Fees and Payments

Our centres provide 20 hours per week of early childhood education (ECE) for three to five-year-old children. From the age of three, your child is entitled to government subsidised fees at our centres for 20 hours up to six hours per day and up to 20 hours per week. If you need your child to be in childcare for more than 20 hours per week you will be charged fees for these extra hours.

To access your allocated 20-subsidised hours all you need to do is enrol your child at one of our BestStart centres and complete the attestation section of the enrolment process. Your fees will then be reduced according to the fees schedule for that centre.

Childcare Subsidies may be available to parents or guardians, you may be able to get assistance if:

• You're the main caregiver of the child
• You're a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• Your child has at least three hours of care of a week

The childcare assistance available to you will be determined by your individual situation and the type of care your child is enrolled for. WINZ also has an online calculator and application form. You’ll find it on the Working for Families website

Family Boost childcare payments

You may also be eligible for the Government’s new Family Boost childcare payment, from October 2024. If eligible, you will be able to claim up to 25% of your fees each quarter from the IRD, to a maximum of $975. 

BestStart can help you understand if you will be able to submit a claim as well as providing a quarterly statement to make claiming easier. 

There is more information on the IRD website around eligibility and how you can claim this. https://www.ird.govt.nz/family...