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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
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
Supporting Children with Additional Needs
As every child is unique in an early childhood setting, there will be children with additional needs.
These could be physical differences, such as children with cerebral palsy or who are vision or hearing impaired; or it could be less visible conditions such as autism spectrum disorders or behavioural difficulties.
Regardless of the type of
SUDI – Death of an Infant when Sleeping
Sleep in ECE and Reducing the Risk of (SUDI): Learnings and What’s Legally Required versus Best Practice.
For years, the OECE’s chief advisor Dr Sarah Alexander has feared that a child would die from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in an early childhood education (ECE) setting. Now that has happened: An infant died from SUDI while
Sports and Large Muscle Physical Activities
Sports in the Early Childhood Curriculum.
Have you ever heard a sports coach or commentator describe something good a player did saying, “that is natural talent, you can’t teach that”. This article argues that through the artistry of teaching there is a way it can be taught… the early childhood educator’s way!
Sports are a huge p
Professional Growth Cycle
The Professional Growth Cycle PGC is the new requirement for registered teachers. The Teaching Council have acknowledged that it will continue to be developed and improve over time.
Contents
What does the Professional Growth Cycle (PGC) mean for ECE services? And what should ECE service managers/ leaders do?Does this mean that teachers will n
Service Provider Member Posts
Job Descriptions
Job description templates for various centre and home-based positions and examples.
Creating an effective job description is an important part of the hiring and employment process.
An appealing job description will attract the best candidates for the job you are advertising and will ensure you have a range of different applicants to choose
Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of Interest.
A conflict of interest is when you, someone you are close to, employed by, or are personally friendly with may stand to benefit or gain in some way from a decision made at a meeting or within the service.
The board/committee, management, families and all involved in the early childhood service need to be confident that
Illness and Infectious Diseases Policy and Procedures
How to write a strong illness and infectious diseases policy for your centre or home-based service that reflects regulatory requirements and best practice.
Early childhood centres and home‑based services play a vital role in safeguarding children’s health. It is therefore important to have a strong, well‑informed policy for managing illness and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
Here we provide a practical template and guidance to help you develop clear procedures to prevent children’s exposure to infectious illnesses and diseases and reduce the risk of infection spreading.
A solid understanding of the Infectious Diseases Chart which outlines all illnesses listed in Schedule 1 of the licensing criteria, including how they spread, their symptoms, incubation periods, and recommended exclusion times supports confident and informed decision‑making.
Working Smarter, Not Harder for Best Practice
The group is in the midst of the strange ritual known as ‘The Staff Meeting’. In this gathering, the leader communicates to the group, the tasks to be achieved, assigns duties and informs them of new requirements, rules and expectations.
An important part of the ritual is the response from the group, to the leader’s communications. Sometimes this is given at the time, whilst other groups wait until the leader has gone to utter the loud and anguished cry, “Aaaaaaargh!#$%! Not another thing to do!” Following this, they get on and do as requested.
Working in ECE we are very familiar with change and new expectations. We’re a very adaptive species. However, we have a tendency to just add on the new task, rather than look to see how it can be incorporated with existing tasks – or even replace some of them.
This paper is about working more effectively, rather than behaving like pack-horses and adding more burdens as they plod onwards, up the hill.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Building Capacity to Apply a Strengths Approach to Working with Vulnerable Families and Children
Research on ways early childhood educators can use a strengths based approach when working with vulnerable children and families and the ‘mind-shift’ and resources important. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Three-year-old Children’s Visual Art Experiences
Three-year-old Children’s Visual Art Experiences.
Julie Plows. University of Auckland, NZ.
Full reference: Plows, J (2015). Three-year-old children’s visual art experiences. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 37 – 51.
Original Research
Abstract
This art-based study investigated the verbal and
We’re All in This Together: Approaches to Inclusive Early Childhood Education for Disabled Children in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States, and What We Can Learn From One Another
Full reference: McAnelly, K., Purdue, K., Hall, L.J., Odom, S.L., & Hall, E. (2025). We’re all in this together: Approaches to inclusive early childhood education for disabled children in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States, and what we can learn from one another. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, pp. 1-16.
Login to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT:
Research from Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States continues to explore disabled children’s right to an inclusive early childhood education (ECE). In this article we examine ECE provision, key legislation and policy, and research on inclusion in our two countries. We also look at how initial teacher education and professional learning and development programmes help to strengthen inclusive practice in our respective countries. There is a lot that each country can draw on and learn from the other in relation to supporting disabled children’s inclusion in ECE. Drawing on insights from our cross-country comparisons, we offer recommendations aimed at amplifying disabled children’s rights to inclusive ECE.
Key words: Disability, inclusion, children’s rights, teacher education, cross-country comparison.
The Relationship between Early Childhood Education and Care and English Proficiency at School Entry for Bilingual Children in Australia
The Relationship between Early Childhood Education and Care and English Proficiency at School Entry for Bilingual Children in Australia.
Meredith O’Connor1,2, Elodie J. O’Connor1, Amanda Kvalsvig1 and Sharon Goldfeld1,21. Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria, Australia2. University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Full Reference: O’Co
What We Do
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