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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
Running a Transition to School Programme
The strands in the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki underpin the objective of providing a base for children to be able to build on their learning and become confident and competent in school. The New Zealand Curriculum explains that supporting of the transition process from early childhood requires fostering of a child’s relationships within their social environment, building and recognising all their experiences and collaborating with family and whanau.
Multiple factors affect a child’s transition from early childhood to school, and some of the main factors are:
– Whether there is a collaborative approach and effective communication between school, early childhood service and the family during the transition process;
– Early childhood and primary teachers understanding of both the early childhood and the NZ schools curricula;
– Children’s understanding of the different curriculum of the school, and the school’s social and physical environment; and
– Children’s preparedness for the academic challenges of the school curriculum.
I’ll discuss each of these factors and share examples with you.
Teachers have different approaches to managing the transition processes.
As early childhood teachers, we need to understand that each child develops differently; hence we need to adapt the pace of the transition programme accordingly.
Woodwork Tables, Tools, Gender Issues, and Rules
Woodworking in ECE is easier than you might think, and this guide shows you exactly what tools to get, how to set up the space and how to support children safely and confidently. Discover the huge developmental benefits of woodwork – from problem‑solving to coordination – and why even teachers with no carpentry experience can enjoy learning alongside the children.
Bullying by Children as Young as 2 Years
Bullying by Children as Young as Two.
Children bullying another child is not uncommon, and it happens in early childhood centres and homes. Around one in ten children experience being bullied or picked on as a consistent experience from age two years, according to findings of a longitudinal study.
Here we will look at: Should a child be called a bully? What is bullying? Examples of bullying. What’s normal and how adults can stop bullying from developing in the first place
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
Service Provider Member Posts
Building the Real Quality of Your ECE Service
Beyond Regulatory Standards and Expectations to Building Quality.
There seems to be so much to do in trying to provide a quality service, does there not?
Is all your work worth it or could a change in focus and method achieve better results?
To help you to think critically on this consider the following:
Who defines what quality is? A
Getting Relievers and Managing Relief Staff
An early childhood reliever is a much welcome part to any ECE service. Teachers and home-based coordinators will require annual or sick leave, or you may need someone to fill in, while you look for a new staff member. Whatever the reason for your need for using a reliever, there are many questions and concerns that may arise for employers and manag
Staffing Rosters: Balancing Safety and Compliance at Opening and Closing
Staffing Rosters at opening and closing can make or break the safety and compliance of an early childhood service. Many leaders are unsure what the law actually requires, especially when only a few children remain at the end of the day. This article cuts through the confusion with clear guidance on ratios, supervision, and who can legally be left to open or close the centre and differences between legal and best practice.
Raising Concerns – Complaints Policy
Does your early childhood service have a well-written, well thought-out complaints policy? Getting it right is essential to support people to raise their concerns and avoid situations escalating and further problems.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Let us keep close together, not far apart
Regulatory requirements and Te Whāriki
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Retaining Early Childhood Teachers: What Factors Contribute to High Job Satisfaction?
The results of a study on why early childhood teachers leave their jobs and factors such as better adult-to-child ratios that contribute to satisfaction in the workplace.
FULL REFERENCE: Jones, C., Hadley F., & Johnstone, M. (2017). Retaining early childhood teachers: What factors contribute to high job satisfaction in early childhood settings in Australia? NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal: Special Issue “Educators and their Work”, 20(2), 1-18.
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 Australian early childhood sector is grappling with high teacher turnover rates in a climate where the demand for teachers is higher than ever due to regulatory increases in qualifications and an influx of centre based services. The necessity to understand what inspires those teachers who remain in the sector and the factors enhancing their job satisfaction is pertinent in the current context. This article reports on a study of teacher job satisfaction while examining the potential of Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a mechanism for understanding this phenomenon. The study consisted of two phases. Phase one included 229 teachers completing an online survey measuring job satisfaction, intention to turnover, extrinsic factors as well as a major component of SDT (the three Basic Psychological Needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence in the workplace) with the W-BNS. In phase two, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten teachers who reported high levels of job satisfaction in their current workplaces from phase one. The ‘voices’ of these teachers support the findings from phase one by echoing the importance of meeting the three basic psychological needs in the workplace. This paper discusses the potential of SDT as a framework for understanding early childhood teacher job satisfaction and implications for policy and practice are also explored.
