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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
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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Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Volunteers and Unpaid Workers in ECE – Your Rights
Voluntary work in ECE.
There are many examples in the early childhood sector of different ways employers may rely on free labour, such as:
I was offered an unpaid position and it was a foot in the door as there were no jobs going in my area. I’ve been at ____ for four months and I do the same work as other teachers.
My centre manager t
Art Gallery Visit
Taking Children to an Art Gallery.
Don’t assume that art galleries are too high-brow for young children. They may not be able to tell you the name of the artist but they will still appreciate the work. Early childhood education should include exposing children to contemporary art practice in different forms.
Here are suggestions to help
Natural Disasters, Evacuation and Separation Effects on Children
When there is a major earthquake or a devastating natural disaster, the effects on children may continue into adolescence, adulthood and old age.
Research on children experiencing natural disasters and parental separation provides helpful information and guidance on what might help to minimise the chances of long-term negative effects an
Self Review: Working Smarter, Not Harder for Best Practice
Self-Review. By Janet Moles.
As I quietly move close to the habitat of an early childhood centre, I observe that 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 exp
Service Provider Member Posts
Interview Questions for Teaching Job Applicants
This article goes over the broad areas to cover when interviewing an applicant and questions interviewers have found work.
When interviewing for a teaching position try to cover at least the following broad areas:
Prior work experience and reasons for any gaps in the applicant’s work record.Qualifications, when, where, how, areas of
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
Staff Discipline and Competence Policy
DISCIPLINE AND COMPETENCE POLICY.
A template to use for your discipline and competence policy.
Date Effective: __/__/20__
Review Date: __/__/202_
Rationale
<Service Name> is committed to providing children, staff and whānau with an environment which is safe and welcoming and promotes positive outcomes for all childr
Meal and Rest Breaks: What ECE Employers Must Provide
Does your ECE service meet requirements for staff meal and rest breaks? Check your legal duties now and learn how to manage breaks well.
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.
Running an early childhood service is demanding, and ensuring smooth staffing throughout the day can be challenging.
Most ECE employers genuinely want to support their staff and run a safe, high‑quality service. Providing rest and meal breaks is a key part of that.
This article outlines what employers must legally provide, why exemptions do not apply to ECE, and how to manage breaks while operating and maintaining a high standard of service.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Increase Research or Survey Participation – Effective Strategies
Getting people to participate in your research study or survey can be challenging, but small changes in approach can dramatically improve response rates. This guide shares practical strategies and tips that researchers, teachers and ECE services can use to boost engagement and gather richer, more reliable data.
Researching Pedagogies for Sustainability in Australian Bush Kinder
FULL REFERENCE: Hughes, F. (2019). Researching pedagogies for sustainability in Australian bush kinder: A reflective analysis on a framework and methodologies. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 22(1), 1-14.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: While there is a growing awareness of the need for children to spend more time in natural settings, the pedagogical link between education for sustainability (EfS) and nature requires further investigation. The assumption that children’s connection with nature equates with EfS is a key issue, as is educators’ understandings of their own pedagogical roles in relation to a nature-sustainability nexus. This article is a reflection on the framework and methodologies used in a doctoral study which explored how the links between nature and sustainability are perceived by early childhood educators in bush kinder settings in Australia, and the implications for their pedagogy. Data was collected over an eight month period where insights into the perceptions of the educators about sustainability and nature pedagogies were gained. Guided by a social constructivist theoretical framework, a methodology based upon Participatory Action Research (PAR), Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and Case Study was employed. In particular, PAR and AI are methodologies that supported the educators’ agency in transformative change. Data collection methods included individual interviews, focus groups, educator reflective journals and researcher participant observation field notes. The focus of this paper is to report on an analysis of the study methodology and process of data collection.
Key words: Education for sustainability, nature, bush kinder, PAR, AI, case study, pedagogy
INTRODUCTION
“It’s our ordinary. It’s what we do every day. I know it’s extraordinary when I say ordinary … The essence of everything we do. It wasn’t what we expected it to be. We thought, we are going to go out, just go on an excursion through the gate, and we are going to have a fabulous time. Now it’s different. We have realised the benefits are far outweighing the negatives. That whole idea of critical thinking has made us believe that what we do every day is normal” (Preschool 1).
The framework and methodologies discussed in this paper were implemented in a study in 2016/17 that sought to answer the question: How might an awareness of the nexus between nature and sustainability influence the pedagogies of early childhood educators in bush kinder settings?
The study evolved from my concerns about how slowly the early childhood sector has addressed environmental sustainability issues and the lack of curriculum guidance around Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS). Australian policy requirements for early childhood education (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2017) promote stewardship, respect and care for the environment, but often the ‘romanticised’ sensory, immersion nature discourse is promoted and taken by educators.
