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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
View the Code of Conduct for ECE Services
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Teacher Member Posts
Earthquake Drills, the Turtle Drop and Best Practice
Earthquake Drills and the Turtle Drop OPINIONBy Warwick Marshall A big earthquake shakes while you’re in the kitchen at your house. What do you do? …
An Example of a ‘Teaching Story’
In this article, I take a critical, but slightly light-hearted gaze at the professional learning benefits of developing a teaching story. I recommend that by…
Face painting
Face painting - Kōrero mai Throughout history and across many different societies, facepainting has been used for various purposes including camouflage, fashion, religious ceremonies and rituals…
Multi-Cultural Activities
Multi-Cultural Activities. Most early childhood education services include bi-cultural elements in their teaching and learning, but with New Zealand becoming an increasingly multicultural country it…
Service Provider Member Posts
Mandatory Reporting of Teachers
Here's information on mandatory reporting of teachers includes for not meeting the required level of competence, dismals and resignations, possible serious misconduct, and criminal convictions.…
Home-based Service Start-Up Story and What’s Worked Well
Home-based Service Start-Up. We profile a successful private Home-based Early Childhood Education Service based from Christchurch, and talk with the co-owner about the ins and…
Electrical Testing
The importance of electrical testing. Is your early childhood education service compliant for electrical safety? It needs to be: Failure of electrical wiring or appliances…
Daylight Saving – What You Need to Know to Support Children Over This Period
Under 5s feel the daylight saving switch the most. Their lives are based around routines and times, waking, eating, going to ECE, going home, and…
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Researching Pedagogies for Sustainability in Australian Bush Kinder
FULL REFERENCE: Hughes, F. (2019). Researching pedagogies for sustainability in Australian bush kinder: A reflective analysis on a framework and methodologies. NZ International Research in Early…
Increase Research or Survey Participation – Effective Strategies
Getting people to participate in your research study or survey can be challenging, but small changes in approach can dramatically improve response rates. This guide…
Early Childhood Educators’ Workplace Well-being
FULL REFERENCE: Jones, C., Hadley, F., Waniganayake, M. & Johnstone, M. (2019). Early childhood educators’ workplace well-being: A case for using self-determination theory to understand…
Classifying in Early Childhood Education
FULL REFERENCE: Duarte, N.G., da Ponte, J.P.M, and Pinto, H.G. (2026). Classifying in Early Childhood Education. NZ-International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 53-68.…
What We Do
The Office of ECE drives high-quality care, learning and teaching for all infants and young children and high-quality working environments for teachers and service providers.
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