Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Schedule 2 Adult-to-child ratios (minimum)

r 44(1)(b)

Schedule 2: substituted, on 1 July 2011, by regulation 14 of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Regulations 2011 (SR 2011/198).

Early childhood education and care centres and hospital-based education and care servicesAge of children attendingNumber of children attendingMinimum staffing
All-day Under 2 years old1–51
6–102
11–153
16–204
21–255
2 years old and over1–61
7–202
21–303
31–404
41–505
51–606
61–707
71–808
81–909
91–10010
101–11011
111–12012
121–13013
131–14014
141–15015
Sessional Under 2 years old1–51
6–102
11–153
16–204
21–255
2 years old and older1–81
9–302
31–453
46–604
61–755
76–906
91–1057
106–1208
121–1359
136–15010
All-day or sessional Both age groups

Up to 3 children of mixed ages

1

More than 3 children of mixed ages

Sum of minimum staffing requirement for relevant number of children under 2 years old (as set out above) and minimum staffing requirement for relevant number of children of or over 2 years old (as set out above)

Service typeAges of children attendingNumber of children attendingNumber of adults required (minimum)
Home-based education and care serviceUnder 2 years old1–21
2 years old or over1–41
Mixed1–41
Who counts as adult or child when applying ratios
1For every service, a person must be 17 years or older and involved in duties other than food preparation and serving, administrative duties, and maintenance to count as an adult.
2However, in every service (except a home-based education and care service), a person does not count as an adult while at lunch, or while having a break, or during non-contact times.
3For every service (except a home-based education and care service), a person present aged under 6 years counts as a child.
4For a home-based education and care service, a person present aged under 6 years counts as a child unless the person is enrolled at school and is the child of an educator providing education and care at the home.
5In the case of a centre or hospital-based education and care service, every child present (including the child of the service provider or person responsible or supervisor or staff member) of any age also counts as a child.
Adult-to-child ratios are subject to exceptions
The adult-to-child ratios described in this schedule are subject to—
(a)special rules about siblings set out in regulation 54(4); and
(b)any increase authorised by the Secretary under regulation 22A(3) or 23(3) relating to the maximum number of children who may attend.
Spare capacity for children under 2 can be set off against number of children 2 or over in some circumstances
Regulation 44A allows some mixed-age early childhood education and care centres and hospital-based education and care services to take spare capacity for children under 2 into account in determining the staffing required for children aged 2 or over.