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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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Education Bulletin and Sector Notices
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Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Asthma
Asthma is quite common among children but many of them will grow out of it as they get older. Around one in four New Zealand children show signs of asthma at some time.
This article tells you about the known causes of asthma, treatments, when a child may or may not have asthma, and practical ways of improving the home and early childhood centre
Making Books and Reading Fun
Books and Reading Fun. By Barb Morris.
We learn best when we are playing and having fun especially if we are rewarded with smiles, positive comments and cuddles. Children are no exception! So how do they learn? When it comes to reading it is mainly by copying and you, as educators are the most powerful role models that children copy.
Noho Marae – What’s involved and making the most out of your overnight stay at a marae
If you’ve attended noho marae before, you will likely have some knowledge of the pōwhiri or mihi whakatau process, and of the specific tikanga of the marae.
If it’s your first time, you may feel nervous and keen to ensure you know what to do, to show respect to the haukainga.
Noho marae are a unique and powerful experience of learning and connectedness.
Many ECE teams attend noho marae. This may be for professional development, team building, wānanga, connecting with tangata whenua or all of these reasons! Noho marae are also usually included in initial Teacher Education programmes.
Pōwhiri Process
Pōwhiri are important welcoming ceremony which welcome manuhihi onto a marae.
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.
Service Provider Member Posts
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.
Excursions Policy and Procedures
Policy and procedures for excursions and outings.
An excursion is when children are taken outside the licensed premises as part of the learning and teaching programme while attending the service. It does not include an outing for emergency evacuations, drills, or to receive urgent medical attention (we provide a separate policy template for leaving the premises for these reasons).
RATIONALE:
In the rationale section of your written policy some things you may wish to include are:
Glossary of Financial and Accounting Terms
Accounting and Financial Terms Explained for ECE Service Providers.
Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable: See “Ledger” below.
Accounting Reports: See definitions below for each of:
Balance Sheet – same as Statement of Financial Position
Cash flow report
Flow of Funds
Income and Expenditure Repo
Successful Networking
Networking in Early Childhood Education.
Ever felt nervous getting in touch with someone in an important position, or in a room full of people knowing that you are unable to say anything or not knowing what to say?
Successful networking is an essential key to getting ahead and staying ahead.
This article covers:
what networking ispr
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Exploring Educator and Parent Perceptions of the Impact of Digital Technologies on Young Children’s Physical Literacies
FULL REFERENCE: Davis, T. (2025). Exploring educator and parent perceptions of the impact of digital technologies on young children’s physical literacies. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, pp. 31-42.
ABSTRACT: Digital technologies are increasingly present in early childhood settings, raising questions about their effects on young children’s physical literacy development. Physical literacy – encompassing physical competence, confidence, motivation, and understanding to engage in physical activity – is crucially developed in the early years. This article reports on a doctoral research project exploring how educators and parents perceive the impact of digital technology use on the physical literacies of children from birth to five years. A literature review highlights international and Australasian perspectives on digital technology integration in early childhood education and the concept of physical literacy in the early years, revealing a gap in research on stakeholder perceptions at this intersection. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory provide the theoretical framework, situating children’s technology experiences within layered environmental contexts and sociocultural interactions. A qualitative, interpretive case study with a phenomenological lens is proposed, using semi-structured interviews with educators and parents in an Australian kindergarten and a long day care centre. The article argues that understanding adult perceptions can support more intentional, balanced integration of digital technologies.
