Supervision Requirements
Ratio of at least 1 adult to 5 children.
Sufficient adults to meet the maximum ratio of 1 adult to every 5 children, with a minimum of 2 adults at all times. Some centres will have stricter ratios they have chosen to operate under.
Also, where the centre is going on an excursion or to a place where there is a higher level of risk they will need to ensure that there is an appropriate ratio, with a higher number of adults.
Children under the age of two and a half must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
First Aider
Someone who has a current first aid certificate (or is a registered medical practitioner or nurse with current practicing certificate, or is a qualified ambulance officer or paramedic)
The NZQA unit standards that meet the requirements for a first aid certificate are:
- core health unit standards 6401 (Provide first aid) and 6402 (Provide resuscitation level 2)
You can find more information about the first aid requirements on the Ministry of Education website: http://www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/employment/first-aid-qualifications/
People with various qualifications that meet one of the supervision options for funding, these include the person responsible below.
There are 2 possible levels of funding for Playcentres:
Standard or
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Quality
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To access the Quality funding level, higher qualifications are required. Note that in order to access Quality funding there must be people with these higher qualifications on every session that the centre operates.
For clarity:
- Centres must meet one of the options outlined either in Standard or Quality funding in order to run funded sessions.
- Each qualification or award specified within an option must be held by a different person.
- Your centre either meets one the options within the Standard Funding OR one of the options within the Quality funding. You do not need to meet both Standard and Quality to get quality funding. However, you need to be able to meet one of the options within that funding level for every session that the centre operates.
- For standard funding only, Course 2 is interchangeable with PIA in the above combinations.
At least one Person Responsible
- This is someone who holds a qualification gazetted by the Secretary of Education
- The Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 require that the children, and adults who supervise them are always supervised by a “Person Responsible” at every early childhood service.
- Within Playcentre, anyone who has one of the qualifications gazetted here (Early Childhood Services (Recognised Qualifications for Persons Responsible in a Playcentre) Notice – 2022-go4611 – New Zealand Gazette) is considered to be a “Person Responsible”. There can be more than one on any session or in any Playcentre.
- Those holding a Level 7 primary teaching qualification must also hold the Playcentre Primary Teacher Bridging Award (PPTBA). Through 16 July 2023, primary teachers holding the Playcentre Educator Award (PEA) can be recognised as Person Responsible if enrolled in and completing the bridging award. From 17 July 2023, primary teachers must hold the Playcentre Primary Teacher Bridging Award to be recognised as Person Responsible.
- The regulations define the Person Responsible as being person(s) who are directly involved in, and primarily responsible for, the day-to-day education and care, comfort, and health and safety of the children.
- Playcentre operates as a collective and all adults on the session have equal responsibility for the care and play activities of the children.
- However, the Person Responsible should have a level of knowledge relating to early childhood education, play, and the rules and regulations to both ensure safety and enhance the experience of the tamariki.
- The only task that it is specified must be undertaken only by the Person Responsible, is that they must approve any excursion (regular or special) that is undertaken during licensed session times.