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Welcome to the Office of Early Childhood Education
The OECE is a national organisation for the ECE sector and public adviser, championing high-quality education and care 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
Teaching How to Ride a Bike (a pedal bike)
Every child will learn things in their own time but learning how to ride a bike and using pedals before 5 years of age is a reasonable aspiration for parents and early childhood teachers to have for children.
It is a significant event in life that most of us can remember so it is worth making it a rewarding experience for a child.
The
Sun Protection Activities for Teaching and Learning to Be Safe in the Sun
Sun Protection Activities On Being Safe in the Sun (songs, art and craft, science, drama etc).
Lots of easy to implement ideas for teaching and learning about sun protection and being safe in the sun are provided in this article. You’ll need to go to another article on our site if you are seeking info on best practices in ECE for pr
Transforming an Old Woodwork Table
I am James Lochead-MacMillan and I’m going to share with you our review and evaluation of the woodwork table and children’s use, and what we did to bring about improvement
Review and evaluation of woodwork
The hammers had seen better days, the saws were rusty, the screwdrivers were AWOL, the vices and the drills were all broken. The work benc
Plane Spotting and Tracking
Plane Spotting at the ECE Service.
Going plane spotting is easy. You can do this now without leaving home or your early childhood service.
There are thousands of learning possibilities…
Technology – tracking planes, use of real timeGeography – different countriesMaths – comparing land masses, number of planes, altitude, speed, di
Service Provider Member Posts
No-Cost Ways to Find Teaching Staff Before Other Employers Do
Finding teaching staff.
Are you having difficulty finding staff who are suitable for your early childhood centre or home-based service?
Do you have no or very little money to spend on advertising?
Here are strategies that are simple, take little time, and are often overlooked – but have proven very effective for getting the
Caring for Yourself When Managing or Leading an ECE Service/s
Caring for yourself when managing a service or in the role of a leader. And, the responsibilities that owners and governance committees must meet in regard to supporting the manager and leaders.
Introduction
There seems to be the perception and expectation that managers and leaders should be able to face difficulty in their role and �
Lockdown Policy and Procedures
ECE Service Lockdown Policy Template and Procedures.
The terror incident in Christchurch in March 2019 prompted many ECE services to review their lockdown procedures, leaving us questioning whether we are well-prepared for situations where we may need to go into lockdown.
Some services in Christchurch found themselves unprepared, part
Financial Sustainability
Early Childhood Service Financial Sustainability.
Unless as much or more money is coming in than is going out, your service could come to be at risk. Here are some strategies for financial sustainability and increasing your revenue stream when necessary. What strategies you agree with and disagree with will depend on your values and the reasons
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Mentoring Relationships in Field-based Early Childhood Teacher Education
Abstract:
The focus of this paper is on the relationships and experiences of third-year field-based early childhood student teachers with their mentoring teachers in their usual centre of work and with their Associate Teachers whilst on practicum. It reports on data from the second phase of a larger multi-year study (which commenced in 2008),
An Ethical Guide to Doing, Writing and Disseminating Research
The Ethics of Doing, Writing and Disseminating Research.
By Joy Cullen, Helen Hedges and Jane Bone. Republished by the Office of Early Childhood Education First Published in our NZ Research in ECE Journal, Volume 12, pp. 109-118.
This statement is intended to guide academic researchers, teachers, postgraduate students, managers, licensees
We’re All in This Together: Approaches to Inclusive Early Childhood Education for Disabled Children in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States, and What We Can Learn From One Another
Full reference: McAnelly, K., Purdue, K., Hall, L.J., Odom, S.L., & Hall, E. (2025). We’re all in this together: Approaches to inclusive early childhood education for disabled children in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States, and what we can learn from one another. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, pp. 1-16.
Login to read the full research paper below. Or order a pdf copy of the article from the main NZIRECE Journal page.
ABSTRACT:
Research from Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States continues to explore disabled children’s right to an inclusive early childhood education (ECE). In this article we examine ECE provision, key legislation and policy, and research on inclusion in our two countries. We also look at how initial teacher education and professional learning and development programmes help to strengthen inclusive practice in our respective countries. There is a lot that each country can draw on and learn from the other in relation to supporting disabled children’s inclusion in ECE. Drawing on insights from our cross-country comparisons, we offer recommendations aimed at amplifying disabled children’s rights to inclusive ECE.
Key words: Disability, inclusion, children’s rights, teacher education, cross-country comparison.
Supporting Preschool age Children’s Wellbeing through Home-based Literacy Development
Research on supporting young children’s literacy development in their home languages and transgenerational cross-cultural learning. 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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