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The My ECE Guide to Centre Regulations and Minimum Standards

Regulations 2008 coverAre you are reading this because you want to know what an early childhood centre should (or should not) be providing?  Or maybe you want to know if something happening at your centre is actually legal?

To help you in easily finding what you need to know, we have summarised the legal stuff for ECE of most relevance to families and prepared this Guide which sets out the basic information under key topic section headings.

This Guide is a more reader-friendly version of the regulations and criteria (though if only the regulations and criteria were written in plain English we could have made this Guide a lot more reader-friendly without running the risk of inadvertently providing inaccurate information).  

We do not wish to confuse you, but we must let you know that the Ministry of Education also provides written 'Guidance' for its staff and ECE services on how the criteria and regulations can be put into operation. The Guidance gives the Ministry's interpretation of the intent behind the different criteria and regulations. Our My ECE Guide does not include or mention the Guidance, because from what we can make out the Guidance is just 'guidance' and is not legally binding.  

If you can't see in any of the topic sections shown below what you want to know, then consider if your question or issue may be covered by regulations outside of education, for example in the areas of consumer or employment law.  

List of articles in category The My ECE Guide to Centre Regulations and Minimum Standards
Title
About the Early Childhood Regulations Guide and Centre Compliance with Legal Requirements
Abusing, Insulting or Intimidating Staff
Adult / Staff Qualifications Minimum
Adult-Child Ratios: Minimum Number of Adults to Children Permitted
Amount of Indoor and Outdoor Space Required and Design, Layout and Use of Space
Animals and Pets at the Centre
Assessment and Reporting Children's Learning to Parents
Behaviour Management and Positive Guidance of Children
Building - Floor Surfaces, Windows, Furniture and Fittings
Child Abuse - Minimising the Risk of Abuse
Class or Centre Size - The Allowable Maximum Number of Children
Collection of Children from Centres
Complaints Procedure
Curriculum Needed To Support Children's Learning and Development
Curriculum Requirements Specific to Te Kohanga Reo (language nests)
Documentation Centres Must Have - A Quick Overview
Emergencies and Disasters (fire, threats, natural disasters, etc)
Equipment and Storage Requirements
Excluding a child who is attending part-time to make way for a full-time child: Is this legal?
Excursions
Facilities Located Outside of the Centre and Use
Fee Charging in Free Kindergartens with Teachers in the State Sector
Financial Planning and Budgeting
First Aid, Reporting and Notification of Incidents, Illnesses and Accidents
Food and Drink
Funding and Informing Parents about How Funding is Spent
Hazard Management - Health and Safety Management System
Human Resource / Staff Management Practices
Hurt, Sick or Soiled Children
Inspection and Powers of Entry to Licensed and Unlicensed Services
Licence holding requirements for the service provider
Licence requirements: About provisional licences and when a licence is reclassified
Licence requirements: About suspension and cancellation of a service's licene
Maori, Biculturalism, Culture and Identity
Medicines and Parent Written Authority
Nappy Changing (Diapers)
Noise, Lighting, Room Temperature and Ventilation
Outdoor Play Area Standards and Access for Children
Parent's Right to Enter and Stay at the Centre
Police Vetting of Non-Teaching Staff, Unregistered Teachers, Contractors and their Employers
Record Keeping - Attendance Records
Record Keeping - Enrolment Records
Self-Review and Centre Philosophy
Sleeping and Children's Rest
Toilets and Hand Washing Requirements
Travel in a Motor Vehicle
Washing Sick and Soiled Children and Cleaning Facilities
Water Temperature
Written Information that Must be Provided to Parents

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