Key words: Job satisfaction; self-determination theory; early childhood teacher; staff turnover; long day care; retention.
INTRODUCTION
For this study, job satisfaction was defined as how satisfied a teacher is in their current workplace, and how happy they are in the overall Early Childhood (EC) profession. While job satisfaction in prior to school settings has been studied quite extensively (Bloom, 1986, 1988; Stremmel, Benson, & Powell, 1993; Whitebook & Sakai, 2003) there is limited Australian specific research and much of what is available is quite dated (Lyons, 1996, 1997; Rosier & Lloyd-Smith, 1996). This is problematic as the Australian EC sector is undergoing substantial growth requiring more teachers in prior to school settings (Productivity Commission, (PC), 2014; Sims & Waniganayake, 2015),
In the past decade (2003-2013), the number of approved EC services increased by 58%, with Long Day Care (LDC) services comprising just under half of this figure (PC, 2014). LDC centres are defined as providers of care for children from birth to school age, are open for at least ten hours per day, five days a week, and for at least 48 weeks per year. The introduction of the National Quality Framework (NQF), the regulatory system for EC organisations has also seen an emphasis on increased educator qualifications (Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA), 2011). The expansion of services has subsequently increased the number of educator positions (those who are employed to work directly with children); and the NQF regulations have increased the number of teachers (a person who holds an approved early childhood teaching qualification from a university) to meet the legislative requirements (ACECQA, 2016). This overall increase of EC teacher positions in the past decade has added further pressure to a sector already grappling with issues of retention and turnover (Bretherton, 2010; OECD, 2013).
Doctoral Thesis Directory
This is a Ph.D. and Ed.D. Education Doctoral Thesis Directory.
The Education Doctoral Thesis Directory shows theses completed in NZ, or through a NZ tertiary education institution, that are relevant to young children’s care, health, and education.
An education masters thesis directory is also available if you would like to search for
Advocating for a Comprehensive Approach to Assessment in NZ Early Childhood Education
FULL REFERENCE: Zhang, Q. (2015). Advocating for a comprehensive approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 67 – 79.
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 Learning Story approach to assessing and reporting children’s learning is the dominant approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education largely due to endorsement by the Ministry Education and advocacy by academics and educational authorities. This article argues that regardless of the appeal of Learning Stories this approach should not be promoted as the only or best assessment practice. Educators, parents and children should be provided with choices, and a more multi-method or comprehensive approach taken to assessment. Two key rationales for a comprehensive approach presented in this paper are: (1) assessment has multiple purposes that require multiple tools rather than a one-size-fits-all approach; and (2) the effectiveness of assessment tools is contextually determined.
Key words: Assessment; Learning Stories; multi-method; comprehensive approach.
Introduction
Assessment in early childhood education is important for raising children’s learning outcomes. Internationally, there is debate and no consensus on what assessment practices constitute ‘best practices’; but in NZ over the past ten years, Learning Stories has gained dominancy largely due to endorsement by the Ministry of Education and advocacy by academics and educational authorities. The publication and circulation of Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars, a series of books featuring sample Learning Stories (Ministry of Education, 2004, 2007, 2009), along with funded nation-wide professional development for teachers, helped to secure the place of Learning Story methodology in NZ early childhood education. Assessment in early childhood education is generally seen to mean Learning Stories and the possibility is not considered that there exist other methods that could be used instead of or in conjunction with Learning Stories. This article argues that, regardless of the appeal of Learning Story methodology, this approach should not dominate or monopolise the early childhood education assessment practices, as is the case currently in New Zealand.
Conceptualising assessment in early childhood settings
How to write a good abstract and guidelines for reviewers of abstracts and paper or conference proposals
Writing a good abstract and what to look for if you are reviewing abstracts or conference paper proposals.
Guideline on Abstract Writing and Review
An abstract for a research paper should be sharply focused, concisely written and identify the major aspects of the research to be covered in the proposed session. Reviewing an abstract for a rese
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