Need-to-know | Me mātua mōhio
Reminder about data submission and confirmation events
A reminder that it is a condition of funding that licensed early learning services provide all required data to us each month via their student management system (SMS). This includes confirming the accuracy and completeness of your ELI records by end of the following month.
For example, you need to confirm all records for the month of February (including temporary closures) as accurate and complete by 31 March.
We may withhold funding in part or in full if we do not receive all the required information from your service within the timelines mentioned in the ECE Funding Handbook.
You can address specific data questions to [email protected].
For more information about your ELI data submission requirements, visit:
ECE Funding Handbook: Chapter 14 collection of information – Ministry of Education
Immunisation update – Pertussis
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious illness that can cause serious harm to babies and tamariki, especially those who are too young to receive their 6-week vaccinations. In November 2024 a pertussis epidemic was declared in Aotearoa:
Whooping cough epidemic declared across Aotearoa New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora
To protect newborn babies and preschool tamariki from the dangers of pertussis, Te Whatu Ora encourage:
- pregnant women to get their free pertussis vaccine from 16 weeks of each pregnancy to protect their baby
- infant and childhood vaccinations starting at 6 weeks of age.
For more information, visit:
Whooping cough vaccine – Te Whatu Ora
Supports
Whānau can check if they are up to date with vaccinations by contacting their healthcare provider. They can also create a child’s personalised immunisation schedule for their tamariki:
Create a child’s personalised immunisation schedule – Te Whatu Ora
Whānau can call the Vaccination Healthline free on 0800 28 29 26, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday for advice. Māori, Pacific, and disability support services are also available to provide assistance. Whānau who do not currently have a primary care provider (for example, a GP) can also ask for assistance accessing their childhood immunisations.
For more information, see here:
Any patai, email [email protected].
Discretionary hours report
We apologise that the link provided for the ‘discretionary hours reporting requirements’ in the 16 January bulletin was incorrect and linked to an old version. This was corrected the following day on our bulletin website.
The correct version can be found here:
Early Childhood Service Discretionary Hours Report – Ministry of Education
