The Early Childhood Council (ECC) was formed in 1990 from the amalgamation of the Licensed Childcare Centres Federation and the Associated Childcare Council. It became an officially incorporated society in 1991.
The ECC's primary purpose is to:
Membership is voluntary, and open to all licensed independent early childhood centres managed by community owned, privately owned and voluntary groups. The ECC is fully funded by membership subscriptions. With almost 1,200 financial members we are New Zealand's largest early childhood employers' organisation. Our members employ over 7,000 staff and provide early childhood education for over 50,000 New Zealanders under age 5.
The ECC membership is diverse, ranging from centres in small rural towns to those in large cities and from centres as small as 10 licensed places to a number of 50-place centres with multiple licenses. Seventy percent of member centres are owner-operated; the remaining 30% are community owned.
While most of our centres reflect no special character, a number reflect a variety of specialised educational philosophies, including religious affiliations, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Pasifika, Rudolf Steiner and MÄori.
The ECC is governed by its constitution, which provides for an Executive Committee elected by members. The Executive Committee comprises a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and five Executive Members and up to three Patrons (elected by the life members).
The ECC provides a range of benefits and services to its members, including:
For a full range of available benefits see the Full Member Benefits section and our Preferred Suppliers.
The National Office is based in Wellington, New Zealand.
See our Annual Reports for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
See our Constitution and Rules.
Follow the below links for more information on the ECC:
Links to our other websites:
Join us on Facebook, and join our closed Facebook Group for owners, managers and governance committee members