Introduction to early childhood services
The Ministry of Education provides guidance on the types of early childhood services, legislation and regulations, funding, and other key considerations for people interested in establishing a service. You can find this information below.
Guide to starting a centre-based service
The Ministry of Education guidance provides prospective providers of centre-based early childhood services information to help understand what is required to start a service.
Including information about:
Applying for a centre-based service licence
This guide has details about the process to apply for a centre-based early childhood service licence. Please note this resource will be updated to reflect recent changes to agency roles and responsibilities. In the meantime, much of the information and guidance it contains remains relevant and may still be a useful source of information. Where there is any inconsistency, users should rely on current legislation and official guidance published by the relevant agency.
Step-by-step guide to starting a centre-based service
A high-level overview of the steps to follow to start a centre-based early childhood service.
Starting a centre-based early childhood service step by step | fact sheet
Checklist for choosing your premises
This checklist will help you consider a range of issues when choosing a location for your new premises.
Laws and regulations
This fact sheet outlines the laws, regulations and criteria that govern early childhood service operations, with links to more online information.
Laws and regulations overview | view online or print as a PDF
Useful contact information
This fact sheet has contact details and links to useful information from other organisations.
Starting an early childhood service: Useful contact information