The document below, Together for Better: Guidelines to Support Fee Management, contains examples to assist with the understanding of the Core Funding fee management conditions. It does not cover all of Core Funding’s terms, conditions or rules.

This document also lays out the Core Funding Fee Review Process. Where a case of a potential breach of Core Funding fee rules by a Partner Service is identified, this may be examined and a conclusion reached through the Core Funding Fee Review process outlined within.

Together for Better is the new funding model for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare. The new Funding Model supports delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents/guardians and families.

Under Together for Better, Core Funding, is a key pillar of funding to early learning and childcare services that forms part of the new funding model as recommended by an Expert Group in their report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, and approved by Government in December 2021.

One of the key features of Core Funding is the introduction of a system of fee management, to ensure that affordability measures are passed on to parents/guardians. To achieve this, Core Funding introduced fee management for the September 2022 -August 2023 programme year.

All services that participate in Core Funding must operate their early learning and childcare service in line with the terms and conditions outlined in the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement and in accordance with the attached Guidelines. Services that have questions or queries about fee management, Core Funding or Together for Better are encouraged to contact their CCC for further guidance and support.