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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
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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Teacher Member Posts
Children Attending Multiple Early Childhood Services
Attending Multiple Early Childhood Services in NZ.
Children can attend more than one ECE service. But this was not always recommended.
When a child attends kindergarten, he should not, except in special circumstances, also attend playcentre. This is an overlapping of services and is contrary to the policy of nursery playcentres generally. It
The Professional Development and Support Needs of Newly Qualified ECE Teachers
Too Much, Too Soon? The Multiple Roles and Identities of Newly Qualified Early Childhood by Helen Aitken. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Bullying Experienced by Teachers – Personal Stories
Bullying Experienced by Teachers.
In the following accounts, teachers real names have not been used for fear of reprisals.
The stories below were told individually to us and come from people working in different parts of the early childhood sector, for different employers.
The teacher accounts are hard to read. For some teachers the bullying was so bad it broke them.
Boys Liking Feminine Things
Gender expectations on boys.
Young boys can love pretty and feminine things. They like to dress up in pretty clothes and be princesses, fairies, and play female roles.
But parents may worry that it could be an early sign of femininity and see that teachers who allow boys to dress-up in girls’ clothes are setting them up for ridicule.
Service Provider Member Posts
Sandpit Design
A good sandpit design for an ECE service sees it being large enough to accommodate half or more of the children attending. It should provide enough room for each child to stand or sit and dig without touching or getting sand on another child.
In home-based settings, the sandpit design should make sure it is of sufficient size to accommodate
Dismissal Letter
EXAMPLE LETTER OF DISMISSAL.
Below is a general draft letter of dismissal to assist you in learning how a letter can be constructed, and what things you need to consider including in it,
Private and Confidential
DATE:
Dear <Insert Name>
Termination of your employment
This letter is to formally advise you of the termi
Performance Appraisals for Early Childhood Staff and Managers
The Teaching Council no longer requires teachers to participate in an appraisal process – this requirement was replaced with a Professional Growth Cycle requirement.
However, the Ministry of Education’s licensing criteria that sits alongside the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations requires that services have processes for human resource management; including “a system of regular appraisal” (GMA6 home-based; GMA7 education and care centres; GMA7 playcentres; GMA7 kōhanga reo; GMA7 hospital-based).
The templates and guidance provided here covers performance appraisals for managers who may also be the service owner, and teaching staff (including unqualified and qualified staff).
This article also covers
How to conduct a performance appraisal, the process involved and 6 simple steps to follow
Tips for setting the scene properly and conducting the performance review effectively.
Establishing Good Internal Financial Control and Preventing Fraud
ECE Internal Financial Control Systems.
Why internal control?
Internal control systems are normal in business and society and will be expected of you by your staff, fellow owners, parents, board members, bankers and financiers.
They help establish a climate of good control which produces reliable financial records, good management
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
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.
NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal
The journal is indexed in Scopus and available internationally through Informit, as well as through New Zealand tertiary libraries and many university libraries internationally.
Contents – NZ International Research in ECE Journal, 2019, Vol 22, No. 1
This issue spans sustainability pedagogies, post‑colonial tensions in Pacific ECE, digital technology use, advanced empathy, parent‑centred understandings of quality, schema‑informed behaviour support, and rhizomatic thinking in young children’s learning.
Designing An Early Childhood Study and Starting It!
Designing Your Study and How to Get Started
Here are articles we think will help advise you best on designing early childhood research and support you with helpful tips through any tough times.
Start by checking out all the published articles in the NZ-International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal on this website (over 25 years
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