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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
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Teacher Member Posts
Telling Parents Only What We Think They Want to Hear About Their Child
Lying to Parents About their Child in Early Childhood Education and Childcare.
As early childhood teachers, how often and why are we lying to parents about their child?
We are constantly making judgements on what information to give parents about their children and what information to withhold. But in whose best interests are we acting
“A City Possessed”: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case by Lynley Hood
“A City Possessed”: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case by Lynley Hood.
No other case of child abuse in New Zealand’s history has held public attention so strongly and for so long as the Christchurch Civic Creche case. While charges against four of his female colleagues were dropped after an 11-week preliminary hearing, Peter Ellis was later se
School Starting Age – Evidence and Arguments
The Best Age to Start School. By Dr Sarah Alexander.
In New Zealand nearly all children have their first full day at primary school on or very close to their 5th birthday. This is a social custom as it is not a legal requirement for families to enrol their child until 6 years of age. Parents have a choice to continue their child in early ch
Making Pet Rocks
Making Pet Rocks.
This is a fun activity for ages 2 – 102 – so its highly suitable to involve parents and grandparents in doing too alongside their children.
This can be done inside or at an outside table. , to produce something that reflects the personal style of the creator.
Brilliant for building imagination and creativity, leadin
Service Provider Member Posts
Job Description: Qualified Teacher
Here’s not only a template for a qualified ECE teacher job description but also a sample JD for you to use and adapt. If you would like more guidance and ideas go to the main article about writing JDs.
Template
Service name or Logo
Position description
POSITION/ ROLE:
E.g. Qualified early childhood teacher
POSITION/ ROLE TYPE:
E.g.
Food Allergy Management
Food Allergy Management.
Sharing a sweet treat on your birthday is great fun, but in an early childhood setting it can be more complicated than simply working out how many pieces you need to cut the cake into.
If your centre or home-based service has children who have food allergies or intolerances, what seems like some harmless baking coul
The ECE Employer Guide to Employing and Managing Staff
The ECE Employer Guide is for all managers and persons who employ or are involved in the recruitment and employment of staff. It is a comprehensive resource with detailed information on employment matters as well as on managing your team.
The ECE Employer Guide has been prepared for teacher-led services but there is much in this gui
Job Description for Unqualified Teaching Staff or Student Teacher
How to Write a Job Description for Unqualified Teaching Staff and Students.
Unqualified staff or teaching assistants can be employed to provide support to qualified teaching staff. Often services will have an additional position for a person-in-training.
Below is a template you can use and adapt for a job description for unqualified t
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Index for the NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2009, Vol 12
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 12, 2009 are shown below.
To view any paper, scroll to the end of this page for copies.
Reviewing the Reviewers: Commentary on the Education Review Office’s Evaluation of Assessment
Ken E. BlaiklockUnitec
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
Early Childhood Educators’ Workplace Well-being
Catherine Jones, Fay Hadley, Manjula Waniganayake and Melissa Johnstone. Macquarie University, New South Wales.
Full reference:Jones, C., Hadley, F., Waniganayake, M. & Johnstone, M. (2019). Early childhood educators’ workplace well-being: A case for using self-determination theory to understand and support workplace well-being in earl
Shared Cultural Responsiveness Teaching Strategies for Early Childhood Educators: Insights from Japanese and Australian Researchers
Full reference: Ba Akhlagh. S. and Yamada, M. (2025). Shared cultural responsiveness teaching strategies for early childhood educators: Insights from Japanese and Australian researchers. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, pp. 17-30.
Login to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT:
The global movement of migrants and refugees presents significant challenges for host countries, particularly in providing equitable and inclusive education for children. Nations such as Australia and Japan have become safe destinations, yet the extent to which they are prepared to facilitate culturally responsive early childhood education varies. This paper presents research-based strategies, developed by two researchers in Australia and Japan, that have proven to be practical and helpful for educators, supporting children from cultural and linguistic diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Australia. These strategies, currently offered to educators in Australia, are planned for implementation among Japanese early childhood educators from 2026. Drawing on shared expertise from both countries, the approach fosters mutual learning and adaptation, aiming to inspire educators worldwide to contextualise and apply these evidence-informed practices within their own early childhood education settings.
Key words: Cultural responsiveness, educators, cross-cultural early childhood education teaching strategies, professional learning.
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