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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
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
Immigrant Children and Families
Immigrant Children in ECE. By Angel Chan.
As New Zealand has opened its doors more to immigrants from all over the world, early childhood services are experiencing significant growth in the enrolment of immigrant children.
Many immigrant children and parents have learning and parenting styles different from ‘New Zealanders’, posing ch
Under-5s Rugby
Teaching Rugby to Children in Early Childhood Education. This fosters a sense of belonging, pride, and achievement.
Rugby is part of NZ’s culture and central to our cultural identity. (See another article on following and celebrating the Rugby World Cup with children
It is a great sport to introduce to children from about 2 years of a
Earthquake Drills
Earthquake Drills and the Turtle Drop – Reflections and Discussion about what is Best Practice. By Warwick Marshall
A big earthquake shakes while you’re in the kitchen at your house. What do you do?
Of course you throw yourself to the floor and drop like a turtle. Yeah right! Adults are known to wait to see if an earthquake
Service Provider Member Posts
Sick Leave Entitlement and Staff Faking Sickness or Taking Unscheduled Time Off
A minimum of 10 days per year for employers with an employer for 6 months or more is claimable. Employers may offer more than 10 days and many in the early childhood sector do. Employees can carry over 10 days of unused sick leave into the new year, and employers can choose to let employees carry over more.
But, how should you respond and wha
Business Structures and Board Legal Requirements
ECE Business Structures.
Early childhood education and care services differ in organisational type.
Here is an outline of different business types, the defining features, and broad legal requirements for each.
Owner-Operated or Sole Trader
Any person can own an early childhood service business. They collect all profits
Cashflow Management
Cashflow Management.
How do we cope with huge cash inflows from the MoE three times a year then famine in between?
The simplest way is to put into a separate bank account all the advances received each four months and then transfer it into the normal bank account monthly. You will also need some capital of your own in the bank to cover the c
Optimal Outdoor Environments
By Cheryl Greenfield.
Young children have the right to inhabit optimal early childhood outdoor environments.
Optimal outdoor environments have the potential or power to promote and sustain meaningful relationships.
The location of spaces and equipment, and how welcoming the outdoor area is for adults, along with the aesthetics are highly influential on what children do. Poorly designed and maintained environments can be detrimental to children’s development.
This article focuses on the characteristics of optimal outdoor environments within a New Zealand context.
It is based on the findings of the qualitative research I have done over the years on early childhood outdoor environments.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Developing Curriculum for the Early Years: A Perspective from Bangladesh
This paper gives a narrative of the emergence of early childhood education in Bangladesh, a country with 156.6 million people. Reference is made to the NZ Te Whāriki and Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Advocating for a Comprehensive Approach to Assessment in New Zealand Early Childhood Education
Advocating for a comprehensive approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education.
Qilong Zhang. Waiariki Institute of Technology, NZ.
Full Reference: Zhang, Q. (2015). Advocating for a comprehensive approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 67 –
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.
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),
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