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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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Education Bulletin and Sector Notices
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Teacher Member Posts

Nose Bleeds
Nose bleeds in young children are commonly caused by knocks, nose-picking, and objects being inserted into the nose.
If the nose bleed is caused by an injury, always check with a doctor as the child’s nose could be broken.
Quite often though, a nose bleed may just happen for no apparent reason – the blood just starts to d

Two Curriculum Paths -Te Ara Whānui and Te Ara Māori
Regardless of what your service chooses to implement, as a teacher its very useful for you to know and have an understanding of the differences in Part A and Part B of the Curriculum Framework. Te Ara Māori or Te Ara Whānui.

Head Lice and Nits
Children get head lice. It’s one of those things that is a case of when and not if.
It pays to know
how to tell if a child has head lice and how to spot eggs how to carry out effective and safe treatment for very young children, andhow to talk with children’s parents and other families who may have come in contact or been infected

Art Gallery Visit
Taking Children to an Art Gallery.
Don’t assume that art galleries are too high-brow for young children. They may not be able to tell you the name of the artist but they will still appreciate the work. Early childhood education should include exposing children to contemporary art practice in different forms.
Here are suggestions to help
Service Provider Member Posts

Trauma Policy: Procedures for Responding to Critical Incidents and Trauma in ECE Services
Every early childhood service needs a clear Trauma Policy to protect children, families, and staff when the unexpected occurs.
Traumatic incidents can happen and having a well‑designed plan ensures your team responds safely, confidently, and in line with legal requirements.
Our comprehensive policy template and procedures give services the structure they need to act quickly, support wellbeing, and maintain a calm, coordinated response.

Getting Men to Apply for Your Staff Vacancy
Male job applicants.
We are advertising for a teacher and have received some quality applications so far, but no applications from males. We would love to have a male applicant or two – any ideas of how we could achieve this?Service provider
Dr Alexander replies:
Finding male staff can be difficult because there are disproportionat

Mentoring New People to Come onto the Committee
Mentoring new people.
Are you finding that you have to twist the arm of an unwilling parent or person to be on the board or committee?
Here are some tips so you never have to do this again.
Most organisations, early childhood services included, wait until the president or chair, secretary, treasurer and other members announce individuall

A Small Privately-Owned Centre Set-Up
Small Privately-Owned Centre. By Marian Ayres Hill.
Setting up, managing and teaching in a small private preschool has many challenges, however it is very rewarding when you see the enormous benefits that a small owner-operated centre brings to children.
This is my story.
I trained as a kindergarten teacher in the 70s and spent 2
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles

Index for the NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2007, Vol 10
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 10, 2007 are shown below.
To view any paper, scroll to the end of this page for copies.
Children’s Views of their World
Freda BriggsUniversity of South AustraliaNZRECE Journal, Vol. 10, 2007, pp. 3 – 1

Primary School Entry Assessment in New Zealand
Research on the literacy and numeracy skills of New Zealand children when they start school. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.

More than Door Talks. Insights into Parental Involvement in the Irish ECE and Care Context
Login to view the full article. Or to order a pdf copy of the article, go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
International organisations including the OECD and UNICEF characterise parental involvement in young children’s care and education as a fundamental right and obligation. This is reflected in early childhood curricula internationally.
This paper argues that parental involvement involves much more than ‘door talks.’ Drawing upon Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which underpins parental involvement, the paper discusses ECEC as a form of parental support vis a vis addressing poverty and educational disadvantage.

Doctoral Thesis Directory
This is a Ph.D. and Ed.D. Education Doctoral Thesis Directory.
The Education Doctoral Thesis Directory shows theses completed in NZ, or through a NZ tertiary education institution, that are relevant to young children’s care, health, and education.
An education masters thesis directory is also available if you would like to search for
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