Skip to main content
Ministry of Education New Zealand
On this page
Important

New version effective 20 April 2026

This is the new version of the licensing criterion and associated guidance.
 

Criterion PF129#

  1. A designated space is available for children under the age of 2 to have restful sleep. This space is designed and located to:
    • minimise fluctuations in temperature, noise and lighting levels; and
    • allow adequate supervision.
  2. There is at least 1 sleep furniture or item (such as cots, beds, stretchers, or mattresses) for every 2 children under the age of 2.

Guidance#

How to show you are complying#

You need to designate a specific space for children aged under 2 to sleep. This should either be a separate room or a quiet part of the service. To enable restful sleep, the space should be warm and capable of managing any changes in noise and light.

Adults must be able to see and access sleeping children easily to adequately supervise.

If you have a separate room, it should be close enough to the main activity areas or have features like viewing windows to support visibility.

The sleep area must have suitable furniture for rest, like cots, beds, stretchers, or mattresses, with at least 1 piece for every 2 children.

You should check this against the number of under-2s on your licence to make sure you meet this requirement.