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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
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
Can Women Understand How Boys Tick?
Should Boys Have a Male Teacher?
I don’t believe we as women understand how boys really tick. If boys had a male teacher would this help their achievement and reduce problem behaviours?Female kindergarten head teacher.
Dr Alexander replies
Female teachers can support boys as well as male teachers at early childhood level.
Helping Parents Make the Transition to ECE
Parents Leaving their Child For the First Time in Care – An anxious time.
“A heart wrenching moment for all parents is when we leave our child for the first time in the care of someone else who is not well-known to us or at early childhood service or school. A child may become a lot quieter than usual or kick up a fuss. Either way as parents we
Rhythm Ribbons and Physical Movement
Rhythm Ribbons and Physical Movement. By Bronwyn Norman.
Bursting out in the beautiful sunny Autumn/Ngahuru afternoon our tamariki were ready to embrace their environment and interact with each other by choosing materials and playing games.
Fuelled by eating a healthy afternoon tea their bodies were ready to move. Tamariki were walking, ru
Woodwork Tables, Tools, Gender Issues, and Rules
Woodworking in ECE is easier than you might think, and this guide shows you exactly what tools to get, how to set up the space and how to support children safely and confidently. Discover the huge developmental benefits of woodwork – from problem‑solving to coordination – and why even teachers with no carpentry experience can enjoy learning alongside the children.
Service Provider Member Posts
Managing Staff Drug and Alcohol Impairment
Staff using controlled drugs or working while impaired by alcohol is a serious safety risk. While managers and employers may know their responsibilities, navigating what to do can be difficult.
RS7 Return – Can You Afford to Opt-in to the Pay Parity Funding?
Opting-In to Pay Parity Funding.
Some service may opt-out and then lose their teachers to other services that have opted in. Others opting-in to pay parity funding could risk becoming insolvent. It’s bonus money for services already paying all their certificated teaching staff at least at the first 5 or 6 pay steps.
To explain the math and
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.
Internal Evaluation and How to Please ERO
Internal Evaluation and the Education Review Office.
Ongoing reflection and review of practice has always been a priority for ECE teachers to ensure that they are the best teachers they can be and are providing best outcomes for children.
From their initial teacher registration, teachers are taught to reflect on their practice and this is
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Infants and Toddlers in Non‑Parental Education and Care: Insights from the Children’s Commissioner Inquiry
The report offers evidence‑based recommendations to strengthen ECE for infants and toddlers, covering funding settings, flexible provision, child health, ratios and group-size, qualified and skilled workforce, teacher education, and everyday care practices.
Solo Fathers with Young Children and their Social Needs
Solo fathers are an ‘invisible’ group in society, although Census data suggests they make up almost 5% of families in New Zealand. No research other than a review of Census data in 1999 has been done on this family type in New Zealand, and there is also very little published research overseas, especially where it includes young children. This i
Neoliberalism and Post-Colonialism in Conflict: Hybridisation in Early Childhood in the South Pacific
Research on the understandings of early childhood professionals on colonisation and ECE policies and systems post-colonisation. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Becoming Cognisant of Research Informed by Kaupapa Māori in Early Childhood Education: Issues and Contexts
Abstract:
This paper outlines tensions existing within student teacher self-study action research projects undertaken as a requirement of a Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) at Te Whare Waananga o Wairaka Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec).
Whilst student teachers in our programme are expected to engage in Kaupapa Māori
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