CONTENTSAn early childhood education and care centre is defined in Section 10 of the Education and Training Act 2020 as a premises that is used regularly for the education or care of 3 or more children where:
- the children are not children of the persons providing the education or care
- the children are not enrolled at a school who are being provided with education or care before or after school
- the children are not under the age of 6 years by day (or part of a day) but not for any continuous period of more than 7 days.
Education and Training Act 2020, Section 10 – New Zealand Legislation
Centre-based early learning services include:
- Playcentre.
- Te Kōhanga Reo.
- Kindergarten.
- Education and care services.
- Puna reo.
- Reo rua education and care.
- Leo o fanau moana immersion.
- Leo o fanau moana bilingual.
These services may also be known as childcare centres, preschools, crèches, a'oga amata, or early childhood centres. They can operate in different ways and may follow particular educational approaches, such as Montessori or Rudolf Steiner.
All centre-based early learning services must be licensed under the Education and Training Act 2020 and comply with the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The regulations set the minimum standards services must meet to operate.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 – New Zealand Legislation
To gain and keep a licence, services must demonstrate that they meet these requirements. Licensing criteria are secondary legislation and are used to assess compliance with most of the regulatory standards.
There are no licensing criteria for the qualifications, ratios, and service size standard. Compliance with this standard is assessed directly against the requirements set out in the schedules to the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.
You can find a copy of the licensing criteria to download or print below.
The licensing criteria were last updated on 1 September 2026. The changes reflect the transfer of regulatory functions for early childhood education from the Secretary for Education in the Ministry of Education to the Director of Regulation in the Education Review Office.
You can find a comparison tables showing these changes below.
You can find information on the prescribed curriculum framework you must follow on our website.
From 1 September 2026, the Education Review Office (ERO) is responsible for licensing and regulating early childhood education services.
You can find guidance on how to demonstrate compliance with licensing criteria and how to apply for a licence on ERO's website.
Apply for an early learning service licence or certification – ERO
