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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
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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

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.

Supervision While Eating – What the Requirements Mean and the Indicators to Help You Meet Them Confidently
The “supervision while eating” criterion is often misunderstood, especially the fact that it covers not only high‑risk choking foods but also allergic reactions, which can create real confusion about what supervision in practice looks like. This article explains the core requirements and provides practical indicators so you can keep children safe, protect yourself from allegations of harm, and ensure your service remains fully compliant.
Why Would a Qualified Teacher Want to Do Another Course or Higher Degree?
Studying for a higher qualification. By Melanie Wong.
How many times have you thought you really would like to do something more than what you are doing – but people mock your ambition or it just seems too hard to try?
For early childhood teachers the goal is to gain a diploma or degree in early childhood teaching. Further study be

Indoor Plant and Growing Activities
Children Indoor Plant Growing Activities.
Here are 7 ideas for how to do some fun growing activities and keep children busy. Activities include an onion person, a Humpty Dumpty potato or swede, an egg shell garden, wheat people and more.
Young children will be able to do many of these growing activities themselves – they ju
Service Provider Member Posts

What Records to Retain and How Long
Retention of Records: Paperwork and what’s Required to be Kept by the Ministry and Various Agencies, including IRD and the Charities Commission.
Issues of safety, privacy, and storage.
Early childhood service reports and records should always be kept in a safe place and not in someone else’s home, car, or workplace. In case of fire it

Job Description for a Centre Manager or Home-based Coordinator
Here is a template you can use and adapt for a manager job description – or centre supervisor, or home-based coordinator who is responsible for one group of visiting teachers.
If you would like more guidance and ideas go to the main article about writing JDs.
Service name or Logo
Position description
POSITION/ROLE:
E.g. Manag

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

Responding to a Child’s Disclosure of Abuse
Getting Help for an Abused Child. By Eric Hollis.
When a child discloses sexual abuse, it will always be distressing. It is natural for adults to feel at a loss to know how best to respond.
The information provided here covers how to listen and respond to a child who tells you, or hints in even a vague way, that she/he or someone they know
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles

Author Instructions for Preparing and Submitting a Manuscript to the NZIRECE Journal
These instructions for preparing and submitting a manuscript to the NZ-International Research in ECE Journal should be read in conjunction with the following journal policies:

Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education & Care Postmodern Perspectives
Beyond Quality extends the values-based approach, and taking a postmodern perspective, argues that researchers cannot continue to claim the “truth” and the right to define early childhood education and care quality for others.

Cultural-Historical Borderlands: Common Grounds, Limits and Building Bridges in an Early Childhood Community
This paper discusses how early childhood education may be understood and experienced as a cultural-historical borderland, where mental borders and limits are made by people. Drawing on border theory and cultural-historical theory, different perspectives are considered in the study reported here on understanding the challenges and hopes that a commu

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.
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