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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
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Teacher Member Posts
Rocket Making and Launching Rockets
The children were showing interest in aliens, rockets and space. Teacher, James had a water bottle rocket launcher at home, which he brought in. Sadly, this rocket only survived a few launches before the rubber seal broke and could not be replaced.
A week or two later James was reading about an air rocket made from a wine cork and car valve.
“You pump the bottle up until the pressure in the bottle was greater than the friction holding the cork in and in a reverse of a champagne cork the plastic bottle shoots off.”
James then thought about water being in-compressible, so if we fit a hose pipe to the wine cork, the water would flow in and compress the air inside the bottle until the friction failed and launched the bottle.
Domestic Violence Leave
Early Childhood Teacher Domestic Violence Leave.
If you have any problem getting your right to domestic violence leave you can go to Employment New Zealand for support (there is no charge) or complain to the Human Rights Commission.
Contents:
Providing proof of domestic violence requirements. Your obligations, rights, entitlements, an
Gifted in Reading
While most children who are turning five years of age may at most recognise their name and perhaps a few other words, a gifted child at the same age may already be capable of reading books at Year 2 primary school level and above.
Identifying a Child Who is Gifted in Reading
A child who is gifted in reading has most or all of the following characteristics:
Sick Leave: Key Rights and Rules for Teachers and Staff
Learn your paid sick leave rights – and what every person who works in early childhood settings needs to know to protect themselves, their income, and the children they care for.
People working in early childhood education get sick more often than those in many other professions. Close contact with young children, shared resources, and constant exposure to new bugs means illness spreads quickly. That’s why understanding your sick leave entitlements isn’t optional – it’s essential for your wellbeing and your job security.
If you’re applying for a role in an ECE centre, home‑based service, kindergarten, playcentre, or hospital‑based setting, one of the most important questions you can ask is:
“What sick leave do you provide?”
This article explains exactly what you’re entitled to, how sick leave works in real ECE settings, and what to do if you feel pressured to work while unwell.
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.
Why Staying Home When You’re Sick Matters
When you’re unwell, it can be tempting to “push through” and go to work. But in ECE, that can cause more harm than good.
Service Provider Member Posts
Transforming Difficult Relationships with Senior Staff or Committee Members
Strong relationships are essential in ECE, especially when someone in a senior role begins to dominate, micromanage or undermine others. This piece helps leaders shift their focus to building healthy, respectful working relationships through clear boundaries, trust and effective communication.
Formal Warning Letter and Expressing Concern Letter
Here are templates for a letter ‘of concern’ and a letter giving an early childhood employee a formal first or second warning.
EXAMPLE LETTER OF CONCERN
Private and Confidential
DATE
Dear <Name>
Letter of Concern
This letter is to formally raise our concerns around <insert a general description of the concern, i.e. inapp
Domestic Violence Leave
Domestic violence leave guidelines.
Asking for proof and how to treat an employee who is, or is suspected to be, affected by domestic violence
As an employer you can accept any type of proof that an employee is affected by domestic violence. Proof may, for example, take the form of: a letter or email about what’s going on and how it
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
Research as a Journey: The New Researcher as a First-Time Traveller
Research as a Learning Journey. By Michael Gaffney. Published in NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 2002, Vol. 5, pp. 1-11
Beginning the Journey
This paper uses journey as a metaphor, and to a lesser extent problem solving, to provide a framework for understanding the activity that more early childhood practitioners are
Pedagogical Development in Long Day Care Centres
The results of an investigation into the efficacy of a suite of different learning options for teachers and leaders/ directors intended to improve preschool programme quality.
FULL REFERENCE: McInnes, E., Whitington, V., Colmer, K., Sisson, J. & Scales, M. (2017). A multi-dimensional approach to pedagogical development in long day care centres. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 20(1), 46-58.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: Since 2013 Australian Long Day Care Centres have offered universal access to four year olds to a preschool programme for fifteen hours per week, led by a four year early childhood degree qualified teacher. The South Australian Department for Education and Child Development funded research and consultancy to strengthen universal access to preschool programmes in child care centres. This study reports on a project developed by Gowrie SA and the University of South Australia. The aim of the research reported in this paper was to investigate the efficacy of the suite of learning options intended to improve preschool programme quality. The project used an action research approach with multiple learning options offered to directors, teachers and other educators to establish site-based Professional Learning Communities. The University of South Australia investigated the suite of learning options using both qualitative and quantitative data with the aim of determining their efficacy. This paper reports on that investigation. The engagement of directors in pedagogical leadership was found to be vital to creating teamwork and enabling early childhood teachers to work in collaboration with a group of educators. Teachers and directors engaged in critical reflective practices, resulting in curriculum innovations that were integrated into preschool programmes. This paper argues that both centre leadership, and educators’ extended engagement in professional learning communities are central to transforming Long Day Care Centres to become effective providers of universal access to preschool programmes.
Key words: Preschool programmes; leadership; professional learning; action research.
INTRODUCTION
In 2014-15 early childhood professional learning provider, Gowrie SA, and the University of South Australia were funded by the Department for Education and Child Development to develop a capacity-building project to support the implementation of early childhood degree qualified teacher-led preschool programmes in UA settings. This article reports on an evaluation of a multi-faceted strategy to support Long Day Care Centres’ (LDCC) integration of ECTs following the establishment of preschool programmes in these sites. The federal Universal Access (UA) preschool programme funds state education departments to provide all four year olds with access to 15 hours preschool programme, 41 weeks per year, regardless of whether children attend stand-alone preschool sites or long day care centres operated by private or community sector providers. The policy requires that programmes be led by a four year bachelor qualified early childhood teacher (ECT), working with LDCC directors and other Diploma and Certificate qualified educators to implement the preschool programme. In South Australia the Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) has carriage of implementing the UA programme..
Constructions of Quality in NZ Early Childhood Centres
This ground‑breaking New Zealand study examines how different early childhood settings construct “quality” from a values‑based perspective. By comparing the unique meanings held across kindergartens, childcare centres, playcentres and kōhanga reo, it reveals how diverse philosophies shape what quality truly looks like.
Early Intervention in Aotearoa New Zealand: Services and Challenges
FULL REFERENCE: Liberty, K. (2014). Early intervention in Aotearoa New Zealand: Services and challenges. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy, 17, 115-146.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: This paper describes the bicultural model of early intervention in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the challenges facing the delivery of effective services.The early intervention system is inclusive of culturally different concepts of development, family, disability, wellbeing, risk, prevention and intervention, as well as Kaupapa Māori and Western science evidence-based practices. Service frameworks emphasise culturally appropriate interactions with children and families. However, challenges to improve services exist. Population growth and increasing prevalence of needs associated with early intervention challenge the existing coverage of services. New needs identification systems are highlighting significant gaps between the number of children likely to require early intervention and the number receiving services. Additional challenges in service delivery, retention of families, and difficulties with supporting children with early intervention needs in early childhood services also require attention. Finally, culturally appropriate services should be replaced by culturally responsive services to improve early intervention for Māori. It is urgent that a review of early intervention be undertaken to determine the best approaches to meet the needs of young children with early intervention needs.
KEY WORDS:
Early intervention; service delivery; cultural responsiveness.
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