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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
View the Code of Conduct for ECE Services
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Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Casual, Fixed‑Term, or Permanent? What Early Childhood Teachers Need to Know
It’s becoming common for early childhood services to place teaching staff on casual or fixed‑term contracts - when the role is ongoing and really should…
Sports and Large Muscle Physical Activities
Sports in the Early Childhood Curriculum. Have you ever heard a sports coach or commentator describe something good a player did saying, “that is natural…
When Your Service is Not Meeting Adult-Child Ratio Minimums
Not meeting adult:child ratios. There are various ways that adult-child ratios can become a problem. For example, does your manager or boss tell you that…
The Place of Travel in Teachers’ Professional Development
Travel in Teachers' Professional Development. By Kathy Goouch and Hazel Bryan. There has been increasing interest shown by those concerned with young children’s learning in…
Service Provider Member Posts
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…
Kindergarten Girl on Slide Nearly Died From Strangulation
Slide safety. UPDATE: Another case of strangulation showing that lessons have not yet been learnt. A child died in 2016 at Angels Childcare in Auckland…
The ECE Safety Checklist – Daily Hazard and Safety Checklist
The ECE Safety Checklist - A Daily Hazard and Safety Checklist for Every ECE Service. Checklist items include regulation requirements and reflect learnings from tragic…
SUDI – Death of an Infant when Sleeping
Sleep in ECE and Reducing the Risk of (SUDI): Learnings and What’s Legally Required versus Best Practice. For years, the OECE's chief advisor Dr Sarah…
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Embedding Parents’ Perspectives in the Discourse for Quality Education and Care in the Early Years
FULL REFERENCE: Bailey, E. & Solvason, C. (2019). Embedding parents’ perspectives in the discourse for quality education and care in the early years. NZ International…
Index for the NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2000, Vol 3
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 3, 2000 are shown below. To view…
Creating an Early Childhood Curriculum Pathway for Sustaining Indigenous Knowledges
Practices of equality and diversity in terms of early childhood education curriculum are examined. ECE is a transmitter of Western knowledges to Indigenous Fijian people…
Affordability of Quality Early Childhood Education and Care
FULL REFERENCE: Seagrave, T. (2019). Affordability of early childhood education and care. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special issue presenting early childhood position…
What We Do
The Office of ECE drives high-quality care, learning and teaching for all infants and young children and high-quality working environments for teachers and service providers.
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