A government survey shows early childhood services' costs have been rising faster than their income, but most are still making a surplus.
The Education Ministry's income and expenditure survey found average costs at education and care centres rose 11 percent between 2011 and 2013, while their income increased only six percent.
It says the services' income was seven percent higher than their expenses, down from 11 percent in 2011.
Kohanga reo and home-based services, excluding au pairs and nannies, ran on much slimmer margins, reporting average surpluses of just one percent, while kindergartens' margins dropped from nine to four percent.
