- Apply for an early learning service licence or certification
- Introduction to early learning services
- Licences to operate in early childhood education and care
-
Starting a centre-based ECE service
- Early childhood education and care legislation and regulations
- Designing and building your new ECE service premises
- Complying with indoor premises and facilities licensing criteria
- Complying with outdoor premises and facilities licensing criteria
- Equipment for early childhood services
- Governance and management roles and responsibilities
- Preparing for staff employment
- Preparing policies, procedures and processes
- Administration records
- Annual plan and budget
- Fees and funding
- The Early Learning Information (ELI) System
- Required assessments, approvals and registrations
- Applying for a licence
- Guides for starting an early childhood service
-
Starting a home-based ECE service
- Early childhood education and care regulations
- Home-based service operating models
- The home-based education and care home environment
- Health and safety standards and emergencies
- Home-based education and care premises and facilities
- Governance and management roles
- Managing your service
- Roles and responsibilities in a home-based education and care service
- Preparing policies, procedures and processes
- Administration records
- Annual plan and budget
- Fees and funding
- The Early Learning Information (ELI) System
- Applying for a licence
- Starting a playgroup
- Starting a puna kōhungahunga (Māori language playgroup)
- Information to assist applicants
- Information to assist home-based applicants
- Useful contact information
On this page
Home-based service operating models
There are predominantly 2 different models of home-based education and care services operating in New Zealand:
A service provider employs or engages an educator as a contractor directly and then places them with a family or families.
A service provider brokers the relationship between educators and families. The families then employ or contract the educator directly.
Irrespective of the model used, service providers as the licence holders remain directly responsible for delivering education and care services in homes, in accordance with the regulations and licensing criteria.
Print
Page updated: 02:18AM 10 August 2026
Back to top