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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
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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
Female Teachers Annoyed at John’s Popularity as a Teacher
Male teacher popularity with children.
Why are kids always drawn to the male teacher? Our kids always go for John – it’s “Hi John” when they come in the door and they hang around him most of the day. We are feeling a bit peeved at his popularity I must say – and the fact that we are left with cleaning the tables etc. We often can
Ko Tau Rourou Ko Taku Rourou ā Kua Mārama Shared Understandings and Reflection on Wairua
Reflections on Wairua. By Ngaroma Williams and Michelle Anderson with peer-review by Dr Mere Skerrett.
We came to write this article through asking questions, seeking clarification, providing each other examples of our own experiences, and then highlighting what these experiences look like using teaching and learning narrative approaches
Giving Children Choices – Strategies for the Best Outcomes
Giving young children choices and empowering them to make their own decisions will help prepare them for life.
The early years are the best time for children to begin to learn about making choices and consequences.
The ability to choose is the essence of being human.
Consider how many choices you make each year, month, week, da
Over-Stimulating Environments Unsuitable for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Dear Fellow Teachers,
I’ve recently been approached by the mother of a child with ASD and Sensory Integration Disorder.
He is 3 and a half and finds a standard ECE environment too overwhelming – noise in particular but also visual stimulation and movement affect him adversely.
We had a long discussion about the unspoken belief that all children thrive in a visual stimulating and noisy environment.
The mother has investigated
Service Provider Member Posts
Non-Contact Time Needs and Your Entitlement
Early Childhood Teacher Non-Contact Time.
At centres and home-based services, teachers or educators have a wide range of responsibilities in their roles and finding time to do everything can especially be a challenge depending on things like the number of other teachers, how many hours your service operates and the demands/ needs of caring of
Domestic Violence Leave
Domestic violence leave guidelines.
Asking for proof and how to treat an employee who is, or is suspected to be, affected by domestic violence
As an employer you can accept any type of proof that an employee is affected by domestic violence. Proof may, for example, take the form of: a letter or email about what’s going on and how it
Arrears in Fees: Managing the WINZ Childcare Subsidy
Managing arrears in fees can be a headache for service providers, and especially when parents are on the WINZ subsidy. Several centre and home-based service providers have mentioned a problem they have when parents who are receiving a WINZ subsidy do not inform them that their income has lifted and so they are no longer eligible for the subsidy.&nb
Family Exit Form For Feedback and Ways to Acknowledge a Child’s Time with You
Acknowledging a Child’s Time with You
Have you thought about how you’ll mark a child’s time at your service? Simple, meaningful gestures help children and whānau remember the transition and feel celebrated.
Ideas for the child
Farewell card with photos of highlights from their time at your service.
Book gift in an area of the
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Contents – NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2012, Vol 15
This issue spans quality review in ECE, Montessori‑based literacy, relational ways of living and learning, optimal outdoor environments, parent–child coping communication, peer expertise‑sharing, communication in early intervention, a child’s lived experience in care, practitioner research journeys, student‑teacher support, cultural‑historical borderlands, and the complexities of goal‑setting in field‑based programmes, alongside research on the social needs of solo fathers.
Creating an Early Childhood Curriculum Pathway for Sustaining Indigenous Knowledges
Practices of equality and diversity in terms of early childhood education curriculum are examined. ECE is a transmitter of Western knowledges to Indigenous Fijian people and the research participants perceived young children to be the most affected by these knowledges.
FULL REFERENCE: Tiko, L. (2017). Creating an early childhood curriculum pathway for sustaining indigenous Fijian cultural knowledges. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 20(1), 17-33.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: The rising multicultural nature of Fiji’s population calls for practices of equality and diversity in terms of early childhood education curriculum. Research suggests that children achieve better outcomes when their diverse strengths, abilities, interests and cultural practices are understood and supported (Derman-Sparks & Ramsey, 2011; Edwards, 2009; Fleer, 2010; Sims, 2011a). Valuing and respecting equality and diversity is vital for children to develop a strong sense of identity. This is also explicated in curriculum frameworks such as the Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework, Belonging, Being and Becoming (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009) and in Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996), the national New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum. In this research, the experiences and ideas of the research participants were presented through their own words. They described their childhood experiences in homes, villages and in educational settings, and describe how Indigenous Fijian children today are experiencing very different childhoods compared to the past. Early childhood education and primary education were seen as major contributors and transmitters of Western knowledges to Indigenous Fijian people and the research participants perceived young children to be the most affected by these knowledges. There were some key elements of Indigenous Fijian cultural knowledges and epistemologies that participants agreed need to be preserved and maintained, although there were some areas of disagreement. This paper calls on the need for Indigenous Fijian cultural knowledge to be embedded into the Fijian early childhood education curriculum as a form of recognising and valuing equality and diversity of the Indigenous Fijian people.
KEY WORDS: Equality; diversity; social justice; culture.
