Login / Logout
Join
Take Action!

Using Sign Language in Our Early Childhood Teaching

Search in Teacher
deaf sign language

NZ Sign Language in Early Childhood Education and in our Teaching.

By Rachel Pratt.

NZ Sign Language (NZSL) is one of the three official languages of NZ and all ECE services and teachers need a basic understanding of it. Hearing children can become more understanding of differences and Deaf children can experience an environment where they feel welcome and supported.

Why should I teach it when there are no children with hearing impairments?

Deaf children who require visual communication represent about 0.1 percent of the population of children who are involved in early childhood education. For this reason, early childhood teachers and educators may not encounter many Deaf children and question the importance of using NZSL in their service.

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.
Already a Teacher Member?
Login

Are you teaching and caring for children or studying for an ECE qualification?

If you are, that’s great!   Join us now, and become a teacher member.

Join Us
Five Reasons to Join Us
1. Professional recognition

It is prestigious to belong to the OECE – you can skite about it! 

Ask us for an OECE Member Certificate, to include in your professional portfolio as proof you are engaged in reading and professional learning that advances your understanding of the relationship between practice and outcomes for children.

2. Extra benefits

No need to pay a subscription fee for access to NZ’s specialist ECE Newsroom – your member login will let you view everything in the ECE Newsroom. 

No need to pay to access the best NZ and international research – your member login gives you free access to the Research Library and support. 

3. Professional growth and no-judgement help

Teaching resources and advice on probably everything you can think of, including what to wear as a teacher, how to ask for a pay raise, identifying child behaviour causes and responding to needs, new play activity ideas, etc., etc.  all of this is at your finger-tips 24/7 whenever you need help or advice – login to view. 

4. Representation

Did you know that the OECE meets personally and regularly with the Ministry of Education national team, and the regulations committee and other forums? 

Political leaders and journalists are able to use the OECE to gain deeper knowledge on a topic or issue, and we provide a sounding board for ideas and feedback.

The OECE promotes safe working environments for teachers.  We also promote the absolute need for full pay parity with school teachers for all certificated teaching staff working in teacher-led centres and in home-based, and whether permanently or casually employed. 

5. Value for Money

We are committed to keeping membership prices affordable and providing value for money. 

Teacher membership is just $89 for a full year, or save by joining for 2 years.

Join Us

Has this been useful?  Give us your feedback.

You are welcome to add a link to this page on your website. Copyright belongs to the OECE so please do not copy any content without our written permission.

Information provided is of a general nature. It is provided ‘as is’, and we accept no liability for its accuracy or completeness. See our Terms and Conditions.

Related Posts

early childhood research journal online

It is Difficult to Review the Quality of Education if You Don’t Know What Children are Learning: ERO and Self-Review of Early Childhood Services

A critical look at the New Zealand Education Review Office’s draft guidelines for reviewing early childhood services is provided in this paper. ERO’s guidelines provide a range of “evaluation indicators” to inform centres as to what is considered to be effective practice. The indicators that ERO provides in relation to the assessment of chi

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »

Cobra Effects: How the Education and Training (ECE Reform) Amendment Bill Could Bite Back

Submission to the Education and Workforce Committee

The Education and Training (ECE Reform) Amendment Bill
Submitted by: Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE)
Date: 29 August 2025 

CONTENTS:
– Introduction
– Summary of Key Concerns
– Our Position and Recommendations
– Errors and the Bill’s Shortcomings
– Closing Statement

INTRODUCTION

The Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill is promoted as a solution to improve the effectiveness of the early childhood education (ECE) regulatory system. 

During the Bill’s first reading, Hon David Seymour shared the frustrations of ECE service operators he had spoken with—concerns that prompted the Ministry for Regulation review of the ECE regulatory system. He cited issues such as conflicting rules, a dictatorial approach, minor regulations enforced under threat of closure, and inconsistent enforcement.

The Bill is positioned as a long-overdue fix for these concerns, though it remains unclear whether the scale or severity of these issues truly warrants a full legislative overhaul. 

However, the proposed reforms risk triggering serious unintended consequences—what’s known as the cobra effect, where attempts to solve a problem end up making it worse.

SUMMARY OF KEY CONCERNS

1. Sector Impact

The Bill is designed to reduce regulatory burdens for service providers—particularly those who struggle to understand existing requirements or view current regulations and penalties for non-compliance as unfair to themselves and their business operations.

However, these reforms could backfire on the very providers the Bill aims to support.

Looser regulation is likely to attract new entrants driven by commercial interests, potentially forcing high-quality providers to close due to unfair competition.

Read More »
Child looking at night sky for Matariki.

Matariki – Public Holiday 10 July 2026

Teaching and Learning about Matariki and Celebrating in Early Childhood Services

This article presents ideas and teaching and learning activities for marking this culturally important event in the curriculum of early childhood education centres and home-based services. 

In late May or early June, a cluster of seven stars becomes

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »
employment job benefits wages pay

Staff Benefits and Wages Guide

The Staff Benefits and Wages Guide for Employers.

We provide data on usual and common benefits provided to staff, such as discounted childcare, and by which services. Data on pay rates at different services, for staff in different positions and regional variations is also shown below. Because data on pay rates can become dated as soon as it

This is a member/subscriber only post. To access it, please see the message below for details on access and joining.

Read More »

Share This Information

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

The Office of ECE Login

Take Action!

Help spread this vital ECE information, join our free social and email groups and become a member of OECE.

pay parity funding policy

1. Share This Information

2. Follow Our Social Pages

Facebook Instagram Linkedin Youtube X-twitter

3. Get Regular Updates

Sign up to our free newsletters.

4. Become a Member

Membership Options