

      First aid kits need to be easily recognisable – so that when an accident happens, any adult at the home can identify it.