The Government is simplifying regulations for home-based education and care providers to help meet the demand for early childhood education services.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced changes to make it easier for providers to operate and offer more options to families. The current requirement of 60 percent of educators holding a Level 4 ECE qualification will be scrapped, and replaced with a new requirement that all educators either hold a qualification or are in training within six months of employment.
From January 2025, the standard funding rate will no longer apply, and all services will receive a single funding rate set at the current quality funding rate. Additionally, home-based persons responsible will be allowed to work in more than two licensed ECE services per month. These changes aim to reduce red tape and increase flexibility in the early learning sector. The Ministry for Regulation is also conducting a regulatory review of the ECE sector as a whole.