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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
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
The Kind of Teacher You Are
It all Comes Out in the Wash! Teaching Style and Thinking About The Kind of Teacher You Are. By Joy Lubawy.
Have we moved forward with the times in educating young children?
Do you remember when your Mother used to boil the copper and stir the clothes in the boiling water with a wooden stick? Gosh the clothing must have been ha
The Learning Story Narrative Approach to Child Assessment
Narrative Approach to Child Assessment.
While our country’s youngest children are not assessed with end of year tests or other formal assessments, the Ministry of Education does require early childhood education (ECE) services to be ”informed by assessment, planning and evaluation (documented and undocumented) that demonstrates an understandi
How to Find Common Ground with Dads
Relationships with Dads in ECE.
How can we as female educators find common-ground with Dads that is non-threatening? Karen (ECE teacher).
Dr Alexander Replies:
* A major common-ground between female educators and Dads is the child – talk with Dads about their children, what their child has been doing during the day, ask questio
Service Provider Member Posts
Pay Reviews – Why, When and How
Regular annual pay reviews can help in developing and retaining a high-skilled and loyal staff. Reviewing staff pay is also a useful exercise to ensure that each member of staff is receiving pay that is appropriate and all legal obligations continue to be met.
Contents
What are employer’s legal responsibilities and moral obligations?Whe
Head Injury Suffered by Toddler on Concrete Ground in Mid-Winter
For an outline of key facts read our article: Nelson’s fall: Parents still don’t know how their toddler hit his head on concrete and had a brain injury at childcare
We’ve reviewed the centre manager’s report of the incident, Ministry of Education communications, Worksafe report, and lawyer correspondence. The learning we’ve taken is:
Don’t take children outside until the outdoor playground safety check is completed and ticked/signed.
The Difference Between a Salary and a Wage – and Work Hour Maximums
Salary and Wage Differences.
An employment contract must state the type of pay an employee will be paid.
Wage refers to the amount of money that is paid to an employee, by the hour, and it may vary from one pay period to the next depending on the number of hours the worker is employed.
Salary refers to a fixed amount of pay regardl
Managing Staff Drug and Alcohol Impairment
Ensuring that staff are not impaired by drugs or alcohol is a fundamental responsibility for every ECE service.
Staff whose behaviour or ability to function is affected by illicit drugs, controlled substances, or alcohol present a serious safety risk.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Changing Roles and Responsibilities: The Development of Coaching in Early Intervention
This paper examines if coaching has a potential role in helping authentic collaborative partnerships between early intervention teachers and early childhood educators and families.
Coaching is a process that can empower. It can also help ECE teachers to examine their own perceptions about the knowledge they hold. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Neoliberalism and Post-Colonialism in Conflict: Hybridisation in Early Childhood in the South Pacific
Research on the understandings of early childhood professionals on colonisation and ECE policies and systems post-colonisation. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Contents – NZ International Research in ECE Journal, 2025, Vol 27
New research on inclusive early childhood education, cultural responsiveness, digital technologies, anti‑bias practice, home‑based care, sustainability, and policy implementation. Across these diverse studies, authors offer fresh insights that deepen our understanding of ECE quality and the systems that shape children’s early education experiences.
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.
What We Do
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