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An annual plan and budget to cover your first year of running your service are required for your probationary licence application if:
- you are applying for a probationary licence and do not currently run a fully licensed service elsewhere
- you are a new service provider and have not held a licence before.
You need to submit your annual plan with your application and provide access to your annual budget at the probationary licence assessment visit.
Annual plan#
An annual plan guides your service’s operations. It outlines key tasks and when they will happen over the next 12 months to keep your service running smoothly.
It should clearly state:
- what each task is
- when it is scheduled
- who is responsible.
For some one-off projects you will need to develop much more detailed timelines identifying 'who, what and when'.
An annual plan helps you track progress of your regular key tasks and one-off projects and can help with reporting and reviews.
Annual plan example#
This example is not an exhaustive plan and the headings may or may not suit your service. Change the example to suit your needs or create your own format. It is designed to give you some ideas only.
Download the example annual plan.
See the relevant regulation and licensing criterion.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, regulation 47 – New Zealand Legislation
Annual budget#
It’s good financial management to operate an annual budget. This will help you understand if your service is financially sound and identify any areas of risk.
It needs to include at least:
- staffing costs, including leave entitlements
- professional development costs
- equipment and material costs for the ongoing purchase of new equipment and consumable materials
- provision for operational costs (such as electricity, telephone, food purchases and other day-to-day items) and maintenance of your premises as appropriate.
It should also include the expected revenue from your funding sources.
See ECE funding handbook references to the annual budget.
12-2 Types of financial reports
See the relevant regulation and licensing criteria.
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, regulation 47 – New Zealand Legislation
