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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
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 it is okay to go under ratio and not replace you when you go on morning-tea breaks and on other occasions provided you are still in the building or on the grounds?
Ratios
Parenting a Gifted Child – What Parents Learn
Parenting a Gifted Child. By Melanie Wong.
Someone asked me ‘how can you manage your life with children who don’t like to sleep?’
I replied that ‘it is alright when you are used to it’.
I wish I had thought quickly enough at the time to also tell her how much I enjoy being with my children, as they did not only come into m
Eczema
Eczema is quite common among young children. Some children grow out of it but this knowledge doesn’t help children, parents and teachers who are daily coping with it. There are times when it will flare up, and when infection happens, and there may be no apparent reason for this. Learn to manage rather than letting it manage you.
A child wi
Learning Languages in ECE from a Young Age
Learning languages in early childhood education is important – whether it is connecting with parts of our own kiwi culture or embracing other languages.
With families coming to New Zealand from all over the world it is also important to recognise that English and/ or Māori may not be the main language/s in the home of some families.
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Service Provider Member Posts
Supervision Basics: Four Skills Every Adult Working With Children Must Demonstrate
Active supervision is the single most effective way to prevent harm – this article shows teachers, services, and regulators the essential skills needed to keep children truly safe, not just watched.
Adult Toilet and Staff Bathroom
There are many good reasons for having a toilet specifically for adults that is suitable for adults to use. Sometimes staff need to use the toilet within a confined space of time, for example, while on a ten minute break or a parent needs to rush in and use the toilet when dropping off or picking-up their child. There may be lots of toilets but most may be more suitable for children’s use – smaller, lower to the ground and often in stalls of small size, for safety purposes. Small toilets in small spaces cannot accommodate the much larger size of adults.
Redundancy and Making a Position Redundant
Redundancy and the process for making a position redundant.
There may not be the work for an employee because child enrolments have dropped, your service is restructuring, or you can not longer afford to keep an employee on.
Whatever the reason, there are certain processes to follow to ensure you do not run into legal problems.
This arti
Financial Survival and Growth Tips for ECE Services
Strategies to help stabilise service finances, reduce pressure and make smarter operational decisions. Learn also about opportunities for growth to strengthen your service’s long‑term sustainability and continue delivering high‑quality care and education.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Early Childhood Educators’ and Parents’ Perspectives of Literacy for Children Under Three
Research on literacy practices for infants and toddlers (children under 3 years) in early childhood education and parent and educator understandings. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Raising Healthy Kids: A Scoping Review for Feeding Practices in NZ Early Childhood Education Centres
Research on how teachers and staff support the eating behaviours of children and feeding practices applicable to food policy and guidelines. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Children as Teachers: Creating Opportunities for Children to Share Expertise with their Peers
In early childhood centres young children have the opportunity to interact with their peers in a play based environment. Play takes a central role and is a way by which children may challenge and extend each other’s thinking. Current accounts of how children learn and develop recognise the importance of peer interactions in this process. The stud
Contents – NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2014, Vol 17
This issue brings together international perspectives on early childhood policy, from country‑specific analyses in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland to research on disaster‑risk‑reduction curriculum, parental childcare choices, trust and quality in ECE, leadership expectations, early intervention, Indigenous family participation, and bilingual children’s school‑entry outcomes.
What We Do
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