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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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Teacher Member Posts
Money – Teaching Children in ECE About Money
Teaching Children About Money
By Lucy Wood
Money. They say “it doesn’t grow on trees”, but also that “it makes the world go round”. They say “it doesn’t buy you happiness” although admittedly it’s very rare to see someone looking sad while on holiday in Paris! It’s a big topic and it affects life, and lifestyle, in lots of different ways.
In researching this article, I came upon a lot of advice saying that teaching our tamariki about money is important, and that we can’t start early enough. Even infants can begin to learn about the concept of delayed gratification, an important skill for managing finances later in life.
How can we as ECE kaiako help tamariki to develop positive attitudes about money, and to see themselves as capable and competent when it comes to things like saving? While conversations about money are something which likely will also be happening at home, in ECE spaces we can support this learning, in ways that are age appropriate, positive and empowering for our tamariki.
Picky Eaters and Managing Children’s Eating Habits
Picky eaters? Some children may display anxiety and unhealthy eating habits when they begin early childhood education, others may display behaviours at different times that you are wondering if these are normal, and what to say, do and change.
This article covers:
The adult’s role in providing for children’s food preferences and eating b
Early Childhood Teaching Theories – “Putting the Cog into Cognitive”
Early Childhood Teaching Theories.
During teacher education programmes, lecturers introduce students to the joys of studying a range of theorists. But many teachers appear to put theoretical perspectives of practice behind them immediately the essay-writing is over.
The purpose of this article is to breathe life into the work of t
The Books Children Like Best
The Type of Books Young Children Like Best.
Books are an integral part of a child’s education but getting them to sit down and look at books can be difficult when there are so many other things competing for a child’s attention.
Often books are chosen by adults, particularly for younger children and babies, but even young children
Service Provider Member Posts
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
Meal and Rest Breaks: What ECE Employers Must Provide
Does your ECE service meet requirements for staff meal and rest breaks? Check your legal duties now and learn how to manage breaks well.
Log in with your member details to read more. If your membership has lapsed and you’d like to renew – or if you’re interested in becoming a member – just get in touch with us and we’ll help you get started.
Running an early childhood service is demanding, and ensuring smooth staffing throughout the day can be challenging.
Most ECE employers genuinely want to support their staff and run a safe, high‑quality service. Providing rest and meal breaks is a key part of that.
This article outlines what employers must legally provide, why exemptions do not apply to ECE, and how to manage breaks while operating and maintaining a high standard of service.
Establishing Good Internal Financial Control and Preventing Fraud
ECE Internal Financial Control Systems.
Why internal control?
Internal control systems are normal in business and society and will be expected of you by your staff, fellow owners, parents, board members, bankers and financiers.
They help establish a climate of good control which produces reliable financial records, good management
Creating a Team Contract and the Behaviours of a Well-functioning Team
Creating and signing a team contract is a great idea – it fosters teamwork by acting to cement agreed behaviours and establishing a platform for effective professional conversations.
Having effective professional conversations supports continuous improvement of practices by allowing teachers to examine beliefs and assumptions and understand how these impact on children, the service, and each other.
Spending time discussing service philosophy, behaviour and kaupapa are important aspects of teaching. This can be linked to the Te Ao Māori concepts of tapu and noa.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
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
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.
Suffer the Little Children by David Smith
In his self-published book, David Smith reflects on over 30 years of working in early childhood education, mainly in teaching roles at a variety of different service types.
Thesis Supervisor – How to Choose Good Supervisors for Your Study
Thesis Supervisor – How to Choose Good Research Supervisors
If you want to develop skills as a researcher, have credibility in the workforce as a researcher, and contribute to the knowledge base in your area of interest then doing a thesis with academic supervision and support is the way to go.
When undertaking a thesis for a Doctorate or a
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