We have just completed a public consultation on a proposal to help fully implement pay parity for certificated teachers in education and care services (including hospital-based services and casual education and care services) with their counterparts in kindergartens. The review also covers pay for coordinators in home-based services.

Over 1000 submissions were received, reflecting a range of views including some concerns about the proposals. We will now analyse the survey responses and submissions received and provide further advice to Ministers. A consultation summary document will be published on our website later this year.

If you have any questions about the review, email ECE.PayParity@education.govt.nz.

The Kindergarten Teachers, Head Teachers and Senior Teachers’ Collective Agreement (KTCA) has been ratified.

As a flow on from this the full parity salary scale and full parity funding rates will be increased to reflect the updates to these amounts. These are presently being worked on and will be available in the funding handbook very soon.

A reminder that the January to June playgroup operational funding round closes on 30 June. The July to December funding round opens from 1 July. Playgroups can apply for operational funding using the Education Resourcing System (ERS).

Ensure you have created a funding request for the January to June 2023 period before the funding round closes on 30 June, as you cannot create a new request for this period after that date.

Your playgroup authoriser must approve the request before you submit your operational funding to us.

You can track the progress of your funding request and access payment advice notices online in ERS.

The PG5 report shows how playgroups have spent the funding they received from us.

If your playgroup received funding from us for any part of the 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 year, you must complete an annual playgroup funding report to continue to be funded for the 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 period.

We will email PG5 reports to all playgroups from the first week of July. Your completed reports should then be returned to your local Te Mahau office.

Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education

From 1 July, playgroups can apply for the ERS July to December 2023 funding period. However, applications will not be approved for payment until the PG5 form has been received.

Ensure that we have the most up-to-date email contact details for your playgroup in our records, by updating your details in ERS or by contacting your education advisor. Contact your education advisor if you do not yet have access to ERS set up.

How to get access to ERS – Ministry of Education

More ERS support information is available on its homepage that includes FAQs, a training module and step-by-step guidance.

Educational Resourcing System (ERS) – Ministry of Education

ERS is supported by our resourcing team, phone 0800 323 323 or email resourcing@education.govt.nz.

On 1 July we will pay the next instalment of ECE funding to licensed early learning services. The final date for submitting your electronic and paper RS7 return is 9 June.

If your service submits RS7 return after 9 June but before 10 July, funding will be processed for payment on 20 July.

To recognise the pressure on early learning services and medical services during the winter months due to a COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreak, we are making temporary changes to the following funding rules to help relieve the stress during this time.

Note these changes are temporary, for the June–September 2023 funding period.

In an event that a child is absent for more than three weeks due to COVID-19 or RSV, a service can apply for an exemption from the three-week rule to continue to receive funding. Under normal circumstances, to access this exemption, an EC13 form (supporting medical certificate) must be completed by a medical practitioner.

EC13: Medical Certificate to support application for exemption from absence rule for Special and/or Health Needs [PDF, 43 KB]

However, for the period June to September 2023, if a child is not attending because they are:

• unwell with a likely RSV infection
• vulnerable to respiratory illness, or
• advised by health authorities or medical practitioner to stay home due to illness in their household.

An EC13 Form can be completed by the child’s parent or guardian, in the place of a medical practitioner.

The service must also complete an EC12 (absence rule exemption form) confirming the child’s enrolment details and keep both documents on file.

EC12: Application for exemption from absence rule for special and/or health needs [PDF, 142 KB]

Where absence due to COVID-19 or RSV continues for a period of six weeks or more, parents need to re-confirm the situation in writing. This can be done in the form of an email or text message. Parents do not need to re-sign the EC13. The maximum period a child can be exempted from the absence rules is 12 weeks.

We encourage any services severely affected by RSV infections to contact their local Te Mahau office for support.

Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education

We have widened the funding settings for emergency closures to cover staff who have COVID or winter flu-like illnesses.

Early learning services can apply for emergency closure if they are unable to meet minimum staffing requirements because their staff are sick with COVID-19 or winter flu-like illnesses.

You will need to contact your regional office to confirm your emergency closure and gain approval.

Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education

As we approach the winter months with the potential for increased illness in services, please ensure that your teams and communities understand the normal absence funding rules as outlined in the ECE Funding Handbook.

ECE Funding Handbook – Ministry of Education

Under the normal absence rules, services can claim funding for hours permanently enrolled children do not attend, providing that certain conditions are met. These funding rules recognise that absences do occur, and services should not be unreasonably penalised because of this.

Absence funding support for when a child is away includes:

• The three-week rule for continuous absence, which provides funding for three weeks of continuous absence regardless of reason.
• The frequent absence rule, which allows for three months of irregular attendance before an enrolment agreement needs to be changed.

6-5 Three-week rule for continuous absence – Ministry of Education

6-7 The frequent absence rule – Ministry of Education

Permanently enrolled children with special needs or health problems may be exempt from the frequent absence rule or funded for continuous absences beyond the three-week period.

Services seeking an exemption from the absence rules must complete the EC12 and EC13 forms where applicable.

EC12: Application for exemption from absence rule for special and/or health needs [PDF, 142 KB]

EC13: Medical Certificate to support application for exemption from absence rule for special and/or health needs [PDF, 43 KB]

These two forms, along with supporting documentation, must be retained by the service.

Services must provide these documents to us or our resourcing auditors on request.

Services should consider how the normal absence rule protects a child’s funding claim before applying an absence exemption as this may reduce the need to complete EC12 or EC13 forms for absences. Short-term absences related to winter-illness or COVID-19 do not always require an absence exemption.