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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

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Teacher Member Posts

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rugby world cup
Outside‑the‑Box Play Ideas

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

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Noise levels. Hearing. Speaking Up. Being Heard
Job Guidance

Hearing Loss or Ringing or Buzzing in Your Ears?

Losing my Hearing – Signs of Hearing Loss for Early Childhood Teachers and What You Can Do.

Children are by nature noisy, and working in an early childhood setting can therefore be a noisy working environment -and especially during bad weather when children are stuck indoors all day. Children screaming can damage adult ears.

Employers do h

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overworked teachers and kindergarten staffing issues
Assessment of Learning

School Entry Assessments

School Entry Assessments.

One of the most important things an early childhood service can do for its older children is to help them prepare for school.

Shortly after they begin school new entrants will be assessed by their teachers.

These assessments are called school entry assessments and take place between four and eight weeks afte

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Colours Happy Child
Job Guidance

Seven Tips to Ease Back into Work After the Holidays

Going Back to Work.

Here are 7 of the best tips for easing back to work after a holiday or other break away – smoothing the transition for children and others around you.    

Tip 1: Don’t worry, be happy

Children need to see their teachers and carers relaxed, positive and cheerful at the start of a new day and especially at the star

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Service Provider Member Posts

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Teacher carrying a child, opens child-proof gate for protecting children in the early childhood centre.
Child Protection

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

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job interview
Child Protection

Values-based Interviewing as Part of the Staff Safety Check

Values-based Interviewing.

It is usual to conduct a formal interview with potential job applicants and to cover skills, experience and knowledge during the interview.  This ‘technical’ interview is important to ensure that the applicant has the skills, competencies and knowledge to meet the job description and person specifications.

F

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Holding hands showing friendship of two young children in childcare.
Learnings from Serious Incidents

A Tree Fell at a Centre and WorkSafe and MoE Heard It

A tree fell on children in an early childhood centre and for the first time ever Worksafe prosecuted an ECE service.

Four children and one adult were injured. 

The most fundamental practice change to be made is that every day the service provider and all adults responsible need to assume that something could go wrong. Don’t take a

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job description for early childhood teacher educator manager staff
Employer Guides and Staff Management

Job Description for a Head Teacher, Room Leader, or Home-based Visiting Teacher

Job Description for a Head Teacher, Room Leader, or Home-based Visiting Teacher.

Here is a template to help guide you in preparing a job description that matches your service’s philosophy and reflects the position. This person will have additional responsibilities compared with other qualified and unqualified staff and educators.

If you wou

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Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles

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early childhood research journal online
2014 Special Policy Issue

Breach of Trust – Getting it Right for Children in Early Childhood Care and Education in Ireland

Breach of Trust – Getting it Right for Children in Early Childhood Care and Education in Ireland.

Mary Moloney. Mary Immaculate College, Ireland.

Full Reference: Moloney, M. (2014). Breach of trust – Getting it right for children in early childhood care and education in Ireland. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special

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early childhood research journal online
2014 Special Policy Issue

Parents’ Choices of Child Care in Australia

Parents’ Choices of Child Care in Australia.

Wendy Boyd. Southern Cross University, Australia.

Full Reference: Boyd, W. (2014).  Parents’ choices of child care in Australia.  NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal. Special Issue: Early Childhood Policy, 17, 51 – 70.

Original Policy Paper

Abstract

Little is k

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What We Do

The Office of ECE drives high-quality care, learning and teaching for all infants and young children and high-quality working environments for teachers and service providers.
Teacher supervising infant and young child playing in playground at ECE centre.

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