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.

PF22 Bedding

  • Criteria

    • Criteria

      Premises and Facilities criterion 22

      Clean individual bedding (such as blankets, sheets, sleeping bags and pillowslips) is provided for sleeping or resting children that is sufficient to keep them warm.

      Rationale/Intent:

      To ensure children have clean and warm bedding when sleeping.

  • 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.

      Linen must never be shared between children. It must either be washed after every use or stored separately with the child’s name on it. Refer to the guidance for HS10 – Storage of Sleep Provisions.

      When putting a child to bed, it is recommended by the Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee (CYMRC) that:

      • bedding should be sufficient to keep the child warm but not to overheat them
      • bedding must be arranged so that it does not cover the child’s face – this is especially important for babies
      • children under 2 should not use pillows.