INTRODUCTION
Equity and diversity are important subjects in the education scene; and are seen as a way to combat social injustices created by the so-called ‘one size fits all’ ideas and concepts of the West (Sims, 2011a). This paper expands on the need for Indigenous Fijian cultural knowledge to be embedded into the Fijian early childhood education curriculum as a form of recognising and valuing equality and diversity of the Indigenous Fijian people. Such inclusion can also be seen as the ‘closing the gap’ initiative similar to Australia’s Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) for Australia’s Aboriginal people, Keiki Steps for the Native Hawaiian children and the Generative Curriculum Model (GCM) for the Canadian First people. Therefore, in this paper equality and diversity refer to ideas of fairness and social justice which may require challenging the dominant culture to provide different treatment, or special measures for Indigenous Fijian young children to ensure that they experience equal opportunities to succeed (Hyland, 2010; Sims, 2011a; 2011b). Being treated fairly is also a ‘right’ as documented in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UNICEF, 1989). The inclusion of Indigenous Fijian cultural knowledge is an element of ‘quality’ in terms of facilitating children’s holistic learning and development.
The State of Play in Early Childhood Policy: A Note from Australia
FULL REFERENCE: Press, F. (2014). The State of Play in Early Childhood Policy: A Note from Australia. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 17, 11 – 20.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: This brief country note on Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy commences with an outline of the types of services that comprise the sector. A brief overview of the history of Australian early childhood education and care follows, including the challenges faced by the sector in the years leading up to the introduction of the Reform Agenda for Early Childhood. The changes instigated by the 2007 Early Childhood Reform Agenda and their significance are then explained and current policy and funding arrangements summarised. The paper concludes with a précis of the opportunities and challenges facing the early years’ sector.
KEY WORDS: Policy reform; quality; accreditation; parent involvement.
INTRODUCTION
At the time of writing Australian early childhood policy is in a state of flux. A newly elected national government (the Coalition) has indicated that it will slow the pace of reform instigated by the Reform Agenda for Early Childhood introduced by the previous Labor Government (Ley, 2013). However, the nature of future changes is not yet known. To date, the Government has requested the Productivity Commission1 “undertake an inquiry into how child care and early childhood learning can be more flexible, affordable and accessible and responsive to the needs of today’s families and children” (Australian Government Department of Education, 2013) with the final report due in approximately 12 months. Hence, while the following overview is as current as it can be at the time of writing, some aspects of policy may be superseded by the time of publication.
The services that comprise the system
This paper focuses on services within the Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector that cater to children who are not yet at school. School entry age in Australia ranges from 4.5 years (when children can commence school) to 6 years (the age of compulsion for all jurisdictions except Tasmania, where it is five years of age) (ACARA 2009). The ECEC sector is made up of a variety of services, including:
Pre-school (sometimes referred to as kindergarten). Traditionally provided as sessional care and education, pre-school is available to children for one or two years before the commencement of school. Pre-school may run as a morning or afternoon session; or as a short day (usually 6 hours). Stand-alone pre-schools (i.e. those not integrated with a childcare programme) keep the same opening weeks as schools. Providers of preschool vary. In some states and territories pre-schools are predominantly provided by departments of education, however they may also be provided by community based agencies. Few pre-school programmes are privately provided, unless they are incorporated into a long day care programme.
Long Day Care (centre based) (sometimes referred to as childcare centres). Full day education and care programmes, often available to children from 6 weeks of age to the commencement of school age. Long day care services operate for a minimum of 48 weeks of the year, and are open 10-12 hours a day. Long day care centres are provided by for-profit businesses (small and large), community-based associations, non-profit umbrella agencies (such as SDN Children’s Services, KU Children’s services, C & K), social enterprises (e.g. Goodstart), and local government.
Family Day Care (FDC): Home-based education and care often available to children from 6 weeks of age to the commencement of school age. Family day care educators are affiliated with and supported by a FDC coordination unit. FDC schemes are often provided by local government, community-based organisations, or for-profit businesses.
Mobile Children’s Services: Mobile children’s services provide itinerant services to children and families experiencing social, geographic, cultural or economic isolation. They operate in urban, rural and remote areas of Australia, moving from location to location to provide programmes for children and parents, which may include: advice and support to parents; playgroups; preschool programmes; and adjunct childcare.
Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services (MACS): MACS are not‐for‐profit community based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific early childhood services that offer a range of programmes to their local community, depending upon need. Services include long day care with at least one additional programme such as outside school-hours care, preschool, or parenting support.
Integrated Child and Family Services: Integrated services offer a range of care and education programmes in conjunction with additional supports to families including, for example, child health services, family support and early intervention programmes.
Playgroups: Playgroups are informal gatherings for family members, caregivers (including, for instance family day care educators) young children and babies. They provide a space for adults and children to interact with others. Supported Playgroups are those facilitated by an agency and provide on-site support for those attending the playgroups.
Supporting Participation of Indigenous Families in Early Childhood Education
FULL REFERENCE: Corridore, E. (2014). Supporting participation of indigenous families in early childhood education. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy,17, 147-160.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: This paper examines specific discrepancies between Australian Indigenous communities’ values, beliefs and approaches to education and those of mainstream Australian communities. It includes an analysis of relevant impacts of this mismatch on successful participation by Indigenous children in early childhood education settings. Cultural competency, as described in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and expanded upon by current thinking and learning, predominates as a professional skill required in educating young Indigenous children and communities. The confronting issue of colonisation has impacted on the participation levels of Indigenous families and is deserving of significant space and time for reflection around Western education institutions and what they represent and value.
KEY WORDS:
Indigenous; Australia; values; indigenous; culture; communities; participation; policy, curriculum, Early Years Learning Framework.
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