Using two services without double-counting
Families may split 20 Hours ECE across more than one early learning service, but the child’s combined allocation must remain within six hours per day and 20 hours per week. Each service needs accurate enrolment and attestation information showing the funded hours used elsewhere, and the same attendance time must not be claimed twice.
Two early learning services can be useful when family work, location or transition needs cannot be met by one timetable. The administrative side needs special care. Each service sees only the information a parent supplies, so the parent must present one consistent weekly picture.
The goal is not simply to divide the number 20. It is to ensure that enrolled times, actual attendance and selected funded hours make sense together, do not overlap and remain up to date at both services.
Begin with one master timetable
Write every enrolled period for the week, including arrival and collection times at both services. Mark travel between locations and any day on which the child could attend either service. Then place the proposed 20 Hours ECE allocation beside the attendance. This master timetable becomes the source for both enrolment discussions. If two separate versions are completed from memory, small differences can create an inaccurate attestation.
Apply both limits across both services
The maximum of six funded hours per day and 20 per week belongs to the child, not to each centre. Add Service A and Service B together. If four funded hours are allocated at the first service on Tuesday, no more than two may be allocated at the second service that day. The weekly column must also remain at or below 20. The services need to know what has been allocated elsewhere so their own records are correct.
Avoid overlapping enrolments and claims
A child should not be recorded as attending two services for the same period, and funding must not be claimed twice for the same time. Build realistic travel gaps where a child moves from one service to another. If the schedule is occasional rather than regular, ask both services how it should be recorded. Do not create a timetable that works only on paper while the actual handover makes the times impossible.
A safe information-sharing sequence
- Give both services the same full weekly timetable.
- Identify the exact funded hours proposed at the other service.
- Complete and sign each required attestation accurately.
- Keep a copy of the accepted allocation from each service.
- Notify both services before any regular change begins.
Consider the child’s experience, not only the calculation
Two services mean two sets of teachers, environments, routines and handovers. Some children adapt comfortably; others need more time to build security. Ask how each centre supports settling and how important care information will travel between the family and the services. Avoid placing the responsibility for coordination on the child. Adults should carry the timetable, comfort information, medication instructions and authorised-collection details.
Plan for closures and temporary changes
Ministry parent guidance notes that families may use hours at another service during a period when their usual service closes, provided the overall limits are respected. Temporary arrangements still require accurate records and confirmed availability. Contact both services before the change, state the dates and ask what must be updated. When the temporary period ends, confirm that the normal allocation resumes correctly.
Ask each service for its own financial explanation
Splitting funded hours does not make the fee arrangement identical at both services. Session lengths, additional attendance, optional items and current rates can differ. Ask each service to explain its part of the week separately, then combine the two written answers in the family budget. Do not ask one centre to estimate what the other will charge or assume unused hours automatically remove every other cost.
Warning signs that records need attention
- The two enrolment forms show different hours for the same day.
- A change was discussed verbally but no updated record was signed.
- Travel time makes the recorded attendance overlap.
- One service does not know the child receives 20 Hours ECE elsewhere.
- The family cannot explain how the weekly total was calculated.
Using Childsplay Unlimited as one of the services
Tell the relevant Childsplay Unlimited centre the name of the other service, the exact attendance times and the funded hours allocated there. Ask what Childsplay can currently offer and which records must be completed. Mt Roskill and Kingsland should each be treated as an individual service for availability and operational information; never combine their details into one assumed arrangement.
Nominate one adult to maintain the master record
When several parents, caregivers or whānau members arrange collection, choose one adult to maintain the agreed timetable and copies of both attestations. That person can circulate the current version and record the effective date of changes. This does not reduce anyone’s caregiving role; it prevents different adults from giving different instructions to the two services. Include authorised-collection contacts and make sure each service receives information through its approved process rather than through informal messages passed at the gate.
A monthly two-service check
Compare the two enrolment records with the coming month’s work roster. Confirm there is no overlap, the weekly total remains correct and temporary changes have an end date. If nothing has changed, no new arrangement is needed. If something has changed, contact both services before the first affected day.
Questions about splitting 20 Hours ECE
Is splitting hours allowed?
Yes. Ministry guidance allows families to allocate 20 Hours ECE across more than one service within the combined daily and weekly limits.
Do both services need to know?
Yes. Accurate enrolment and attestation information must identify funded hours received at other services.
Can the same time be funded twice?
No. The same attendance period must not be claimed by two services.
What if the split changes?
Contact both services and update the relevant enrolment information before relying on the new allocation.
Contact Childsplay Unlimited
If Childsplay Unlimited will be one of two services, contact the relevant team with the complete weekly timetable. Call Mt Roskill on 09 627 9041 or Kingsland on 09 846 8908 to confirm current availability, sessions, fees and the attestation information required.
