Licensing criteria for hospital-based ECE services

Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020(external link) defines hospital-based education and care service as the provision of education or care to 3 or more children under the age of 6 who are receiving hospital care.

ECE services operating from hospital premises that provide education and care to siblings of patients or children of hospital staff or patients are centre-based ECE services, not hospital-based ECE services.

Hospital-based services are licensed in accordance with the Education and Training Act 2020 under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008(external link), which prescribe minimum standards that each licensed service must meet. Licensing criteria are used to assess how the services meet the minimum standards required by the regulations.

For each criterion there is guidance to help services meet the required standards.

The publication of the criteria on its own can be downloaded as a PDF [PDF, 1.2 MB] and printed.

The licensing criteria were last updated in September 2022.

PF5 Adult workspace

  • Criteria
    • Criteria

      Premises and facilities criterion 5

      There is space for adults working at the service to:

      • withdraw from children for planned breaks as appropriate
      • meet privately with parents and colleagues;
      • store curriculum support materials; and
      • assess, plan, and evaluate.
      Rationale/Intent:

      To ensure adults working at the service have the space and opportunity to plan and reflect, and appropriate spaces to take their breaks during the day.

      Also to ensure that a level of privacy is available when required for parent meetings.

  • Guidance
    • Guidance

      Any examples in the guidance are provided as a starting point to show how services can meet (or exceed) the requirement. Services may choose to use other approaches better suited to their needs as long as they comply with the criteria.

      Adults should have adequate space to meet their own needs as they are working to support the education and care of the children.

      If space allows, hospital management may be in a position to provide a separate room for the exclusive use of early childhood education staff. Where separate space is not available, staff may share space with other hospital staff.

      Staff space does not have to be located within the licensed premises, but it does need to be situated nearby.

  • Things to consider
    • Things to consider

      Considerations when deciding upon the provision of staff space should include:

      • size
      • its location in relation to the activity room
      • ability of staff to assess, plan, and evaluate if space is shared with others
      • appropriate and secure storage for early childhood education curriculum support materials and records.