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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
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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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Teacher Member Posts
Boys Educational Underachievement
This article looks at arguments around boys and educational underachievement and proposes that early childhood teachers should take education to where the boys are at. UK education expert Tim Kahn, gives an example of how an early childhood teacher put aside her initial feeling to forbid boys from following their play interest and en
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
Library Trip
Library Trip with Children.
Going to the library is a great activity to do either on your own with a child or small group of children, or as a group visit with your early childhood service.
Maybe you will walk there. Or take the bus? It might be something that you do weekly or monthly to take out and return books.
The most obvious thing y
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.
Service Provider Member Posts
Sick Leave: ECE Employer Guide to Legal Duties, Proof, and Best Practices
ECE employers – managing sick leave is becoming increasingly complex, and getting it wrong can put pressure on ratios, disrupt staffing, and create legal and health‑and‑safety risks.
This guidance covers exactly what you must provide, how to support staff appropriately, and how to protect your service when absences occur.
Running an early childhood service means constantly balancing legal obligations, maintaining safe staffing levels, and finding cover at short notice.
Log in with your member details to read the full guidance. If your service’s membership has lapsed or you’d like to join, get in touch and we’ll help you get set up quickly.
Sick leave is one of the hardest parts of that balancing act – especially when absences create strain or when you’re unsure how to respond in a way that is both fair and compliant.
Using the Internet to Benefit Your Service
Ways to use the Internet for parent and staff communication, and promoting your service.
With billions of pages and more being added every day, the internet can be a great source of inspiration and ideas for activities to do with children or for improving your service.
The internet can also be a great way to communicate with staff and within
Food Allergy Management
Food Allergy Management.
Sharing a sweet treat on your birthday is great fun, but in an early childhood setting it can be more complicated than simply working out how many pieces you need to cut the cake into.
If your centre or home-based service has children who have food allergies or intolerances, what seems like some harmless baking coul
SUDI – Death of an Infant when Sleeping
Sleep in ECE and Reducing the Risk of (SUDI): Learnings and What’s Legally Required versus Best Practice.
For years, the OECE’s chief advisor Dr Sarah Alexander has feared that a child would die from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in an early childhood education (ECE) setting. Now that has happened: An infant died from SUDI while
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Parent Engagement and its Influence on Early Childhood Education Teachers
Research on the influence of parents on teachers and their teaching practices. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
An Ethical Guide to Doing, Writing and Disseminating Research
The Ethics of Doing, Writing and Disseminating Research.
By Joy Cullen, Helen Hedges and Jane Bone. Republished by the Office of Early Childhood Education First Published in our NZ Research in ECE Journal, Volume 12, pp. 109-118.
This statement is intended to guide academic researchers, teachers, postgraduate students, managers, licensees
Masters Thesis Directory
This is an education masters thesis directory. It shows NZ masters theses on research, policy analysis and/ or theory relevant to young children’s care, health, and teaching and leaning. The education masters thesis directory includes M.A., M.Ed., M.Phil, M, Health Science theses.
An education doctoral thesis directory is also available if yo
Parents’ Choices of Child Care in Australia
Parents’ Choices of Child Care in Australia.
Wendy Boyd. Southern Cross University, Australia.
Full Reference: Boyd, W. (2014). Parents’ choices of child care in Australia. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy, 17, 51 – 70.
Original Policy Paper
Abstract
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