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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
Making Volcanoes
Making Volcanoes with Children.
Children find volcanoes intriguing.
Here are some key facts and simple information to share with children about volcanoes and geysers, along with a ‘recipe’ for making your very own fun miniature demonstration volcano. Introducing knowledge and understanding of volcanoes is a common part of teaching and
Lunch, Rest, and Breastfeeding Breaks – What You Must Receive and What to Do When You Don’t
Early childhood employees have legal rights to rest, meal, and breastfeeding breaks.
Working with young children is rewarding -but it’s also busy, demanding, and nonstop. Many early childhood teachers and employees tell us they’re unsure about what breaks they’re actually entitled to, especially when every service seems to make arrangements differently.
We explain your entitlements and what to do when your employer isn’t meeting the law.
Log in with your member details to read more. If your membership has lapsed and you’d like to renew – or if you’re interested in becoming a member – just get in touch with us and we’ll help you get started.
The good news is:
1. The law is clear
2. ECE services are not exempt. You have minimum break entitlements, and your employer must make sure you can take them.
Sign Language and Baby (Child) Signing
Baby Signing.
What is baby (child) signing?History – how it developed and what the researchers discovered. Simple tips for getting started with baby signing. Examples of some baby signs that you can easily learn and teach to infants in your care.
Also see a related article on what a parent and ECE service says about this: Parents sig
The Concept of Tuakana-Teina dictated by Whakapapa
Within Aotearoa, NZ early childhood education pedagogy, the relationships of tuakana, teina are misunderstood, misinterpreted and/or misused. Ngaroma Williams explains how and calls for a Maori worldview to be expressed and better understood.
Service Provider Member Posts
Mentoring New People to Come onto the Committee
Mentoring new people.
Are you finding that you have to twist the arm of an unwilling parent or person to be on the board or committee?
Here are some tips so you never have to do this again.
Most organisations, early childhood services included, wait until the president or chair, secretary, treasurer and other members announce individuall
Glossary of Financial and Accounting Terms
Accounting and Financial Terms Explained for ECE Service Providers.
Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable: See “Ledger” below.
Accounting Reports: See definitions below for each of:
Balance Sheet – same as Statement of Financial Position
Cash flow report
Flow of Funds
Income and Expenditure Repo
Social Media Policy: Essential and Effective Guidelines and Template for Early Childhood Services
We provide a policy template as well as highlighting the main issues for your team to discuss and ensure your policy is practical, protective and aligned with the realities of social media use in New Zealand early childhood settings.
Make time to think through the key considerations, risks and decisions involved.
At the end of this article, you will find a Social Media Policy template that you can adapt and use to create a policy that suits your service’s needs, values and social media practices.
When used well, social media can strengthen communication, build community and serve as a powerful marketing tool. When used poorly, it can compromise privacy, blur professional boundaries and damage trust.
Social media refers to Internet based tools that allow users to publish information, opinions, images and other content. In New Zealand early childhood settings, the most commonly used platforms include
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
Screens or No Screens: Understanding Young Children’s Use of Digital Technologies
Maya Robinson-Kennedy.
Full reference: Robinson-Kennedy, M. (2019). Screens or no screens: Understanding young children’s use of digital technologies. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special issue presenting early childhood position papers, 22(2), pp. 18 – 25.
Page 18
Original Posit
Parent Engagement and its Influence on Early Childhood Education Teachers
Research on the influence of parents on teachers and their teaching practices. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Children as Teachers: Creating Opportunities for Children to Share Expertise with their Peers
In early childhood centres young children have the opportunity to interact with their peers in a play based environment. Play takes a central role and is a way by which children may challenge and extend each other’s thinking. Current accounts of how children learn and develop recognise the importance of peer interactions in this process. The stud
Touch in Early Childhood Education: Do No‑Touch Policies Belong?
The article explores how no‑touch policies in ECE emerged and why they continue to shape teacher behaviour, raising important questions about what kinds of touch are appropriate, safe, and developmentally necessary for young children. It’s a thought‑provoking read on how fear and policy can influence caring relationships at the heart of ECE.
What We Do
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