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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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Membership Services and Support for:
Teacher Member Posts
Gun Play?
Do You Allow (Or Even Encourage) Gun Play? By Tim Kahn. Tim Kahn writes his thoughts about the superhero and weapon’s play that is often…
Helping Parents Make the Transition to ECE
Parents Leaving their Child For the First Time in Care - An anxious time. "A heart wrenching moment for all parents is when we leave…
Relieving Work – Relief Teaching
Working as a Reliever in ECE. Most permanent early childhood teachers will have experienced relievers within their services, either from an agency or permanent relievers…
Mums Expressing Breastmilk and Managing Other People’s Reactions
Mums Expressing Breastmilk in ECE. By Dr Sarah Alexander. Early childhood services can be places that support breastfeeding, and the attitude of staff and teachers…
Service Provider Member Posts
Owner Worried about Putting Service at Risk By Employing Men
"I have nothing against employing men - but why put my centre at risk? Parents don’t want a male tending to their child’s personal needs. This…
Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of Interest. A conflict of interest is when you, someone you are close to, employed by, or are personally friendly with may stand to…
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…
Redundancy and Making a Position Redundant
Redundancy and the process for making a position redundant. There may not be the work for an employee because child enrolments have dropped, your service…
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Teacher-Child Verbal Interaction in Kindergarten Picture Book Teaching Activities
FULL REFERENCE: Song, J., Li, W. & He, X. (2026). Teacher-child verbal interaction in kindergarten picture book teaching activities. NZ International Research in Early Childhood…
Becoming Cognisant of Research Informed by Kaupapa Māori in Early Childhood Education: Issues and Contexts
Abstract: This paper outlines tensions existing within student teacher self-study action research projects undertaken as a requirement of a Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education)…
Educator Perceptions of Risk-taking, Safety and Resilience in the Outdoors: A Rural ECE Study
FULL REFERENCE: Rouse, E. and Wishart, L. (2021). Educator perceptions of risk-taking, safety and resilience in the outdoors: a rural early childhood education and care…
Changing Roles and Responsibilities: The Development of Coaching in Early Intervention
This paper examines if coaching has a potential role in helping authentic collaborative partnerships between early intervention teachers and early childhood educators and families. Coaching…
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.
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