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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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Teacher Member Posts
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
Child E-Portfolios
E-Portfolios in Early Childhood Education. By Julia Button.
This article describes and discusses the use and place of e-portfolios in early childhood education. Considerations for using e-portfolios and limitations are outlined. A special section looks at the involvement and contribution of families and others to children’s e-portfolio
Picky Eaters and Managing Children’s Eating Habits
Picky eaters? Some children may display anxiety and unhealthy eating habits when they begin early childhood education, others may display behaviours at different times that you are wondering if these are normal, and what to say, do and change.
This article covers:
The adult’s role in providing for children’s food preferences and eating b
Making Signs as Part of Play
Making signs enriches play and learning.
All around us are signs – what ones can you see?
Signs can be used to tell us what to do like “stop” and “give way” on the road.
They can be used to let us know about dangers (e.g. “wet floor”) and to make announcements (e.g. “cooking at 2pm today”).
Signs can also be used to labe
Service Provider Member Posts
Family Exit Form For Feedback and Ways to Acknowledge a Child’s Time with You
Acknowledging a Child’s Time with You
Have you thought about how you’ll mark a child’s time at your service? Simple, meaningful gestures help children and whānau remember the transition and feel celebrated.
Ideas for the child
Farewell card with photos of highlights from their time at your service.
Book gift in an area of the
Building is Unusable But You Need to Continue Providing Care for Children
ECE Centre Temporary Relocation.
A major earthquake, a fire, or other unplanned event such as gas leak, may mean your early childhood centre building cannot be used.
Parents will continue to need childcare, and you want to continue business but what can you do?
And what arrangements can you make quickly and keep within the law?
SUDI – Death of an Infant when Sleeping
Sleep in ECE and Reducing the Risk of (SUDI): Learnings and What’s Legally Required versus Best Practice.
For years, the OECE’s chief advisor Dr Sarah Alexander has feared that a child would die from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in an early childhood education (ECE) setting. Now that has happened: An infant died from SUDI while
Home-based Service Start-Up Story and What’s Worked Well
Home-based Service Start-Up.
We profile a successful private Home-based Early Childhood Education Service based from Christchurch, and talk with the co-owner about the ins and outs of a home-based service start-up.
Veronica Kidd is the co-owner of a Home-based Early Childhood Education service.
She has a Diploma of Teaching (ECE) and i
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
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
Young Children Becoming Curriculum: Deleuze, Te Whāriki and Curricular Understandings
Marg Sellers contests the usual dichotomisation of children and curriculum, by proposing and developing the notion of re(con)ceiving children in curriculum.
Working Towards Culturally Safe and Inclusive Early Childhood Work Environments
Research on culturally safe and inclusive early childhood work environments. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Contents – NZ International Research in ECE Journal, 2021, Vol 23, No. 1
This issue brings together research on critical reflection, emotional labour in early years practice, SENCo influences, equity‑focused policy work, toddlers’ emotional literacy, and teacher education during COVID‑19.
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