New services eligible to deliver an approved kindergarten program

This means that while you have met all the eligibility criteria but have not yet engaged an appropriately qualified teacher, as recognised by the Department, you have received provisional approval. Before we can enter into a service agreement and start making payments, your organisation needs to meet all the eligibility criteria, including having an appropriately qualified kindergarten teacher engaged.

This means what while you have met all other eligibility criteria, there was / is an issue with the teacher eligibility requirements. Before the Department can enter into an agreement with you and start paying you kindergarten funding, your organisation needs to meet all the eligibility criteria, including having an appropriately qualified kindergarten teacher, as recognised by the Department.

In order for your service to access funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, you will need to enter into a service agreement with the Department.

Officers from the Department will work with services that are fully approved (that is, have an appropriately qualified and recognised kindergarten teacher delivering the program) to collate and confirm their data to generate the service agreement. The timeframe for receiving your service agreement is dependent on when your service was approved by the Department.

Initially you will receive a draft service agreement via email populated with information from your application form, including your contact details. You will need to check that this information is still current and notify the Department if any changes are required. Once this information has been confirmed as correct, your service agreement will be generated.

Agreements for all other services (e.g. those with teacher eligibility issues) will be generated as soon as all eligibility requirements have been met.

The commencement date of your service agreement is reflective of the date your application was acknowledged as meeting ALL eligibility requirements, including having an appropriately qualified kindergarten teacher.

The standard term for the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme Service Agreement for long day care services is three years. Provided your organisation continues to comply with the terms of the agreement, you will receive kindergarten funding for this term. You do not need to reapply for funding during the term of your service agreement.

No. Your existing service agreement will be varied to include an additional schedule for your additional, recently approved service. This will enable your new service to receive funding to support the delivery of their kindergarten program.

Unless you are already in receipt of funding from the Department, your organisation will need to be set-up as a vendor on the Department's financial system. To do this you will need to complete and return the following forms:

• Vendor Master Data Maintenance Form (which requests banking details)
• Agreement To Issue Recipient Created Tax Invoices (which is a GST requirement)

These forms are sent out with your service agreement.

Completed applications received before 1 December 2011 will be eligible for funding, provided the program was being delivered from 1 July 2011.  For example, if a completed application is received on 20 November 2011 and the service has commenced delivery of a kindergarten program by an appropriately qualified early childhood teacher in June, funding entitlements would apply from 1 July. However, if the program started on 21 August, funding entitlements would apply from 21 August.

Completed applications received on or after 1 December 2011 will be eligible for funding no earlier than from 1 January 2012 or from when the program commences, whichever is the latest. For example, if the service applies on 8 December and the program will commence on 19 January the next year, funding entitlements would apply from 19 January. However, if the program started on 11 November 2011, funding entitlements would apply from 1 January 2012.

In 2012 and onwards:

Completed applications received before 1 December (each year) will be eligible for funding no earlier than from the start of the quarter (i.e. January, April, July or October) in which the application was received and the program was being delivered. For example, if a completed application is received on 8 September and the service has commenced delivery of a kindergarten program by an appropriately qualified early childhood teacher in June, funding entitlements would apply from 1 July. However, if the program started on 21 August, funding entitlements would apply from 21 August.

Completed applications received on or after 1 December (each year) will be eligible for funding no earlier than from the start of the next calendar year or from when the program commences, whichever is the latest. For example, if the service applies on 8 December and the program will commence on 19 January the next year, funding entitlements would apply from 19 January. However, if the program started on 11 November 2011, funding entitlements would apply from 1 January 2012.

Full funding entitlements apply to services that deliver an approved kindergarten program/s for a minimum of 40 weeks in a calendar year. Where services are unable to deliver an approved kindergarten program for 40 weeks, pro-rata funding entitlements will be applied.

Further information on funding eligibility can be obtained from Section 5 of the Information paper .

A calculator to assist services estimate the full funding entitlements they may be eligible for is also available. View the Kindergarten Funding Calculator.

Before you can receive a payment for your approved service/s, you need to have a service agreement with the Department.

Payments are made in arrears under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme and your service/s will be required to complete the Department's quarterly data collection to enable the calculation of funding entitlements.

This is the point when your service/s will need to advise us of actual enrolment / teacher information. In December each year, the Department will reconcile the data provided and an adjustment will be made to your next payment.

For further information on funding eligibility, including when funding can commence, please refer to Section 5 of the Information paper .

You will receive the full subsidy entitlement for each child enrolled in the program for at least 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year. Pro-rata amounts will be paid for children enrolled in the program for less than 40 weeks, and will be calculated based on the actual number of weeks the child is enrolled.

The amount of funding your service will receive is subject to enrolment numbers and demographic factors that trigger additional subsidy payments.