Fees and Hours

Children under 3 years of age

Hourly rate of $5.50 per hour (you will then be invoiced weekly). A 10% discount applies for siblings – eg Full fees for the first child, then discounted fees for all subsequent siblings.
Only 6 hours per day can be claimed from the Ministry of Education for each child. If you wish for your child to attend the Centre more than 6 hours a day, then they will be charged at a rate of $5.50 per hour (discounts for siblings apply).

Minimum Booking - 12 hours (2 days) per week, minimum of 6 hours per day

Children over 3 years of age

Funshine offers the 20 Hours ECE subsidy provided by the Ministry of Education for children over three years old. The strategy is aimed to assist all families in accessing quality childcare and education for their children.
Only 6 hours per day can be claimed from the Ministry of Education for each child. If you wish for your child to attend the centre more than 6 hours a day, then they will be charged at a rate of $5.50 per hour for subsequent hours (discounts for siblings apply).

Children attending on a casual basis

Hourly rate of $6 per hour (parents are invoiced weekly). A 10% discount applies for siblings – eg Full fees for the first child, then discounted fees for all subsequent siblings.

All children

A non-refundable $20 administration fee is charged per child on enrollment.

Unless prior arangements have been made, children who are in attendance outside their booked hours will be charged $20 for every 15 minutes that parents/caregivers/whanau are late.

Bank Details:

SBS Gore

Bank Account Number: 03 1355 0790181 00
Your reference details will be on your invoice.

If paying by cheque, please make payable to Funshine Early Learning Centre Trust and include your reference details on the back of the cheque.

Opening hours

Our doors open at 8.30am to allow you time to settle your child before our teaching starts at 9.30am. You need to remain with your child outside your scheduled hours to avoid extra charges.
The teachers are here outside 8.30am & 3.30pm to enable them to set-up and clean-up.

Booked hours/days

As of 20th November 2017, we now require for all children to enroll to attend Funshine a minimum of 2 full days a week. For new enrollments, there will be a negotiable 1 month transition period where attendance hours are not required to be a full day. We appreciate you adhering to the hours of attendance you have booked your child in for. Knowing when children are arriving and leaving helps us to manage staff ratios and comply with Ministry regulations for funding.

Please call us if you’re going to be late to pick up your child so we can make suitable arrangements. Unless prior arrangements have been made, children who are in attendance outside their booked hours will be charged an addition 10 cents per minute after a 10-minute leeway that parents/caregivers/whānau are late. A charge of $20 for afterhours pick up may also be charged.

Frequent Absences

The Ministry of Education’s Frequent Absence Rule ensures that enrolment agreements match attendance patterns as closely as possible, so that funding can be delivered fairly and accurately. To continue to offer parents either their subsidised (child under 3) or fully funded (child over 3) hours, a child’s attendance must match their enrolment agreement for at least half (i.e. 50% or more) of each calendar month.

The Frequent Absence Rule must be applied in these three situations:

when a child is absent on the same enrolled day or days of the week for more than half of these days in a calendar month or
when a child attends for fewer days per week than they are enrolled to attend, in more than half of the weeks in a calendar month or
when a child attends fewer hours than they are enrolled to attend, on a daily basis, on more than half of their enrolled days in a calendar month.

We will endure to make sure that each child matches their attendance to their enrolment agreement as closely as possible. We ask that families please let us know if they foresee any changes that may conflict with their contract, so we can offer an alternative and continue to offer funded services.

Work and Income childcare subsidy

Work and Income Childcare subsidy applications are available from our office. Call the childcare subsidy helpline on 0800 773 003 for more information.

Sick days, holidays and public holidays

Please let us know if your child is absent due to illness or holiday. Full fees are payable for sick days, holidays and public holidays, except over the annual Christmas break (3 weeks), when no fees are charged.

Other closures

The Centre closes for two additional days per year for Staff Professional Development. Approximately one month’s notice will be given, and no fees charged.
The Centre may also need to close for unforeseen emergencies (eg lack of water or electricity supply, snow days). Parents will be notified as soon as possible via email/text or phone. Full fees are payable in the event of an emergency closure.

Financial Hardship

In cases of financial hardship, families are welcomed to apply to the Board for a reduction in fees on hours outside ECE hours claimed if ECE hours are being claimed elsewhere.

Orientation

We aim to provide a smooth transition into care for your child. You will be asked to arrange three visits prior to your child’s start date, where you attend with them for an hour or so.

One of our staff will greet you and your child on your first visit. We will help orient you with the centre layout and give you time to observe and enjoy your visit. On your last of the three visits before starting, we will run through the induction process, ensuring that you are comfortable with all of our procedures. You can access the following information by speaking to our Administrator or Team Leader:

Information concerning your child;
The centre’s operational documents;
The most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report regarding the centre;
How you can be involved in the centre;
The amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education (MOE) funding received by the service; and
About any planned reviews and consultation.

We take special care to introduce your child and your family/whānau to all of our teaching staff. It is important to us that you and your child feel welcome and comfortable at all times. We work as a whānau group. Children are encouraged to form relationships with all the teachers so that we become the whanau away from home. Staff are always available to speak with you or your family/whanau about any matters that may arise.

Disclaimer

The information on this webpage is subject to change. Up-to-date information can be obtained from the Funshine office on request.

Updated: Aug 2023