Funding and data

Resources and information about operational funding and data collection.

• Funding handbooks
• Key funding dates 2021
• Financial declaration for early learning services
• Service audits
• The Targeted Funding for Disadvantage scheme
• Equity funding 
• The 20 Hours ECE funding scheme
• Early learning information (ELI)
• Early learning statistics
• Further information

Funding handbooks

All information related to operational funding (also known as subsidy funding or bulk funding) is covered in the funding handbook.

There are two versions of the handbook available.

Funding handbook for:

• national bodies and advocates of licensed early learning services
• managers, administrators, educators, kaiako, parents and whānau working in licensed services
• staff and administrators of centrally-administrated services
• Ministry of Education staff.

Playgroup funding handbook for:

• certificated playgroups funded by the Ministry of Education, especially management committees.

Also see the handbook updates:

• ECE Funding Handbook updates
• Playgroup Funding Handbook updates 

Key funding dates 2021

Further reminders on dates and important information will be advertised on education.govt.nz and in He Pānui Kōhungahunga – the Early Learning Bulletin 

Financial declaration for early learning services

Before 30 June each year, services are required to submit an annual financial declaration relating to the previous financial year. This is a condition of Ministry funding and assures the Ministry that the funding is being spent appropriately. To find out more about the requirements of financial declarations, follow the link below.

• Financial declaration for early learning services

Early learning service audits

The Ministry's resourcing auditors audit all early learning services to ensure that the service is receiving the correct amount of funding and to verify that the service is meeting their record keeping requirements. 

• Early learning service audits

The Targeted Funding for Disadvantage scheme

The fund aims to improve the affordability and quality of early learning for tamariki/children from disadvantaged backgrounds and ensure that they start school ready to learn.

• Targeted Funding for Disadvantage

Equity funding for early learning services

Equity funding provides additional targeted funding to make early learning opportunities equally available to everyone. It also helps services to raise educational achievement regardless of people's cultural background, socio-economic status or location.

• Equity funding

The 20 Hours ECE for ECE Services funding scheme

The 20 Hours ECE for ECE Services funding scheme reduces cost barriers so that more children can benefit from participation in ECE. For every eligible child, an early learning service will receive the 20 Hours ECE funding rate instead of the usual ECE funding subsidy rate.

• 20 Hours ECE for ECE Services

The Early Learning Information system

The ELI is an information system that collects and stores information on enrolment, attendance and staffing.

We will use the information collected in ELI for the purposes of:

• monitoring and ensuring student enrolment and attendance
• encouraging attendance at early childhood services
• ensuring education providers and students receive appropriate resourcing
• statistical purposes
• research purposes
• ensuring student’s educational records are accurately maintained.

You can find more information about the ELI system and National Student Numbers on the ELI Homepage(external link).

Early learning statistics

The Education Counts website(external link) displays statistics on topics including:

• the annual census of early learning services
• participation
• services
• finances
• staffing
• Māori in early learning
• Pacific Islanders in early learning.

Last reviewed: 22 January 2021 Has this been useful? Give us your feedback