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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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Teacher Member Posts
Making Signs as Part of Play
Making signs enriches play and learning.
All around us are signs – what ones can you see?
Signs can be used to tell us what to do like “stop” and “give way” on the road.
They can be used to let us know about dangers (e.g. “wet floor”) and to make announcements (e.g. “cooking at 2pm today”).
Signs can also be used to labe
Parent-Child Attachment
Supporting Parent-Child Attachment.
A strong attachment with an adult is as essential to a child as air, food and water. Healthy child development is unlikely without it.
The Ministry of Health reports that mental health and behavioural problems are rising across all socio-economic groups.
What effect could stronger pa
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
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 Alexander has feared that a child would die from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in an early childhood education (ECE) setting. Now that has happened: An infant died from SUDI while
Service Provider Member Posts
Employment References
Have you been asked by a colleague, student, or employee for an employment reference?
Here we explain your obligations, what to write, and ways to provide a job reference.
If you are asked by an employer to provide a reference for a person who has not asked you to be a referee, do not provide a reference without first checking and obtaining
Sick Leave: ECE Employer Guide to Legal Duties, Proof, and Best Practices
ECE employers – managing sick leave is becoming increasingly complex, and getting it wrong can put pressure on ratios, disrupt staffing, and create legal and health‑and‑safety risks.
This guidance covers exactly what you must provide, how to support staff appropriately, and how to protect your service when absences occur.
Running an early childhood service means constantly balancing legal obligations, maintaining safe staffing levels, and finding cover at short notice.
Log in with your member details to read the full guidance. If your service’s membership has lapsed or you’d like to join, get in touch and we’ll help you get set up quickly.
Sick leave is one of the hardest parts of that balancing act – especially when absences create strain or when you’re unsure how to respond in a way that is both fair and compliant.
RS7 Return – Can You Afford to Opt-in to the Pay Parity Funding?
Opting-In to Pay Parity Funding.
Some service may opt-out and then lose their teachers to other services that have opted in. Others opting-in to pay parity funding could risk becoming insolvent. It’s bonus money for services already paying all their certificated teaching staff at least at the first 5 or 6 pay steps.
To explain the math and
Charging Fees When Closed for a Public Holiday
Charging Fees When Closed.
We asked ECE Service providers about their practices of charging fees when closed. A selection of comments is provided below. Add your comment on this topic and reply to any of the comments posted here.
See also public information on parent reactions to services continuing to charge fees when closed on statuto
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Play and the Professional Early Childhood Teacher: A Personal Reflection
Play and the Professional Early Childhood Teacher: A Personal Reflection.
Sue Stover. AUT University, New Zealand.
Full Reference: Stover, S. (2014). Play and the professional early childhood teacher: A personal reflection. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy, 17, 89-100.
Ori
Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education & Care Postmodern Perspectives
Beyond Quality extends the values-based approach, and taking a postmodern perspective, argues that researchers cannot continue to claim the “truth” and the right to define early childhood education and care quality for others.
Engaging in Collaborative Research: Lessons Learned
Teacher-Researcher Partnership and Research Collaborations. By Margaret Turnbull and Helen Dixon. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education journal, Vol. 9, 2006, pp. 91-103
Abstract
A collaborative research initiative was established between early childhood centre staff and teacher educators from a tertiary institution. The aim of the resear
Is There an Optimum Age for Starting School in New Zealand?
Research that uncovers what the best age for children to start school is at the national level. Considers cognitive development, age and school readiness. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
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