As part of the transition to a qualified home-based workforce, the minimum requirements for the quality rate will be progressively increased.
From 1 January 2021, home-based services must have at least 30% qualified educators to receive the quality funding rate.
The timeline for changing the requirements is shown in the table below:
Date requirement would be effective |
Minimum percentage of educators with a required qualification* |
Percentage of educators with at least 5 credits towards a required qualification* |
Maximum percentage of educators able to be in training or induction^ |
---|---|---|---|
1 January 2021 |
30% |
50% |
20% |
1 January 2022 |
50% |
30% |
20% |
1 January 2023 |
70% |
10% |
20% |
1 January 2024 |
80% |
0% |
20% |
* A required qualification is a grand-parented Level 3 ECE qualification, a Level 4 or higher ECE qualification, Te Ara Tuarua or higher, or a primary teacher qualification.
^ Educators who do not yet have credits towards a required qualification
The qualification requirements for the standard rate will also increase from 1 January 2022. From this date, 10% of educators must hold a required qualification.
This will be gradually increased until it reaches 80% by January 2025.
The requirements will be lifted gradually, as shown in the table below:
Date requirement would be effective |
Percentage of educators with a required qualification* |
|
---|---|---|
1 January 2022 |
10% |
|
1 January 2023 |
30% |
|
1 January 2024 |
60% |
|
1 January 2025 |
Full implementation |
80% |
* A required qualification is a grand-parented Level 3 ECE qualification, a Level 4 or higher ECE qualification, a primary teacher qualification, Te Ara Tuarua or higher.
From 1 January 2025, the standard funding rate will be removed and there will be one single quality rate. This single quality rate will require 80% of educators to be qualified, and up to 20% of educators are able to be in training or induction.
Educators entering the home-based workforce from 1 January 2025 will have up to six months for induction before they must be enrolled in the Level 4 ECE qualification or Te Ara Tuarua, and would have two years to complete the qualification.