KEY WORDS: Digital technologies; physical literacy; teacher perceptions; parent perceptions.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
INTRODUCTION
In today’s early childhood environments, digital technologies such as tablets, smartphones, and smart toys are widely used, even by infants and toddlers (Chu et al., 2024). As screen time becomes a regular part of young children’s routines, concerns have been expressed about its impact on development—particularly physical literacy, which refers to the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge needed for lifelong engagement in physical activity (Whitehead, 2010). In early childhood education and care (ECEC), physical literacy and regular daily movement are linked to healthier body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as emerging cognitive benefits such as better executive function and self-regulation (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2019). ECEC is a vital time for developing motor skills and positive attitudes toward movement, laying foundations for lifelong physical activity (Robinson et al., 2015; WHO, 2019;). However, it is also when habits of screen use and sedentary behaviour can begin to form. Balancing digital engagement with physical play has therefore become a key issue in ECEC. In this paper, screen time refers to sedentary viewing, whereas interactive screen time denotes hands-on use of interactive digital play; where relevant, the researcher specifies movement-linked screen time for experiences that prompt gross-motor activity (American Academy of Paediatrics [AAP] Council on Communications and Media, 2016; WHO, 2019;).
Cultural Components of Early Childhood Teacher Education in Aotearoa New Zealand
FULL REFERENCE: Afrin, T. (2023). Cultural components of early childhood teacher education in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 25, pp. 1 – 16.
Log-in to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT: A number of Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) deliver early childhood teacher education programmes, where teaching and learning takes place between student-teachers and lecturers. Although several research reports aim to explore cultural diversity and inclusive practice with young children, very few do so from the perspective of teacher education. It is important that the tertiary sector is studied so that the student-teachers’ classroom encounter aligns with the placement experience. This study aims to address this gap. Within a socio-cultural framework, the research objectives were to ascertain the cultural components of early childhood teacher education programmes and to explore how the identified components impact on teaching and learning. Twelve lecturers from three TEOs and three cohorts of student-teachers participated via interviews and focus group discussions. Using manual thematic coding, nine broad areas of emerged. These are bicultural contexts of Aotearoa, multi-culturalism, individual identities, cross-cultural interactions, comfort zone, female majority, socio-economic struggles, spirituality, and technology. Student-teachers reported feeling empowered when they shared components from their culture. Lecturers acknowledged these components and affirmed that they contributed to their own emotional and professional growth. The findings led to the development of a reusable reflection framework for the lecturers of early childhood teacher education programmes to promote cultural competence.
KEY WORDS: Culture, teacher education, early childhood, reflection, teaching as inquiry.
INTRODUCTION
If we believe in the quote “We teach who we are” (Palmer, 1998, p. 1), curiosity about cultural components arises. Our own cultural contexts influence us as individuals and as educators. As an immigrant early childhood teacher educator from Bangladesh, working in Aotearoa New Zealand for the last twelve years, my curiosity led me to explore how lecturers relate to the student-teachers within the diverse cultural context. This query led to a Master of Philosophy study where I aimed to understand the cultural components of early childhood teacher education classrooms and the possible impact they may have on lecturers and student-teachers. In this study, I have condensed the infinite components of culture present in early childhood teacher education classrooms. Culture itself is polysemous. This is because culture is influenced by multiple variables such social and political contexts, as well as individual aspects such as, age, gender, and ethnicities (Eberly, Joshi, & Konzal, 2007). Anthropologically, people may denote artefacts from many different identities even within the same individual. For the study, I have narrowed down the investigation to the following subjects:
Supporting Participation of Indigenous Families in Early Childhood Education
FULL REFERENCE: Corridore, E. (2014). Supporting participation of indigenous families in early childhood education. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy,17, 147-160.
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 paper examines specific discrepancies between Australian Indigenous communities’ values, beliefs and approaches to education and those of mainstream Australian communities. It includes an analysis of relevant impacts of this mismatch on successful participation by Indigenous children in early childhood education settings. Cultural competency, as described in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and expanded upon by current thinking and learning, predominates as a professional skill required in educating young Indigenous children and communities. The confronting issue of colonisation has impacted on the participation levels of Indigenous families and is deserving of significant space and time for reflection around Western education institutions and what they represent and value.
KEY WORDS:
Indigenous; Australia; values; indigenous; culture; communities; participation; policy, curriculum, Early Years Learning Framework.
Building Capacity to Apply a Strengths Approach to Working with Vulnerable Families and Children
Research on ways early childhood educators can use a strengths based approach when working with vulnerable children and families and the ‘mind-shift’ and resources important. 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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