This study explored how the links between nature and sustainability are perceived by early childhood educators in bush kinder settings in Australia, and the implications for their pedagogy. Given the newness of the bush kinder approach, it is important for educators to reflect on their pedagogical roles in nature settings. As there has been little research into Early Childhood Education (ECE) pedagogy in outdoor nature settings in Australia and specifically its relationship with ECEfS, there is a need to investigate this gap. With the rapid growth of Australian bush kinder programs, I propose that the time is right to question whether Education for Sustainability (EfS) is being implemented, or are educators assuming that connections with nature are sufficient to develop strong approaches to EfS and subsequently convey this to children. The focus of this paper is an analysis of the study methodology and process of data collection in investigating this issue.
Contextualising the study
A Whole School Approach to Language Development in the Early Years
Research findings on supporting children entering school with speech and language delay. Concerning is that the skills necessary for teachers to have to support children are lacking within initial teacher training, which does not support children who are most vulnerable before and after entry to school.
FULL REFERENCE: Solvason, C., Kohlman H., Snowden, M. & Morris, C. (2016). A whole school approach to language development in the early years: professional development in action. NZ Research in ECE Journal, Special Issue: Equality and Diversity, 19, 32 – 45.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: This article presents findings from a staged evaluation of a three year longitudinal research project, now at the end of its second year, undertaken by the University of Worcester in collaboration with North Town Primary School, situated in Southern England. It uses an action research approach to foreground intervention strategies used to support children entering school with speech and language delay. Data collection took an interpretivist approach, acknowledging the diverse range of variables present in a child’s life, and sought to focus upon the lived experience of practitioners supporting children’s language development within the study school. The following paper reflects upon the impact of the project so far. It indicates a shift in culture at the school, with a greater emphasis and value being placed upon tools to support children’s language enrichment, recognizing the impact that these can have on a child’s confidence and independence. Conversely it also identifies some fundamental issues which remain; the most concerning being that the skills needed to support the development of children’s speech and language remain lacking within initial teacher training. It highlights the necessity for professional development within speech, language and communication to be fully acknowledged at policy level if we are to adequately cater for the needs of our children, especially those who are most vulnerable.
KEY WORDS: Communication; collaboration; longitudinal study; action research; early years.
INTRODUCTION
The focus of this paper is an intervention strategy, introduced within entering a primary school in a mixed socio-economic area of Southern England, to support the needs of children entering the school, aged four to five years, with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). In particular it investigates the role that professional development can play in enabling practitioners to successfully intervene to support children’s needs. Although written as a personal reflection it represents a collaborative enterprise between educational practitioners at the school, their Speech and language therapist (SaLT), and the university and all were involved in the editing process. The inter-professional nature of the project, in conjunction with the support of the parents and children at the school, has been vital to its success.
Early Childhood Educators’ Workplace Well-being
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 early childhood services. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. 22(2), pp. 9 – 17.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: Current conceptualisations of Early Childhood (EC) educator workplace well-being are problematic due to large gaps in the workplace well-being literature. Gaps include a dearth of research examining healthy well-being, limited qualitative studies to understand the complexity of workplace well-being and a focus on hedonic well-being (happiness at work) without the inclusion of eudaimonic well-being (meaningful work). Moreover, attention in the literature is mainly given to external conditions influencing well-being such as poor pay and working conditions. This article begins with a critique of EC workplace well-being literature and then provides an argument that asserts Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has the potential to provide a more suitable conceptualisation of EC educator well-being. Key principles of both SDT and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) are provided to highlight the suitability of using SDT to understand and also support the healthy well-being of those working in prior to school settings in the Australian ECEC context.
KEY WORDS: Self-determination theory, well-being, work-place stress, job satisfaction.
INTRODUCTION: Defining early childhood workplace well-being
Defining Early Childhood (EC) Educator workplace well-being is problematic. Well-being is a broad and complex concept and hence difficult to define. The need for a clearer definition of well-being and a greater understanding of how stressors emerge and why certain conditions act as buffers to poor well-being is needed (Corr, Davis, LaMontagne, Waters, & Steele, 2014; Cumming, 2017; Hall-Kenyon, Bullough, MacKay, & Marshall, 2014) to support EC educator wellbeing.
The majority of studies on EC educator well-being have focused on a deficit model of physical and psychological health that has concentrated predominantly on stress and burnout (Cumming, 2017; Hall-Kenyon et.al., 2014). However, there is evidence in the EC well-being literature of the potential benefits of a more positive focus on well-being (through the lens of positive psychology theorists) in terms of understanding and supporting workplace well-being (Hur & Buettner, 2016; Nislin et al., 2015; Nislin et al., 2016).
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