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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
View the Code of Conduct for ECE Services
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Teacher Member Posts
Early Reading Together: A Practical, Proven Literacy Programme for ECE Services
Early Reading Together® supports ECE teachers to run effective literacy workshops that strengthen how families talk, read, and learn together. This proven, research‑based programme is practical, enjoyable, and gives services simple, powerful ways to boost children’s early language and reading development.
Co-construction, Problem-Solving, Scaffolding and Hypothesising
The early childhood years are a busy, exciting time. New discoveries, skills and competencies are a regular part of life for a young child. Early childhood teachers have the opportunity to optimise these amazing and important years. In this article, I will discuss teaching strategies, such as co-construction, that can turn children’s possibilities into realities.
The practices that will be discussed involve expanding thinking, problem-solving and developing hypotheses. These teaching strategies can build on children’s learning dispositions and their strengths and interests to put the ‘wow factor’ into learning.
The ‘wow factor’
It is probably safe to say that most of us who choose to become teachers do so because we enjoy knowing that our work can make a meaningful contribution to children’s lives.
Most teachers I talk to are passionate about teaching and seeing young children learn.
Relieving Work – Relief Teaching
Working as a Reliever in ECE.
Most permanent early childhood teachers will have experienced relievers within their services, either from an agency or permanent relievers employed by their service and they may be interested in pursuing relieving themselves. If you are a reliever and for teachers who are considering moving from a permanent role
Teaching Science and Children’s Scientific Learning
Teaching Science and Children’s Scientific Learning. By Rachel Pratt.
How many times do you walk into a centre that has a table in the corner, which is beautifully set up with magnifying glasses, natural materials, and posters about a certain scientific process? And how often do you see children using it?
It’s great to have a science
Service Provider Member Posts
Values-based Interviewing as Part of the Staff Safety Check
Values-based Interviewing.
It is usual to conduct a formal interview with potential job applicants and to cover skills, experience and knowledge during the interview. This ‘technical’ interview is important to ensure that the applicant has the skills, competencies and knowledge to meet the job description and person specifications.
F
Trauma Policy
A policy template for early childhood education services on how they will respond to and manage traumatic incidents, with concern for the impact on staff, children, families, and the operation of the service.
Traumatic incidents include death, serious injury, abuse, disasters such as earthquakes, intruder and violent incidents, and lockdowns.
See a news article here about traumatic incidents at ECE services, to learn the nature of various incidents that may occur.
Traumatic incidents may occur at the service or outside of the service, and are witnessed or experienced by one or more children and adults who are part of the service.
1. Title: Trauma Policy
2. Policy statement
Employment References
Have you been asked by a colleague, student, or employee for an employment reference?
Here we explain your obligations, what to write, and ways to provide a job reference.
If you are asked by an employer to provide a reference for a person who has not asked you to be a referee, do not provide a reference without first checking and obtaining
Collection of Children Policy
Here is a policy and set of procedures for the Collection of Children that you may use and adapt for your early childhood service. Services are responsible for upholding children’s safety at all times. This includes responsibility for ensuring the safety of children leaving the premises.
Reflective questions
Considering reflective questi
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
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.
Contents – NZ International Research in ECE Journal, 2017, Vol 20, No.2
This special issue examines the realities of educators’ work, from the factors that sustain teacher satisfaction and the emotional labour of early childhood teaching to access to professional learning and the challenges faced by field‑based student teachers.
Index for the NZ Research in ECE Journal 1998, Vol 1
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 1, 1997/8 are shown below.
To view any paper, scroll to the end of this page for copies.
Introducing Computers to Preschoolers
Claire Fletcher-FlinnUniversity of AucklandNZRECE Journal, Vol. 1, 1997/8, pp.&nb
Teaching Early Years Mathematics, Science and ICT
Here is a helpful book jam-packed with ideas for teaching early years mathematics, science and ICT to children aged about 4 to 8 years.
What We Do
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