Equity funding
Budget 2013 Update
$41.3 million is being invested over four years in Equity Funding to support those ECE services that work with children from our most vulnerable communities.
Funding will increase for Component A, B and C of Equity Funding. We expect that services receiving Equity Funding will use the increased funding to:
- Increase the enrolment and participation of children from the priority groups.
- Keep ECE fees low for priority families – Māori and Pasifika children and children from low socio-economic status communities – to support their participation.
- Encourage and support family/whānau to actively engage with the early learning outcomes of their children.
- Improve language acquisition.
Equity Funding is being increased for Components A and B by 0.11c to 0.39c per child funded hour (depending on a service’s Equity Index rating) and for Component C by $110.95 per month per eligible service. The increase to Equity Funding will come into effect from 1 July 2013.
The ECE Funding Handbook will be updated to reflect these changes.
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 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.
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
Twice a year, new services are sent a children's address collection pack. If you are a new service, you will be supplied with a 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 value.
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 2013
For new services who opened between 1 April 2012 and 30 September 2012 applications for an equity index close on the 12 April 2013.
For new services who opened between 1 October 2012 and 31 March 2013 and services who wish to apply for a review, applications will open in October 2013.
Application forms are available 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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