MyECE logo
Facebook
ECE Parents Council logo

Home-Based Childcare

Share Me

Home-based ECE involves people caring for children in a home environment (either their home or the child’s home), who have signed up to a government funded and licensed home-based agency.

The agency is responsible for overseeing the care and education of the child and the person’s work, and providing support with training and administration. It is also responsible for making sure the caregiver or nanny provides an early childhood curriculum and the home meets minimum regulations for things such as health and safety. 

Most agencies ask parents to pay the person (educator) directly, while the agency collects government funding to pay for providing supervision of the educator and professional support, equipment, and resources.

home-based

Home-based ECE can include up to four children, often of different ages, and may include the educator’s own young child.  Other family members such as older children and extended family members may also be present or pop in from time to time.

Most home-based educators take children on excursions – shopping and to the park and playgroups, etc.

Home-based ECE is a popular choice among parents, as well as children being able to go on frequent outings/ walks etc, there is the the smallness and friendliness of a family-style arrangement, and flexibility of hours that a home-based educator often offers.

There is one thing you need to be aware of and clarify – check if the agency accepts ultimate responsibility for your child’s care and the quality of the educator’s work. If it does not, then you may want to choose an agency that accepts rather than passes on responsibility. A Dec 2010 case of a stressed homebased educator working for PORSE without back-up who left a baby at her house alone for 2 hours highlighted that when an agency uses self-employed contractors rather than employing educators as staff it can be let off for failings in the supervision of the contractor and ensuring child supervision and safety. 

Are you interested in being a (paid) home-based educator?

Go to an article on becoming a home-based educator.

Learn what to look for when choosing Home-based ECE

Choosing a good home-based service

Would you prefer a nanny?

Find out about employing a nanny in your home

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More
articles

Parent information display on an early childhood centre wall (NZ)
Our Advocacy

Harder to Speak Up, Harder to Check: The End to Rules Requiring Display of a Complaints Procedure, Key Regulations, and Teacher Name and Qualification Info

The rules that once required centres to display key information – such as the names and qualifications of teachers, the regulations they must follow, and how to make a complaint (including concerns about breaches of regulation) – have been stripped back. What used to be visible at a glance will now sit behind layers of “ask us if you want it.”

Read More »
Infant with book
Our Advocacy

Submission to the Education and Workforce Committee on the Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill

ECE Parents’ Council Aotearoa represents parents and caregivers across Aotearoa New Zealand who are committed to high-quality, accessible, and safe early childhood education (ECE) for our tamariki. 

We oppose the Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill in its entirety and respectfully submit that it should not proceed.

Read More »
breach of trust crying sad child
Our Advocacy

Horrifying injuries, harmful sexualised behaviour and teachers talking about rape in front of children: What complaints about ECE services tell us about the state of the sector

A child escaping from a centre by digging under the fence, multiple instances of toddlers breaking bones twice in a matter of months, and allegations of inappropriate handling of a child’s sexualised behaviour are among complaints about ECE services made through MyECE, the website for the ECE Parents’ Council.

Read More »
Regulations, Rules, and ECE Service Legal Requirements

Licences and Licensing

What a licence is, the classes of licence, details shown on the licence which must be displayed, and the requirement for the licence holder to be a fit and proper person.

Here’s a full outline on what you need to know about licences.

Read More »
Family and parent involvement in their child's learning and early childhood education
Regulations, Rules, and ECE Service Legal Requirements

Who Can Be Authorised to Collect a Child or Do Pick-Up

Can an older sibling pick up their little brother or sister from the centre or service?
There are some specific rules on who can be authorised to do pick-up, under what circumstances, and the person’s age.
Here’s the full details on the rules.

Read More »
Early Childhood Education and Daycare - Reviews, Rating, and a description of the service's standards

Join the Parents Council

Are you are parent, grandparent, or caregiver of a child under 6 years?    

Join the ECE Parents Council.   You will receive:

  • A monthly newsletter (free)
  • Survey invitations and notifications of important changes in ECE

We promise not to spam you with rubbish, just useful information.