Teacher-led Innovation Fund
The Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) is a pūtea/fund of $10 million over 3 years (from mid-2015 to mid-2018). The fund supports teams of teachers to develop innovative practices that improve learning outcomes, particularly for students who are Māori, Pasifika, have special education needs, and/or come from low socio-economic backgrounds.
We know early learning matters, and developing a learning pathway from early childhood education into schooling is important to the educational outcomes for children and young people. We encourage early learning organisations to collaborate with schools on projects focused on innovating teacher practice to improve outcomes.
Round 2 of funding is now open. You can find information about the fund, application process, and the application form and guidance on the TLIF webpage. Applications for funding close on 19 February 2016.
If you have questions about the TLIF, you can call 0800 IES INFO (0800 437 4636) or email teacherled.innovfund@education.govt.nz.
Exemption from the Frequent Absence Rule for children with high health needs
At times, children with high health needs are unable to attend an early childhood education (ECE) service or kōhanga reo on a regular basis as a direct result of their health needs. In these cases, the service may be exempt from the frequent absence rule or funded for continuous absences beyond the three week rule.
Services seeking an exemption from the absence rules must complete an EC12 form and an EC13 form. The completed forms are held by the service and must be provided to the Ministry or its Resourcing Auditor on request. Both these forms are found in Appendix 2 of the Funding Handbook.
Full information about this exemption can be found in Chapter 7 of the Funding Handbook.