Tiny Nation has shared its submission to the Government’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Funding Review, emphasising that home‑based ECE is uniquely positioned to solve the core problems identified by the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) – but only if funding settings finally reflect the realities of the home‑based model.
Director Erin Maloney says the review is a critical opportunity to re-shape funding so that home‑based ECE can continue delivering high‑quality, relationship‑rich learning to tamariki across Aotearoa.
“Home‑based ECE is already doing the work the system needs most — reaching families who face barriers, providing flexible care, supporting rural and remote communities, and delivering exceptional quality through small ratios. If Government funds home‑based properly, we can solve many of the challenges this review has highlighted.”
Home‑based ECE delivers where others cannot
Maloney says the COVID‑19 pandemic demonstrated the resilience and importance of the home‑based model.
“When centres were closed, home‑based educators continued providing care as essential workers from their homes. We kept tamariki safe, supported whānau stability, and enabled other essential workers to return to work. That continuity is a huge national asset — especially in the uncertain geopolitical environment we’re living in now.”
Funding settings must catch up
Tiny Nation’s submission calls for several key changes to ensure home‑based ECE remains viable and can continue serving communities effectively:
- A lift in operational funding (per funded hour per child) to offset inflation and support long‑term sustainability
- Targeted funding that explicitly includes home‑based ECE, recognising the communities we serve and the cost drivers unique to the home-based ECE model
- Funding for an educator’s own child, who is counted in ratio and receives the same programme delivery as any other child
- Digital enrolment agreements and electronic signatures, which would be the single biggest efficiency and cost‑saving for home‑based providers
- Simplified attendance and absence verification, removing unnecessary duplication for families and educators
- A sector‑wide pay and progression framework that finally includes home‑based visiting teachers
Maloney says these changes are essential to stop the decline of home‑based services, which have halved since 2016.
“Home‑based ECE delivers the strongest return on investment in the sector. It’s nimble, cost‑effective, and deeply embedded in communities. Every dollar invested in home‑based stretches further and reaches families who need support the most.”
With the Funding Review a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a more innovative and simplified funding model, Maloney urges Government to ensure home‑based ECE is not overlooked in the final recommendations.
“If we want an early learning system that is equitable, resilient, and future‑focused, home‑based ECE must be strengthened — not sidelined. We are ready to deliver for tamariki, whānau, and communities. Now we need funding settings that allow us to do it.”