3-B-2 Teacher-led education and care services
Introduction
This section explains:
- how the ECE Funding Subsidy for teacher-led education and care services is calculated
- the definitions of Registered Teacher Hours and regulated (ratio) staff
- how to keep track of Registered Teacher Hours
- how the proportion of Registered Teacher Hours is turned into a funding rate
- record keeping requirements for teacher-led education and care services.
Teacher-led education and care services
Teacher-led education and care services come in many different forms, including kindergartens, crèches, aoga, punanga reo and childcare centres.
Funding rates
Funding rates for teacher-led education and care services depend on four variables:
- whether a service is all day or sessional
- the number of ‘Registered Teacher Hours’ a service has as a proportion of the total number of regulated (ratio) staff hours (discussed later in this section)
- the age of children attending the service
- whether the service is offering 20 Hours ECE.
The funding rates for teacher-led services do not apply to home-based services.
See Section 2-6 for further information on funding rates.
Attestation of registered teachers’ salaries
By attesting that all registered teachers employed by their service are being paid at least at the Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q3+ entry levels in the current Early Childhood Collective Agreement, all education and care services, kindergartens and hospital-based services will be eligible to receive higher funding rates.
This is to ensure that registered teachers are recognised and rewarded for their contribution to quality ECE through higher salaries.
Note: this also applies to New Zealand qualified and registered primary teachers who may be employed at a teacher-led education and care service, kindergarten or hospital-based service.
This information can also be found in the Attestation: Registered Teachers Salaries circular on the Ministry's website.
Funding Rate Table
The Funding Rate Table shows the funding rates for each type of service. A copy of the table is included in this Handbook (Appendix 1).
The Funding Rate Table will be updated with any change in funding rates.
Regulated (ratio) staff
Regulated (ratio) staff are staff required to meet the minimum regulatory requirements for staff:child ratios.
To find out the regulated (ratio) staff requirements for your service, please refer to the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 2008.
For more information on the Regulations see the legislation website.
Regulated (ratio) staff hours
Regulated (ratio) staff hours are the total number of hours worked by all regulated (ratio) staff in a service each day.
Example: regulated (ratio) staff
Hine and Jocelyn work at Rimu Rd Crèche from 7am to 3pm every day.
From 7am-8:30am, there are usually only two or three children present. This means only one person is required to meet the regulated (ratio) staff requirements.
The regulated (ratio) staff hours from 7am-8:30am = 1.5 hours. Only include those staff who are required to be present to meet regulated ratio requirements during that time period. For this example only include either Hine’s or Jocelyn’s hours.
Registered teachers
A ‘registered teacher’ is a holder of a current practising certificate that has been issued by the New Zealand Teachers Council, or a letter from the Teachers’ Council advising that registration has been approved and that the practising certificate will be mailed within four to six weeks.
This includes provisionally registered teachers, teachers ‘subject to confirmation’, and fully registered teachers. For more information please refer to the Teachers Council website.
Note: For ECE funding purposes, ‘registered teachers’ must be ECE qualified teachers, or New Zealand qualified primary teachers.
Registered Teacher Hours
Registered Teacher Hours are the total number of hours worked by all registered teachers in a service at times when they were counted towards regulated (ratio) staff.
‘Other Teachers’ and Other Teacher Hours
For funding purposes, ‘Other Teachers’ are defined as any regulated (ratio) staff members who do not meet the above definition of a registered teacher.
‘Other Teacher Hours’ are regulated (ratio) staff hours worked by ‘Other Teachers’ as defined above.
Example: Registered and Other Teacher Hours
Hine, Jocelyn, and Alex work at Rimu Road Crèche from 7am to 3pm each day. Hine is a registered teacher. Jocelyn and Alex are not registered teachers.
From 9am - 11am there are 12 children present. Two people are required to meet the regulated (ratio) staff requirements. From 9am-11am Hine’s hours are counted as Registered Teacher Hours. Jocelyn’s hours are counted as Other Teacher Hours.
Alex’s hours are not counted because only two people are required to meet the regulated (ratio) staff requirements.
Keeping track of teacher hours
Teacher-led education and care services are required to keep a Staff Hour Count that will keep track of the number of Registered Teacher Hours and Other Teacher Hours that make up the regulated (ratio) staff hours for their service.
Services must use the Staff Record to manage the Staff Hour Count.
Staff Record requirements
Teacher-led education and care services (excluding sessional kindergartens) must keep a Staff Record to manage their Staff Hour Count. The Staff Record shows the actual hours worked by regulated (ratio) staff on a daily basis.
For the purposes of the Staff Hour Count the Staff Record must contain all of the following:
- the names of staff used for regulated (ratio) staff requirements at any time during the day
- a note against each staff member’s name that identifies whether or not the person is a registered teacher
- the actual number of regulated (ratio) staff that were required during each hour of the day to meet regulated (ratio) staff requirements
- the actual hours worked each day by each regulated (ratio) staff member
- the total actual hours worked each day by registered teachers who were counted towards regulated (ratio) staff requirements (including hours worked by Other Teachers acting as relievers for up to 40 discretionary hours)
- the total actual hours worked each day by Other Teachers who were counted towards regulated (ratio) staff requirements.
How to complete the Staff Record
You can complete your Staff Record either:
- at the end of the day, recording actual hours worked by regulated (ratio) staff (make sure you keep a copy of the roster or schedule to support this) or
- planning your roster or schedule before the start of the week, and making changes each day only if there was a change to the regulated (ratio) staff requirements for any of the hours in that day. By the end of the week, the planned Staff Record will have become a record of actual hours worked.
