Fees Policy Template and Procedures: Family‑Focused and Service‑Strong

Search in Service Provider
Early childhood education financial and money matters

A clear and well‑structured Fees Policy helps early childhood services maintain fairness, transparency, and financial stability.

It supports families to understand how fees are set and applied, reducing confusion and strengthening trust.

By using the accompanying guidance and the template, your service can easily create a policy that is consistent, compliant, and tailored to the needs of your service and families in your community.

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.
Already a Service Provider Member?

Not a member?  Service owners, managers, and community organisations may apply to join as a service provider.  

Five Reasons to Join Us
1. Marketing

It is prestigious to belong to the OECE. Membership is usually by invitation.  Online applications can be made if you think your service meets the criteria. To be a member a service must have as its first priority a focus on being high-quality for children and families.  It must also agree to follow the standards in the Code of Conduct for ECE Services.

Running a parent survey when you want to do one is simple – we handle it for you and provide you with a confidential copy of the results. We will also cover the cost of the survey.

Promoting your service online to parents is taken care of.  The OECE has partnered with the My ECE website and the ECE Parents’ Council Aotearoa to give members free advertising for their service.  For details directly contact My ECE

2. Professional

Free subscription access to the ECE Newsroom – your service provider member login will let you view everything in the ECE Newsroom

Complimentary access to over 25 years of published NZ and international research – your service provider member login gives you free access to the Research Library and support

3. Management

Management and ECE employment resources and advice will be at your finger-tips 24/7. We have so much available in the service provider area of our website – ranging from templates for policies, guidance on managing cashflow and debtors, staff drug use, negotiating pay with staff, and through to topics such as best sandpit design. 

We will make running a staff survey simple for you.  You can use our specially designed survey.  We collect the results and will provide you with a confidential report of the findings. (50% discount available to service provider members).

4. Representation

Did you know that the OECE meets personally and regularly with the Ministry of Education national team, and the regulations committee and other forums? 

Political leaders and journalists are able to use the OECE to gain deeper knowledge on a topic or issue, and we provide a sounding board for ideas and feedback.

Members have a direct line of communication with Dr Sarah Alexander, to bring to Sarah’s attention and discuss what’s affecting your service and community of children, families, and staff.

5. Value for Money

We are committed to keeping membership prices affordable and providing value for money. 

Membership rates start at just $250 for 12-months. Or join for 2 years for only $350.  For providers with multiple licensed services, the rates reduce per service the more licensed services you operate.  

Has this been useful?  Give us your feedback.

You are welcome to add a link to this page on your website. Copyright belongs to the OECE so please do not copy any content without our written permission.

Information provided is of a general nature. It is provided ‘as is’, and we accept no liability for its accuracy or completeness. See our Terms and Conditions.

Related Posts

teacher wages, pay scales, in childcare and early childhood education

What ECE Teachers and Workers Earn: Pay, Benefits and Conditions

Anyone thinking about getting a job in ECE working in ECE or thinking about moving to a different service will find clear, practical information in this article about pay rates, employment conditions, and what to expect in different roles. It explains everything from starting salaries and pay‑step calculations to workplace rights, benefits, and how to recognise a supportive, professional environment.

Read More »
books children reading to each other

Making Books and Reading Fun

Books and Reading Fun. By Barb Morris.

We learn best when we are playing and having fun especially if we are rewarded with smiles, positive comments and cuddles. Children are no exception! So how do they learn? When it comes to reading it is mainly by copying and you, as educators are the most powerful role models that children copy.

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »

Creating Financial Reserves

ECE Service Financial Reserves.

The Ministry of Education does not mind if a service builds up financial reserves. It will not affect funding.  Non-profit services can however face a dilemma – should they be spend the money earnt or build up wealth? But note that community-based services are in a less strong position compared with compa

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »
Lead advocate and advisor on why Pay Parity for all ECE teachers is vital (image: The petition presentation for the House of Representatives)

Data indicates pay parity is not causing education and care centres to close

After RNZ revealed last Friday that the Government intends to axe the pay parity scheme for education and care teachers, in part to give providers “greater autonomy… to negotiate” with teachers about pay, the Office of Early Childhood Education has been fact checking claims by ECE business lobbyists that pay parity has caused more services to close.

In our view, there is no evidence of this, based on the available statistics.

In a Cabinet paper from April, which was publicly released on July 17, the Ministry of Education wrote to associate minister of education David Seymour that: “The options in this paper begin the process of proactively moving away from the opt-in pay parity system and providing greater autonomy to providers to negotiate with teachers on matters of pay. The wider funding review you are seeking Cabinet approval for provides the opportunity to complete this process”.

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »
The Office of ECE

Share This Information

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

The Office of ECE Login

Take Action!

Help spread this vital ECE information, join our free social and email groups and become a member of OECE.

pay parity funding policy

1. Share This Information

2. Follow Our Social Pages

3. Get Regular Updates

Sign up to our free newsletters.

4. Become a Member