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Welcome to the Office of Early Childhood Education
The OECE is a national organisation for the ECE sector and public adviser, championing high-quality education and care for every child
View our positions
- Provides membership support to ECE services, teachers, researchers, and community partners
- Actively contributes to sector analysis, research, and policy development
- Advances evidence-based best practices that prioritise children’s interests and wellbeing
View the Code of Conduct for ECE Services
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Teacher Member Posts
Learning Languages in ECE from a Young Age
Learning languages in early childhood education is important – whether it is connecting with parts of our own kiwi culture or embracing other languages.
With families coming to New Zealand from all over the world it is also important to recognise that English and/ or Māori may not be the main language/s in the home of some families.
Sig
Autism
Children with Autism ASD in Early Childhood Education.
How often have you seen a child acting inappropriately in social situations, appearing to ignore what others say, or over-reacting to loud noises?
Children with such behaviours are often thought to be naughty or treated as a ‘problem’. Some early childhood services have policies tha
Female Teachers Annoyed at John’s Popularity as a Teacher
Male teacher popularity with children.
Why are kids always drawn to the male teacher? Our kids always go for John – it’s “Hi John” when they come in the door and they hang around him most of the day. We are feeling a bit peeved at his popularity I must say – and the fact that we are left with cleaning the tables etc. We often can
Volunteers and Unpaid Workers in ECE – Your Rights
Voluntary work in ECE.
There are many examples in the early childhood sector of different ways employers may rely on free labour, such as:
I was offered an unpaid position and it was a foot in the door as there were no jobs going in my area. I’ve been at ____ for four months and I do the same work as other teachers.
My centre manager t
Service Provider Member Posts
Waiver Forms
Waivers and Indemnity against theft or damage to a child’s belongings, injury, or death.
An early childhood service may choose to include a waiver or disclaimer for parents to sign at the time of enrolment. This may be included in the enrolment form or as a separate form.
The service may ask the parents/caregivers of a child with a serious
Family Exit Form and Children Leaving
Children Leaving.
Have you considered how you will acknowledge the child’s time with you? For the child you may:
1. Give a farewell card with photos of highlights of their time with you.
2. A picture book in area of the child’s interest, and signed by you and their best friends.
3. Present a printed copy of the ch
HIV and AIDS Childcare and Confidentiality Guidelines
HIV / AIDS Children and Adults At Early Childhood Services.
In May 2012 a Northland Childcare Centre was publicly slammed when it decided to send home an HIV-positive child. The centre was criticised by the AIDS Foundation and the story made the national news over several days. The centre claimed its exclusion of the child was temporary only w
Flooding
Flooding – what to do and what not to do when there is flooding or a threat of flooding.
Be prepared for floods to occur wherever you are located, but particularly if located in a low-lying area, near the coast, rivers and water, or downstream from a dam.
If sustained and hard rain follows a period of drought, flooding can occur as the grou
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Should we Consider Rhizomatic Thinking when Educating Young Minds?
Research on how rhizomatic thinking helps teachers understand, respond, and plan for children’s complexity of thought and cognitive development. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Changing Roles and Responsibilities: The Development of Coaching in Early Intervention
This paper examines if coaching has a potential role in helping authentic collaborative partnerships between early intervention teachers and early childhood educators and families.
Coaching is a process that can empower. It can also help ECE teachers to examine their own perceptions about the knowledge they hold. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Call for Papers for the NZIRECE Journal
The NZIRECE Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research results, critiques, methodological papers and theoretical articles relating to children’s education, well-being and care
Removing Socio-Economic Barriers to Participation in Early Childhood Education
This paper reviews policy approaches to increase the participation of children from low socio-economic families in quality early childhood education. Problems are identified with current policy approaches and an equitable way forward is proposed. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
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