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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
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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Education Bulletin and Sector Notices
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Teacher Member Posts
Supporting Boys’ Interests and Play in ECE
Ideas for activities and learning extensions are provided for teachers who are working with boys aged 3- 5 years.
There is a good chance you will see some gendered play and behaviour in any early childhood setting you enter. Our profession is female dominated and early childhood settings can be feminised environments.
Children Attending Multiple Early Childhood Services
Attending Multiple Early Childhood Services in NZ.
Children can attend more than one ECE service. But this was not always recommended.
When a child attends kindergarten, he should not, except in special circumstances, also attend playcentre. This is an overlapping of services and is contrary to the policy of nursery playcentres generally. It
Sleep – How Much and Meeting Parents’ Wishes
Sleeping During the Day at ECE.
Nap, sleep and rest times have led to tensions and stand-offs between teachers, parents and children in some centres and home-based services.
Perhaps instead of asking who should decide whether a child has a sleep or nap, when, and for how long, we should work toward solutions that please and best suit everyon
Death of a Child, Parent or Other Adult
In the event of the death of a child or person known at your service, the impact will be extensive on children, yourself, members of your team and your community.
You should be open and honest with your service leader and discuss the option of seeking professional help and support for yourself, in order to be able to adequately support children
Service Provider Member Posts
Job Description for Unqualified Teaching Staff or Student Teacher
How to Write a Job Description for Unqualified Teaching Staff and Students.
Unqualified staff or teaching assistants can be employed to provide support to qualified teaching staff. Often services will have an additional position for a person-in-training.
Below is a template you can use and adapt for a job description for unqualified t
Redundancy and Making a Position Redundant
Redundancy and the process for making a position redundant.
There may not be the work for an employee because child enrolments have dropped, your service is restructuring, or you can not longer afford to keep an employee on.
Whatever the reason, there are certain processes to follow to ensure you do not run into legal problems.
This arti
Daylight Saving is here – what you need to know to support tamariki over this period
Losing an hour of sleep can be hard on your body clock.
So it’s no surprise that young children can seem particularly grumpy and out of sorts at the start of the daylight saving period.
In Aotearoa, daylight saving begins on the last Sunday of September, when 2am becomes 3am.
Visiting Teacher Forms for Home Visits
The Visiting Teacher forms we have provided here in sample format are for you to modify according to your service and community. The forms include:
To make a record of a child observation. A letter to thank the child for your visit. Evidence of the home visit and supervision of the educator (the administration record).
Child Observati
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
The teacher’s role in visual arts learning
Great research on the visual arts experiences of young children (aged 3-4) at early childhood settings in NZ. Learn about the experiences and visual arts pedagogies of early childhood teachers. Login to read the full research paper below. Or you can order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Through the Eyes of the Puppet: Using Puppetry to Foster Children’s Sense of Wellbeing and Belonging
Research on the use of puppets and outcomes for children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging in early childhood education settings. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
The State of Play in Early Childhood Policy: A Note from Australia
The State of Play in Early Childhood Policy: A Note from Australia.
Frances Press. Charles Sturt University, New South Wales.
Full Reference: Press, F. (2014). The State of Play in Early Childhood Policy: A Note from Australia. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 17, 11 – 20.
Invited Country Note
Abstr
Generic or Specific? Deciphering the New Zealand Approach to Professional Standards for Early Childhood
Research exploring why NZ has taken the approach to professional standards for early childhood teachers that it has – generic to the primary and secondary sectors. 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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