ECE funding subsidy

The ECE Funding Subsidy is the primary form of government funding for licensed ECE services.

The ECE Funding Subsidy contributes to services’ operating costs by paying for part of each hour each child spends in ECE, to a maximum of six hours per child-place per day, 30 hours per child-place per week (i.e. seven days).

The ECE Funding Subsidy is paid three times a year – in March, July, and November.

Chapter 3 contains further information on the ECE Funding Subsidy.

Chapter 3

20 hours ECE

20 Hours ECE is a higher rate of funding than the ECE Funding Subsidy for three-year-olds, four-year-olds and five-year-olds for up to a maximum of six hours per child per day and 20 hours per week.

There are additional requirements services must meet in order to receive this funding.

20 Hours ECE funding is paid three times a year, along with the ECE Funding Subsidy.

Please refer to Chapter 4 of this handbook for further information on 20 Hours ECE.

Chapter 4

Plus 10 ECE

Plus 10 ECE describes the remaining 10 hours of funding a service can claim for each child in addition to the 20 Hours ECE hours. It is the difference between 30 hours ECE Subsidy funding and the 20 Hours ECE hours.

For more information on the ECE Subsidy, see Chapter 3 of this Handbook.

Chapter 3

Equity funding

Equity Funding provides additional educational resources to targeted communities to help improve access to early childhood education.

Equity Funding is available to all licensed ECE services that meet certain criteria.

Equity Funding is paid three times a year, along with the ECE Funding Subsidy.

Please refer to Chapter 10 of this handbook for further information on Equity Funding.

Chapter 10

Annual top-up for Isolated Services (ATIS)

The Annual top-up for Isolated Services (ATIS) is an income top-up for small licensed ECE services in isolated areas.

The ATIS is separate from the Isolation component of Equity Funding.

Licensed private and community-based services with an Isolation Index of 1.65 or greater which receive less than $20,000 per annum in ECE Funding Subsidy, 20 Hours ECE and Equity Funding are eligible to receive the ATIS (see Section 5-1 for more details).

The ATIS is calculated annually in arrears. Payment is made each year with the July ECE Funding Subsidy payment.

Chapter 5 contains further information on the ATIS.

Chapter 5