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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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Teacher Member Posts

Playdough Recipes and Play Variations
Here we’ve got an all-time favourite recipe of early childhood teachers for cooked playdough.
We also include recipes for:
– uncooked playdough
– special playdough suitable for shaping into Christmas tree ornaments and gifts to be painted later when hardened.
Playdough is great fun but when the novelty wears off children can become bored and their creativity declines. So we give you some ideas to keep the playdough fun alive, and invite you to contribute your favourite recipes and ideas too.
First, you may wish to consider cultural concerns on the use of food ingredients and how you may mitigate these concerns.

Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education
Critical Issues in ECE by Nicola Yelland (Editor).
Typically an edited book is a loose collection of chapters written by various authors around a theme or topic, agreeing on and promoting to the reader a particular position.
Yelland has instead taken a bold approach of producing an edited book to present “diverse viewpoints, so that reade

Teaching Literacy – An Early Childhood Educator’s Guide
Guide to Teaching Literacy. By Dr Sarah Alexander.
From their earliest speech experiences through to contact with written language and technologies, what happens in children’s homes and communities shapes their early literacy learning. How, and whether this early learning is taken up and extended through early childhood educational practic

Woodwork Tables, Tools, Gender Issues, and Rules
This article covers many topics and gives advice and tips on:
– What carpentry tools (age appropriate) and wood to get and from where.
– How to set it up.
– Rules to set for children’s safety.
– What can be made – what to make.
– Extending children’s learning.
– Female teachers can do it too.
Happy reading!
Share your experiences with us.
Service Provider Member Posts

Financial Sustainability
Early Childhood Service Financial Sustainability.
Unless as much or more money is coming in than is going out, your service could come to be at risk. Here are some strategies for financial sustainability and increasing your revenue stream when necessary. What strategies you agree with and disagree with will depend on your values and the reasons

Right of Entry Policy
Regulations require that certain groups of people, including parents, union staff, and public officials, have a right of entry to the early childhood service under certain conditions, and set out the responsibilities of the early childhood service.
Below is a Right of Entry Policy and a set of procedures for different situations. Adapt and re-w

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

The Difference Between a Salary and a Wage – and Work Hour Maximums
Salary and Wage Differences.
An employment contract must state the type of pay an employee will be paid.
Wage refers to the amount of money that is paid to an employee, by the hour, and it may vary from one pay period to the next depending on the number of hours the worker is employed.
Salary refers to a fixed amount of pay regardl
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles

How to do Action-Based Research or an Inquiry, and Writing Your Report
What is Action Research?
Action research is defined in the glossary as:
A hands-on approach to research for change in a setting and/or to one’s own practices, thinking and knowledge. Action research can be a collaborative endeavour or carried out by an individual.
When action research is being undertaken to bring about change in a se

Author Instructions for Preparing and Submitting a Manuscript to the NZIRECE Journal
These instructions for preparing and submitting a manuscript to the NZ-International Research in ECE Journal should be read in conjunction with the following journal policies:

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.

Influences on SENCo Practice in Early Care and Education Settings in England
Research on the challenges for special education needs coordinators and implementation of child health care and learning plans in ECE settings. 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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