The table below shows one way you could complete your staff record and staff hour count.
| Step |
Action |
| 1 |
Choose a 'block of time' that you will use on your Staff Record. This could be either a half or whole hour block. |
| 2 |
Work out your regulated (ratio) staff requirement for each block of time. This should be based on the maximum number of children who attended during each block of time. |
| 3 |
Write down your regulated (ratio) staff requirement for each block of time. |
| 4 |
Write down the actual blocks of time worked by each regulated (ratio) staff member. Make sure you write down the staff member's name and indicate whether they are a registered teacher. |
| 5 |
If you have used half hour blocks, convert these blocks into whole hours. |
| 6 |
Add up the total number of hours worked each day by registered teachers who were counted towards regulated (ratio) staff requirements. Write this number down. |
| 7 |
Add up the total hours worked each day by Other Teachers who were counted towards regulated (ratio) staff requirements. Write this number down. |
| 8 |
These totals are your Staff Hour Count. |
Recording breaks/ absences
Breaks/absences of 15 minutes or more must be recorded on the Staff Record to maintain transparency and may be counted as one discretionary hour.
Breaks/absences under 15 minutes do not need to be recorded on the Staff Record.
Services must record the hours covered by Other Teachers as Other Teacher Hours on the Staff Record and Staff Hour Count for breaks/absences over 15 minutes.
Refer to the Glossary for definition of discretionary hours.
Registered teacher absences and discretionary hours
Services should maintain a list of registered relievers who are available when registered teachers are absent.
The Ministry will accept up to 40 discretionary hours per funding period (to maintain current rates of funding) when registered relievers are not available, provided that the record keeping requirements described in this section are met.
Services may record the hours worked by relievers who are Other Teachers as Registered Teacher Hours for the purposes of the Staff Hour Count for 40 hours during the funding cycle. Services may choose which hours these apply to – they do not have to apply to the first 40 hours.
Refer to the Glossary in this Handbook for definition of discretionary hours.
Example of how to use discretionary hours
Full hours must be used. Each discretionary hour must not be broken down into part-hours. For example:
- If a registered teacher was away for 30 minutes, one discretionary hour would need to be used to cover this absence.
- If a registered teacher was away for one hour and 30 minutes, two discretionary hours would be used.
- If a teacher was away for one hour and 10 minutes, one discretionary hour would be used (because absences under 15 minutes do not have to be recorded).
Discretionary hours: record keeping
Service providers must:
- keep evidence of the reason for the registered teacher’s absence and
- keep evidence of attempts to contact a registered teacher to cover the absence.
Instances where discretionary hours have been used do not need to be indicated on the RS7 form. Records should be kept at the service only.
Signing the Staff Record
The Staff Record must be signed (in full) at the end of each week by each regulated (ratio) staff member as a true and correct record of their actual hours worked for that week.
Staff Record Template
A sample Staff Record is provided in Appendix 2.
You may use this as a template for your service’s Staff Record or design your own provided the information required in the Staff Record (see section above) is included.
Link between Staff Hour Count and funding rate
Follow the diagram below to see an example of how a service’s Staff Hour Count is used to determine their funding rate.
Example: November funding period
- Kowhai Street Childcare Centre completes their November RS7 Form with their Registered Teacher Hours and regulated (ratio) staff hours for June, July, August and September.
- The Ministry calculates that the percentage of Registered Teacher Hours for June - September for Kowhai Street Childcare Centre was 67%.
- Kowhai Street is placed on the 50-79% funding rate.
- Kowhai Street’s advance funding for November, December, January and February is paid at the 50-79% funding rate.
- Kowhai Street’s wash-up funding for June, July, August and September is paid at the 50-79% funding rate.
Example: March funding period
- Kowhai Street Childcare Centre completes their March RS7 Form with their Registered Teacher Hours and regulated (ratio) staff hours for October, November, December and January.
- The Ministry calculates that the proportion of Registered Teacher Hours for October – January was 82%.
- Kowhai Street’s wash-up funding for October, November, December and January is paid at the 50-79% funding rate.
- Kowhai Street’s advance funding for March, April, May and June is paid at the 80+% funding rate.
Note: Funding rates in the March 2011 period cannot be higher than funding rates in the November 2010 funding period.
Process for change of funding rate
Services do not need to apply for a change of rate.
Each service’s funding rate is calculated by the Ministry at the time of each funding round. Wash-up funding will be paid at the new funding rate.
Services that employ a registered teacher between funding rounds must budget funds to cover the period before the higher funding rate takes effect.
For more information on how to calculate the Staff Hour Count, refer to Section 9-4.
Record keeping
Services must keep the following documentation:
- a copy of the current practising certificate of each registered teacher
- copies of ECE qualifications for all staff members
- a Staff Record (that has recorded the actual hours worked by all regulated (ratio) staff) for every day the service is operating
- signature sheets where regulated (ratio) staff have signed (in full) at the end of each week that the Staff Record is a true and correct record of their actual hours worked for that week
- records that verify that each registered teacher counted towards Registered Teacher Hours was employed by the service at that time
- records that verify the pay rate at which each registered teacher is paid.
Documentation (including copies of practising certificates) must be kept for seven years.
Staff record template
A sample Staff Record is provided in Appendix 2.
You may use this as a template for your Early Childhood Staff Form, or design your own (as long as the information above is included).
More record keeping information
Below is a list of links to further information about record keeping and financial reporting requirements: