Your kaiako
Are there to teach.
Their time belongs with tamariki - not buried in paperwork they were never trained for.
Sector · Early learning centres
The admin, compliance and governance that comes with running an early learning service.
MoE licensing, attendances and parent invoicing, weekly payroll, parent committee governance, ERO preparation, FamilyBoost, policy reviews, staff hui.
The back end of an ECE centre is its own discipline - and it doesn't run itself. I already know what's required.
- In ECE since 2008
- Works inside your systems
- Te Puke & remote NZ-wide
01The reality of running an ECE business
The compliance load that comes with caring for tamariki.
Running an early learning centre means carrying a compliance load most organisations never have to think about. MoE licensing criteria. Attendance records that feed directly into parent invoices and funding claims. Weekly payroll with pay parity obligations. An ERO framework that expects your documentation to be current, not assembled the week before a visit.
Underneath all of that - a parent committee that needs proper minutes and financial reports, whānau who need FamilyBoost statements and support through the 20 Hours ECE transition, and kaiako who need practical systems to meet their own obligations without being buried in paperwork.
Your centre manager
Is there to lead.
Leading the team and the centre community - not chasing filings and attendance inputs through the day.
Someone needs to
Hold the back end.
The filings on time, the attendances accurate, the payroll processed every week, the debtors managed, the policies reviewed properly. Nothing is farmed out to a stranger, and nothing is left half-done.
The shiftA pre-review scrambleAudit-ready by default
02What this covers
Everything the centre needs running cleanly behind the scenes.
ECE administration has its own obligations - and they don't pause. Here's what I cover across governance, compliance, finance, operations and the daily rhythm of centre life, mapped to the four service areas.
Show
18 services
MoE compliance, licensing & frequent absences
Licensing criteria compliance, attestation support and the ongoing record-keeping that keeps a centre audit-ready. Frequent absences tracked, analysed and actioned - so patterns are addressed before they become a compliance risk.
ERO preparation & Management Assurance
Working through ERO's Management Assurance on Legal Requirements, identifying areas for improvement and making sure evidence is documented, current and properly held before a review.
Parent committee governance
Agendas, minutes and action tracking for parent committee meetings. AGM, annual returns and officer records for committee-governed centres. The governance cycle, properly managed.
Staff hui & whānau hui
A proper system to capture decisions and actions from both staff and whānau hui - so nothing gets lost, follow-through is clear, and the centre has a reliable evidence trail.
Staff records & employment compliance
Current staff files - employment records, Teaching Council registration, first aid certificates, police vetting and qualifications - so the centre's people records are always audit-ready.
Monthly centre audit
A structured monthly check across the centre's systems, processes and documentation, confirming everything is current and meeting MoE and ERO requirements - so issues are caught before they become problems.
Attendances & parent invoicing
Attendances, bank statements and WINZ statements entered into your childcare management system, so parent invoices are produced accurately. Enrolment records and funding claims kept right every cycle.
FamilyBoost & 20 Hours ECE
Making sure whānau receive their FamilyBoost statements. Managing the transition when tamariki turn three - following up with whānau on 20 Hours ECE eligibility and enrolment changes.
New hire process
The full onboarding process for new kaiako and support staff - employment documentation, system setup, payroll registration, police vetting follow-up and staff file creation. Everything in place before day one.
Enrolments, scheduling & correspondence
Enrolment and HR administration, operational scheduling and centre correspondence - handled consistently, so nothing waits on the manager's inbox.
Weekly payroll
Weekly payroll for teaching and support staff via iPayroll - including sector pay parity obligations - with payday filing on time, every week.
Xero & financial reporting
Xero reconciliation and accounts management, with clear financial reporting for management and the parent committee.
Debtor management
A focused, consistent approach to keeping debtors low - ideally zero. Tracking outstanding accounts, following up with whānau and working with management to resolve balances promptly.
Accountant, auditor & statutory returns
Working with your accountant and auditor on budgets, reporting and audited accounts - to MoE by 30 June. GST returns filed on schedule. Pourato funding claims (RS7) and the Stats NZ Annual Business Survey submitted on time.
Pay parity monitoring & kaiako recognition
Tracking kaiako hours against pay parity thresholds and issuing a letter of congratulations at each milestone - recognising the achievement while keeping pay parity obligations actively met.
Policy suite & procedure reviews
Leading policy and procedure reviews - not just updating a document, but facilitating the process with kaiako and management so the policies reflect how the centre actually operates.
Kaiako accountability support
Processes and systems that support kaiako to meet their MoE and ERO obligations - practical, workable tools built alongside the people who use them.
Procedures, induction & H&S documentation
Operational procedures and management processes, induction documentation, health and safety and child protection documentation - plus system setup for any new process.
Engage one area or all four.
03In practice
The regular rhythm of ECE admin.
ECE centres run on tight cycles. Here's what a typical ongoing engagement looks like - week by week, term by term, year by year.
Weekly
52 touchpoints a year
- Weekly payroll processed and filed via iPayroll
- Attendances and timesheets entered
- WINZ statements and bank statements entered, and parent invoices produced
- Debtor monitoring and whānau follow-up
- Operational correspondence and scheduling
- Xero reconciliation and accounts management
- Financial reporting for management and committee
- Pay parity monitoring - hours checked, milestone letters issued
Monthly
12 touchpoints a year
- Frequent absence reporting - printed, analysed and actioned
- 20 Hours ECE transitions - follow-up with whānau when tamariki turn three
- GST returns filed every two months
- Centre audit - systems, processes and documentation reviewed for currency and compliance
Each term
4 touchpoints a year
- FamilyBoost statements issued to whānau
- Pourato funding claims (RS7) submitted to MoE
- Parent committee meeting - agenda, minutes, actions
- MoE compliance records reviewed and updated
- Whānau and staff hui - documented where required
Annually
Every year, without fail
- Audited accounts - accountant and auditor liaison, submitted to MoE by 30 June
- Annual Business Survey - Statistics NZ
- Policy and procedure review - led with kaiako and management
- ERO Management Assurance review and preparation
- Annual returns and committee governance filings
04ERO & strategic compliance
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements - properly evidenced.
ERO's Management Assurance process asks centre management to attest that they're meeting their legal obligations. That attestation is only as good as the records behind it - and keeping those records current is a year-round job, not a pre-review scramble.
Where ERO identifies areas for development, I bring a solution-based mindset - working with management and kaiako on a practical, documented response. Accountability built into how the centre operates every day, not paper exercises that look good once and fade.
Know your compliance. Prove it.
The documentation and records management needs to attest to legal compliance with confidence - not guesswork.
Without thisManagement making compliance calls from memory, hoping it holds up when it matters.
ERO feedback that actually changes things.
When ERO identifies areas for development, I work alongside management and kaiako on a practical, documented response that produces sustained improvement.
Without thisThe same areas for development cycling back review after review, with no clear trail of what changed.
Accountability built with kaiako, not handed to them.
Processes that support kaiako to meet their MoE and ERO obligations - built with them, not imposed on them.
Without thisPaper systems no one uses, because no one was part of building them.
Systems your team can own and run themselves.
Systems and processes management and kaiako can own and run - building real consistency and accountability within the team.
Without thisEverything resting on one person who holds it all in their head - until they don't.
Licensing records ready before the call.
MoE licensing criteria records kept current between visits, not assembled the week an ERO review is announced.
Without thisA frantic week pulling evidence together every time a visit is announced - and hoping nothing slipped through the gaps.
Your licence, properly supported. Attestation and licensing decisions stay with centre management. I keep the records and evidence current so you can sign with confidence - and I'm not a lawyer, so legal and employment advice stays with the right professional.
05How this works
Not a service provider. A working partnership.
Every week. Every term. Every year. Not a review dropped in your inbox - someone inside your centre's back-end admin, doing the work alongside you.
More than the task list
The admin is only part of it. I work closely with centre owners, managers and kaiako to build consistency and accountability across everything the centre does - not just the tasks on a list, but the way the centre operates as a whole.
- Gaps spotted and closed long before they become ERO findings.
- Processes that run the same way, whoever is on the floor.
- Kaiako confident about their own MoE and ERO obligations.
- Records your committee, accountant and auditor can follow easily.
When something isn't working, we identify it together and work out a practical response - building accountability within the team, not dependence on me.
Built on trust
This kind of support only works when it's built on trust - a close partnership with the business owners and centre manager, focused on great outcomes for everyone in the centre community.
You deal with me directly, every time. Because I'm already across the centre's admin, compliance and governance, I can ask the right questions - and I already know enough of the context to help find the right answers.
Answers and finished work, not twenty questions.
- Confidential. Tamariki, whānau and staff information stays private.
- Your systems, your data. Everything stays in your own childcare management system, payroll and Xero - nothing leaves with me.
- No surprises. Anything outside the agreed scope is quoted and approved first.
Outcomes for everyone in the centre community
- TamarikiSafe, compliant, well-resourced.
- WhānauInformed, supported, low to zero debt.
- KaiakoAccountable systems they can actually use.
- ManagementClear financials, ERO-ready, focused on leading.
- The centreFinancially healthy, compliant, running well.
06How it's delivered
Remote-first, by design - not by default.
I'm not your on-site receptionist or administrator. I work in partnership with management, directly inside your cloud systems - your childcare management system, payroll and Xero - to make sure the work actually gets delivered, not just done somewhere else.
Focused, uninterrupted work
Dedicated time on your compliance and admin, not squeezed in between phone calls, drop-offs and whoever's at the front desk.
Full access, without needing a desk
Cloud-based tools give me the same visibility as someone standing in your office - your attendances, payroll and Xero, all current, all the time.
Consistency, regardless of the day
The work doesn't depend on which day I'm physically nearby. Payroll, records and deadlines run on the same reliable schedule, every week.
More hours on your work, not the road
No travel time between centres means more of every hour goes into your admin, compliance and governance - not into driving to get to it.
The same rigour, every cycle
Weekly, monthly and annual obligations run on a fixed system - not on whatever time is left over after a day on the floor.
No cost for a desk you don't need
You're not paying for someone in a chair whether or not there's work that day - just for the actual hours spent on your admin, compliance and governance.
- 1998Made the leap into business
- 2008Started Compleation Limited
- 100%Done by me - never handed off
07Who you'd be working with
In ECE since 2008.
Hand it off. Consider it done.
I made the leap into business in 1998, and I've been contracting governance, compliance and admin support into early learning since 2008 - long enough to know the sector's rhythms: MoE reporting cycles, ERO reviews, funding claims, ratios, and the relentless day-to-day that comes with running a centre.
I started Compleation Limited in 2008 to bring that experience directly to centres like yours. Nothing is farmed out to a stranger, and nothing is left half-done. You deal with me directly, every time - and there's no learning curve at your expense.
Kirsten WinterCompleation Limited, Te Puke
08Two ways to work
Predictable pricing. No meters running.
Flexible hours for one-off ECE work, or a fixed monthly retainer for ongoing, dependable support across payroll, attendances, compliance and governance.
When the work varies
Hourly
Price on application · plus GST
Best when the work is occasional or one-off. You get me, available for whatever needs doing - no fixed scope, no retainer commitment, no paying for hours you don't use.
Ideal for
- Policy or procedure review and rewrite
- A single parent committee meeting or staff hui
- ERO Management Assurance review or documentation
- Centre admin overflow during a busy period
When the work repeats
Monthly retainer
Price on application · plus GST
Best when the same work repeats every month. A set block of hours at a fixed fee, dedicated to the tasks that recur on a cycle - the same trusted hands, priced predictably, term after term.
Ideal for
- Weekly payroll and attendances, on time every cycle
- MoE compliance and ERO records, current year-round
- Governance, hui and policy reviews each term
- Ongoing problem-solving alongside management
This is bespoke governance and admin work, so pricing is scoped to your centre - no rigid packages, no paying for hours you won't use. Anything outside an agreed retainer is quoted and approved first. All prices in NZD plus GST.
09Common questions
ECE questions, answered.
Straight answers to what centre owners and managers want to know before we talk.
What ECE admin and compliance work do you actually take on?
The full picture - Ministry of Education compliance, attendances and parent invoicing, payroll, parent committee or governance board support, staff HR records, and the policy suite your licence depends on. I do this work directly as Governance Support and Office Manager for Giggles Te Puke Early Learning, so I understand how the pieces fit together - and what happens when they don't.
Do you know our childcare management system?
Most likely, or I'll learn it quickly at no cost to you. Whichever system your centre uses, the work is the same - attendances, bank and WINZ statements entered so parent invoices are right, enrolment and subsidy records kept current, and the funding data MoE needs. I work inside your account, not around it, and your access and ownership stay with you at all times.
How do you help with Ministry of Education compliance?
I keep the records, filings and documentation that MoE licensing and funding require - current, accurate and ready when they're needed. That includes funding attestation, licensing criteria evidence and the administrative side of any review or audit. ECE compliance obligations shift regularly; staying on top of them is part of the job, not an afterthought.
Can you support our parent committee or governance board?
Yes. Most ECE parent committees are made up of people who care deeply about the centre but haven't run a governance body before - so the secretariat work often falls to whoever has time, or doesn't get done at all. I prepare agendas, track action items and handle the correspondence and ongoing governance admin, so things actually move forward after everyone leaves the room. For special or non-recurring meetings outside regular hui, I can also attend, take my own notes and produce the minutes.
What about the ECE policy suite - can you help keep it current?
Yes. An ECE policy suite isn't a one-off project - it needs to stay aligned with the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 and current licensing criteria as they change. I review, update and document policies so your suite reflects how the centre actually operates, not how it operated three years ago. If you're heading into a licensing review, that preparation is exactly the kind of work I do.
How is this different from hiring a full-time administrator or office manager?
A full-time hire brings salary, KiwiSaver, ACC, leave entitlements, recruitment costs, management time and the risk that they leave. With me you get experienced ECE administration and governance support without that overhead - and without the learning curve, because I already know the sector. You engage the hours you need, not a fixed headcount.
Do you handle ECE payroll, including the funding and staffing records?
Yes. I process payroll in iPayroll or your existing payroll system, keeping pays accurate and on time, with pay parity obligations monitored. I also keep the staffing documentation current, so the records MoE needs for funding and licensing are in order when they're needed.
What if I don't need everything you've listed?
That's completely fine - most centres start with one or two things and add more over time. There's no minimum scope and no pressure to take on more than you need right now. Book a call and we'll talk through what's actually on your plate.
What if I do need everything you've listed?
Also fine. Some centres need the full picture - compliance, payroll, governance support, policy maintenance and day-to-day admin - and that's exactly what an ongoing retainer is built for. Book a call and we'll talk through what you need.
Still have a question? Get in touch →
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Ready to hand off the back-end admin?
If the compliance, payroll or governance load is eating time your centre needs for the work that matters - for tamariki, whānau and kaiako - that's exactly the sort of thing I'm good at picking up.
- No obligation
- No pressure
- No meter running
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