Equity funding
*Please note - services chartered under the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 are now deemed to be licensed.
Equity Funding targets additional funding to licensed, community-based early childhood education services.
Key Objectives
The objectives of equity funding are to:
- Reduce educational disparities between different groups in New Zealand communities;
- Reduce barriers to participation faced by those groups that are underrepresented in early childhood services; and
- Support early childhood education services in raising their level of educational achievement.
Eligible Services
Licensed, community-based early childhood education services that meet certain criteria are eligible to receive equity funding.
Ineligible Services
Private early childhood services are not eligible to receive equity funding.
Components of Equity Funding
Equity funding consists of four components. Services may be eligible for funding against one or more (or all) components. The components are:
Component
|
Eligibility Confirmed By... |
| Component A: Low Socio-Economic Communities |
Equity Index Value |
| Component B: Special Needs, and Non English Speaking Backgrounds |
Equity Index Value |
| Component C: Language and Culture other than English (including Sign-Language) |
EC15 Attestation Form
|
| Component D: Isolation |
Isolation Index Value |
Services with no Equity Index
If you are a new service, you will be supplied with a Children's Address Collection pack once you have been open for at least six months. The addresses of children attending your service will be used to calculate your Equity Index.
If you are a service that has previously chosen not to participate in the Equity Index process and would now like to, you will need to contact the Ministry of Education so that an Information Collection pack can be sent to you. Contact details are below.
Equity Index Review Process
Services with an Equity Index of 2, 3, 4, or 5+ are eligible to apply for a review of their Equity Index if they are able to provide evidence that:
The service's community profile has changed significantly since their Equity Index was issued;
OR
The service's individual enrolment profile and the catchment area from which children are drawn from has changed significantly since their Equity Index was issued. The Equity Index review process is available once a year.
Applications for 2010
Applications for the 2010 Equity Index Review process close on Friday 5 November 2010.
Application forms are available from this website as a download or by contacting the Contact Centre (Resourcing Division), Ministry of Education, ph 04 463 8383, email resourcing@minedu.govt.nz [No spam].
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