Tēnā koutou katoa
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
Get Unrestricted Access to NZ’s Specialist ECE NEWSROOM
National and local stories, expert analysis, commentary, and more.
Education Bulletin and Sector Notices
Free to sign-up and receive
Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Farm Visit
Farm Visit with Children.
While the animals may not be as exotic as the ones you find in a zoo, going to a farm can still be a great day out.
It can be especially good for smaller children as they can usually get closer to the animals.
Try these ideas to increase the learning potential of your visit.
Talk about the animals you might
Controlled Crying or Training Children to Settle Themselves to Sleep
Controlled Crying.
This article discusses the Controlled Crying method. It gives clarity to conflicting opinions about whether this is a good practice and its benefits. We discuss if this method should and can be used in early childhood education (ECE) settings and in our teaching practice. Suggestions are included for other ways of support
Independent Contractor or Employee? What Home‑Based Educators and Nannies Need to Know
If you work in your own home under a licensed home‑based agency, or in a family’s home as a nanny or home‑based educator, you may be asked to sign an agreement saying you’re an independent contractor.
But being incorrectly hired as a contractor can cost you real money, key employment rights, and important protections. Many educators don’t realise the risks until it’s too late – which is why it’s crucial to check whether your work arrangement actually meets the legal test.
Log in with your member details to read the full guidance. If your membership has lapsed or you’d like to join, get in touch and we’ll help you get set up quickly.
Here we help you to learn how to tell if you’re truly a contractor or if you should legally be an employee, and what to do if something doesn’t look right.
Pet Lamb – What You Need to Know
TITLE: Pet Lamb – fostering agreements, day-to-care care, benefits for children’s play and learning, and regulatory requirements
Some lambs are sadly orphaned at birth or there may be another reason why a farmer may decide the lamb would be better off to be hand-reared (such as in the case of multiple births and the mum having only one teat).
Your service could offer to help to hand-rear the lamb.
A lamb gives children a new responsibility.
A lamb is a new playmate and a friend that will love them unconditionally.
A lamb is gentle. It delights in playing but also at times needs to stop and drink or sit down and rest.
This is a pet that is dependent on care for survival and that will teach children to nurture.
Introducing a pet lamb to your early childhood service is an excellent way to naturally support children to spend more time outdoors running, jumping and skipping and enjoying the spring weather.
Below we cover aspects of
– How to get a lamb
– Agreements with the farmer and with your children for fostering the lamb
– Preparing for the lamb and what you need
Service Provider Member Posts
Head Injury Suffered by Toddler on Concrete Ground in Mid-Winter
For an outline of key facts read our article: Nelson’s fall: Parents still don’t know how their toddler hit his head on concrete and had a brain injury at childcare
We’ve reviewed the centre manager’s report of the incident, Ministry of Education communications, Worksafe report, and lawyer correspondence. The learning we’ve taken is:
Don’t take children outside until the outdoor playground safety check is completed and ticked/signed.
Disciplinary Process
There may be a time that you find an employee is underperforming or an employee is engaging in misconduct or serious misconduct.
You may not want to, but you will need to begin a disciplinary process with that employee. Here is information to assist you in learning about disciplinary processes as an employer or manager of early childhood s
Formal Warning Letter and Expressing Concern Letter
Here are templates for a letter ‘of concern’ and a letter giving an early childhood employee a formal first or second warning.
EXAMPLE LETTER OF CONCERN
Private and Confidential
DATE
Dear <Name>
Letter of Concern
This letter is to formally raise our concerns around <insert a general description of the concern, i.e. inapp
Safety Checking of Staff and Others under the Children’s Act
Safety checking is required of every person who has or may have access to children as part of their work, such as cleaners and cooks at early childhood services, must be safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 before being allowed to start work. The fine to the early childhood service of failing to do this is up to $10,000 upon c
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Call for Papers for the 2026 New Zealand International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal Special Issue
Theme: “Quality Begins with Teachers: Workforce Challenges in Early Childhood Education”
High-quality early childhood education begins with a skilled, supported, and sustainable workforce. This special issue calls for paper that explore the central paradox of our sector – the significant responsibility placed on teachers despite the systemic challenges that threaten their professional sustainability.
In this 2026 issue of the NZIRECE Journal, we aim to examine the complex realities educators navigate and the resilient practices they use to maintain high standards of care and education. We invite submissions from both New Zealand and international scholars that address the essential links between workforce wellbeing and pedagogical excellence. Papers from different perspectives are welcomed
The teacher’s role in visual arts learning
Great research on the visual arts experiences of young children (aged 3-4) at early childhood settings in NZ. Learn about the experiences and visual arts pedagogies of early childhood teachers. Login to read the full research paper below. Or you can order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Children’s Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction as Curriculum
Children’s Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction as Curriculum.
Dian Fikriani* and Jane Bone** * Gadjah Mada University Indonesia. **Monash University Australia.
Full Reference: Fikriani, D. & Bone, J. (2014). Children’s participation in disaster risk reduction as curriculum. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Spec
Whiteness Scholarship in Early Childhood Education
Research on how racism and ‘whiteness’ operates within the early childhood research site and research processes. It shows ways that researchers and educators reinforce, rather than reduce the impacts of whiteness and racism, despite the best of intentions. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
What We Do
Resources
