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Welcome to the Office of Early Childhood Education
National and public adviser on ECE, the OECE is a sector body representing teachers and all types of licensed services driving safer, higher‑quality education for every child
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- 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
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Education Bulletin and Sector Notices
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Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Independent Contractor or Employee? What Home‑Based Educators and Nannies Need to Know
If you work in your own home under a licensed home‑based agency, or in a family’s home as a nanny or home‑based educator, you may be asked to sign an agreement saying you’re an independent contractor.
But being incorrectly hired as a contractor can cost you real money, key employment rights, and important protections. Many educators don’t realise the risks until it’s too late – which is why it’s crucial to check whether your work arrangement actually meets the legal test.
Log in with your member details to read the full guidance. If your membership has lapsed or you’d like to join, get in touch and we’ll help you get set up quickly.
Here we help you to learn how to tell if you’re truly a contractor or if you should legally be an employee, and what to do if something doesn’t look right.
Zoo Trip
Zoo Trip With Children.
Everybody loves a cuddly furry animal, so the zoo is a great destination for a day trip for adults and children.
Here are some ideas to make the most of a zoo safari.
The zoo offers children the chance to see exotic animals they may never otherwise encounter. Before or after the visit, talk about the type of
When a Child’s Behaviour Gets Hard to Manage and When Enrolment May be Terminated
Some behaviours can push an ECE service to its limits – disrupting the programme, upsetting other children, and demanding constant one‑to‑one supervision. When this happens, leaders often question what they can legally do, and what might unfold if a parent escalates concerns on social media or to local media.
In this OECE article for teachers and services, we share practical tips from teachers and service providers who’ve navigated these challenging situations, along with guidance on what can work and what doesn’t.
We also outline the circumstances under which enrolment may be legally terminated or a child may be excluded, and the key considerations you should work through as part of your decision‑making process.
Login to read the full article and get the guidance.
The Importance of a Play Based Approach
The Play Based Approach – Helping young learners to flourish.
The one thing every parent, caregiver and educator wishes most for a young child is to have a happy and fulfilled childhood.
What is a Play Based Approach?
A play-based approach is a a child-centered approach. When learning and teaching is play-based it is about lea
Service Provider Member Posts
Interview Questions for Teaching Job Applicants
This article goes over the broad areas to cover when interviewing an applicant and questions interviewers have found work.
When interviewing for a teaching position try to cover at least the following broad areas:
Prior work experience and reasons for any gaps in the applicant’s work record.Qualifications, when, where, how, areas of
Losing a Child or Preventing Children Escaping Policy
Prevent Child Escapes.
Having a child slip out of a gate un-noticed or being sent home with the wrong person is something that everyone would dread.
It is expected that children are safe in their ECE environment and cared for at all times.
So in terms of developing policy and involving parents and others to play their part in ensuring th
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
Health and Safety at Work Act Requirements
This is an easy to read summary and early childhood friendly perspective on the Health and Safety at Work Act. It also points to specific implications for centres, home-based and franchised ECE operations of the new H&S Act.
Expectations
This Act means that ECE owners/directors/managers/senior leaders can’t escape from being accountable
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Focus Group Methodology
Focus Group Methodology and its Usefulness in Early Childhood Research. By Claire McLachlan. Published in NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2005, pp. 113-123.
Abstract.
Focus groups are increasingly being used by researchers as a method of qualitative data gathering in educational contexts. The history of the focus group started with the ‘foc
Progressing Play
How to teach and not what to teach is the focus of ‘Progressing Play’.
The authors detail, discuss and throughout the book provide real-examples of children’s play and teacher action and responses – to support and inspire the reader to think about and extend the quality of her or his teaching in many different areas
Should We Consider Rhizomatic Thinking When Educating Young Minds?
FULL REFERENCE: Cliffe, J. and Solvason C. (2019). Should we consider rhizomatic thinking when educating young minds? NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 22(1), pp. 86 – 100.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: There is a tacit understanding within early years education that children’s thinking should be understood and nurtured in order to produce adaptive and innovative learners. This article argues that traditional epistemological approaches do not go far enough in understanding, responding to and planning for children’s complexity of thought. We propose and justify that an awareness of rhizoanalysis could enable practitioners to engage with children’s knowledge differently, through asking questions such as: how does this work? And what new thought does this make it possible to think? Through exploring literature and previous research by one of the authors, this article proposes that not only does rhizomatic thinking occur naturally within children’s playful encounters but having an awareness of rhizoanalysis, provides educators with opportunities to understand and re-conceptualise children’s thinking and cognitive development.
Key words: Rhizoanalysis; thinking; cognitive development; early childhood education; Deleuze.
Introduction
“…the most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in-between…” Juster (2012, no page)
Teacher-Child Verbal Interaction in Kindergarten Picture Book Teaching Activities
FULL REFERENCE: Song, J., Li, W. & He, X. (2026). Teacher-child verbal interaction in kindergarten picture book teaching activities. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 39-52.
ABSTRACT: Teacher-child verbal interaction is fundamental to children’s language development and cognitive growth. This mixed-methods study examines the patterns and quality of such interaction during picture book teaching activities in a Chinese kindergarten. Using improved Flanders Interaction Analysis System (iFLAS) and Teacher Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis (T-SEDA), 16 picture book sessions involving four teachers (two novices, two experienced) were analysed across six dimensions. Four key findings emerged. First, interaction remains teacher-dominated: teacher talk accounts for 64.45% of verbal exchanges, and the Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) pattern prevails. Second, teachers show positive emotional support and prefer open-ended questioning, yet higher-order dialogue is limited. Third, pedagogical silence is minimal (0.97%) and child-initiated turns are rare (11.09%). Fourth, four distinct teacher profiles emerged – from “open-exploratory” to “generative-responsive”- revealing significant individual variability in scaffolding practices. These findings suggest that picture book reading can foster children’s agency and cognitive engagement, but this potential is constrained by teacher-directed routines. The study offers recommendations for professional development, emphasising teachers’ role as dialogue facilitators and the need for conditions that support children’s active participation in co-constructing knowledge.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
KEY WORDS: Teacher-child interaction, picture books, teacher talk, oral language, language development, cognitive growth, educational dialogue, iFLAS, T-SEDA.
INTRODUCTION
Language is not merely a tool for cognitive construction but serves as the core medium for children’s social interaction. The World Bank (2021) emphasises that language is vital for children’s subsequent learning, development, and human capital accumulation. This macro-consensus is reflected in global early childhood curriculum frameworks. For instance, New Zealand’s Te Whāriki identifies “Communication” (Mana Reo) as a key pillar, emphasising children’s meaning-making through rich symbolic environments (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2017). Against this backdrop, the picture book with its unique literary genre combining text and imagery provides an ideal vehicle for children to understand the world and experience aesthetic value. Building upon this, picture book reading and discussion activities are validated as a critical pedagogical approach for fostering children’s linguistic competencies in early childhood settings (Noble et al., 2019).
However, the educational value of picture book teaching is highly dependent on the quality of teacher-child verbal interaction. Recent empirical evidence underscores that the strategic use of storybooks as scaffolding tools can significantly enhance the depth of teacher-child dialogue and children’s cognitive engagement (Aktulun et al., 2024). Nevertheless, a persistent gap remains between these pedagogical ideals and actual classroom practice. The prevalent Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) pattern inherently reinforces teacher control by dominating conversational turns and evaluating responses, thereby restricting children’s opportunities for sustained dialogue (Houen et al., 2026). To address these challenges, it is essential to move beyond theoretical advocacy and scrutinise the specificity of classroom practice.
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