2-2 Types of funding
Introduction
There are five types of funding covered in this Handbook including:
- The ECE Funding Subsidy
- 20 Hours ECE
- Equity Funding
- Annual Top-Up for Isolated Services (ATIS)
- Support Grant for Provisionally Registered Teachers.
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 Funding Subsidy is paid three times a year – in March, July, and November.
Chapter 3 contains further information on the ECE Funding Subsidy.
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 is paid three times a year, along with the funding subsidy.
Please refer to Chapter 4 of this Handbook for further information on 20 Hours ECE.
Plus 10 ECE
Plus 10 ECE is a new term. It 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.
Equity Funding
Equity Funding provides additional educational resources to targeted communities to help improve access to early childhood education.
Equity Funding is available to 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.
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.
Support Grant for provisionally registered teachers
The Support Grant for Provisionally Registered Teachers (“the PRT Support Grant”) provides additional funding for services that are subject to the teacher registration requirements.
From July 2011, the PRT Support Grant will be available to licensed teacher-led services funded below the 80% registered teacher rate. ECE services funded for more than 80% registered teachers will no longer be eligible for the PRT Support Grant.
From July 2011 there will be a new application and funding process. Further information on the new process for applying for the PRT Support Grant for provisionally registered teachers is available in the Grants section of this website.
Note primary qualified provisionally registered teachers will not be eligible for the Support Grant.
Services who were eligible to receive the PRT Support Grant prior to July 2011 will be paid:
- for February to May 2011 in the July 2011 bulk funding payment
- for June 2011 in the November 2011 bulk funding payment
Chapter 5 contains further information on the Support Grant.
More information
Below is a list of links to pages where more information can be found on each of these funding types.