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
Would you give marbles to a 1-year-old?
Would you give marbles to a 1-year-old? Is it a breach of regulations or licensing expectations? The answer might surprise you.
You know what a young child is like. They can pick up marbles. They may put a marble/s in their mouth or even their nose. This poses a significant risk to children.
Yet, the action of not putting marbles out of rea
Colouring-in Books and Drawing Templates
Colouring-in Books in ECE.
Back in the 80s and 90s the use of colouring-in books was hotly debated amongst early childhood professionals and a consensus developed that drawing templates and colouring-in books were bad for children.
But today, colouring-in books for adults have become fashionable. Such books are promoted as supporting mind
Self Review: Working Smarter, Not Harder for Best Practice
Self-Review. By Janet Moles.
As I quietly move close to the habitat of an early childhood centre, I observe that the group is in the midst of the strange ritual known as ‘The Staff Meeting’. In this gathering, the leader communicates to the group, the tasks to be achieved, assigns duties and informs them of new requirements, rules and exp
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
Service Provider Member Posts
Mentoring New People to Come onto the Committee
Mentoring new people.
Are you finding that you have to twist the arm of an unwilling parent or person to be on the board or committee?
Here are some tips so you never have to do this again.
Most organisations, early childhood services included, wait until the president or chair, secretary, treasurer and other members announce individuall
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
Pay Reviews – Why, When and How
Regular annual pay reviews can help in developing and retaining a high-skilled and loyal staff. Reviewing staff pay is also a useful exercise to ensure that each member of staff is receiving pay that is appropriate and all legal obligations continue to be met.
Contents
What are employer’s legal responsibilities and moral obligations?Whe
Trusted Woman ECE Centre Teacher Engaged in Sexual Exploitation of Children
Indecent pictures of children, including bathroom pics, were taken by teacher “K” at her early childhood centre, using her mobile phone and shared online.
Parents at the UK early childhood centre she worked at described her as bubbly, friendly, and competent. She was a married woman and mother, and the kind of person you would assume you could trust with your child.
The abuse went unnoticed at the centre and only an accidental discovery by a businessman, whose partner stumbled across the images on a computer, brought the abuse to light resulting in prosecution.
What can we learn from this case of a female teacher sexually abusing children? We learn that:
There is a danger for children of allowing camera phones or technology in centres that could transmit images of them.
It is commonly believed that women do not engage in paedophilia and that only men abuse young children – however there is possible under-reporting of women who abuse young children.
This article looks at issues of centre governance and management that allowed this to happen to identify how governance and management can be improved. It looks also at the importance of staff/teacher supervision and the role of students on teaching practice/placement.
The story as reported by the Plymouth Safeguard Children Board is summarised below highlighting the main concerns about the system and the centre itself including staff relationships, staff and child supervision, policies, and structure.
Keep children safe in your ECE service
1. Make sure your service meets the National Code for Early Childhood Service Conduct
Section 2(d) of the Code states: “No person while providing care and education will have a personal electronic device that can take photos or videos unless the device is authorised for essential purposes (such as for communication at a time of emergency). Only service-issued electronic devices are used when taking images or videos of children. The appropriate use of service-issued electronic devices and storing of images and videos of children is clearly outlined in our policies and procedures.”
2. Have an effective complaints policy and whistle-blowing procedures at your service, for any staff or parent to report their concerns safely (anonymously and without fear)
3. Ensure your service has a robust Child Protection Policy – learn more and review and improve your current policy.
4. Have safe recruitment procedures, including using values-based interviewing techniques and questions when interviewing job applicants.
Keep reading below to learn more about what happened at the centre.
The Centre is called “Z” and the teacher is “K”.
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Negotiating Policy-Driven and State-Mandated Expectations of Leadership: Discourses Accessed by Early Childhood Educators in Australia
Negotiating Policy-Driven and State-Mandated Expectations of Leadership: Discourses Accessed by Early Childhood Educators in Australia.
Louise Thomas and Joce Nuttall. Australian Catholic University.
Full Reference: Thomas, L., & Nuttall, J. (2014). Negotiating policy-driven and state-mandated expectations of leadership: Disc
Publication Ethics of the NZIRECE Journal
Publication ethics statement. Originality, accuracy and avoidance of harm The journal publishes only work that is original. Authors are asked to declare that their submitted
Female Social Justice Leaders in the Early Childhood Profession
Female social justice leaders in the early childhood profession and the leadership of Sonja Davies. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Characteristics of Optimal Early Childhood Centre Outdoor Environments: Spaces and Places in which Children and Adults Want to Be
The purpose of this project was to investigate what teachers deemed optimal in their provision of an outdoor environment. This research involved 46 teachers from 15 early childhood centres in the North Island of New Zealand. The findings reported in this paper will enable those responsible for outdoor design and provision to better understand the c
What We Do
Resources
