ECE Quality, Safety, and Workforce Survey
The ECE Quality and Employment Survey is a three‑yearly national study capturing early childhood teachers’ and teaching staff perspectives on employment conditions, workplace issues, and the quality of care and education provided to children.
Conducted by the OECE, the survey provides a sector‑wide snapshot of staff experiences and helps identify emerging trends, persistent challenges, and changes over time. The data informs our work and supports evidence‑based advocacy. Findings are published as clear, topic‑based reports on our website so insights are accessible to the wider sector and public.
ECE Quality, Safety, and Workforce Survey Reports
2023
- Report 1. The Quality of Early Childhood Education Provided to Children – NZ
- Report 2. What is it like to work as an early childhood teacher in NZ?
2020
- Report 1. The quality of ECE experienced by children according to their teachers.
- Report 2. Private and community early childhood sector differences
- Report 3. Staff pay and retention
- NZ Medical Journal. Early childhood education staff are falling through a vaccination policy gap in New Zealand
2017
- Bullying in the early childhood sector
- How safe is working in ECE for staff?
- Endorsement of ECE Service Quality for Children
2014
- NZEI Te Riu Roa – Who Joins, Their Experiences, and the Benefits of Membership
- How Safe are ECE Workplaces? – Survey Results
Why survey teaching staff?
There are several official sources of information about ECE services, but each has limits:
- Education Review Office reviews services every 3 to 5 years for how well they are placed to support children’s learning. Reviews involve planned visits, discussions with management, and checks of documentation – offering valuable oversight but not everyday realities.
- Ministry of Education’s annual ECE census collects data from service owners on staffing, enrolments, and attendance. It provides only demographic information about staff and does not explore workplace safety, wellbeing, or reasons teachers leave.
- OECE’s annual licence‑change reporting tracks services that have had licences changed or cancelled due to regulatory breaches. This highlights serious issues but cannot show what is happening day‑to‑day inside services.
The three‑yearly ECE Quality, Safety, and Workforce Survey supplements these sources by directly seeking the perspectives of teaching staff – the people who see what happens on the ground and behind closed doors. Their insights add depth and nuance that cannot be captured through documentation checks or owner‑reported data.
Background to the ECE Quality, Safety, and Workforce Survey
The survey was originally developed by Dr Sarah Alexander with input from ECE practitioners who advised on question selection and wording. It was tested by teachers working across different service types, refined, and first implemented in 2014.
Key topics include:
- Employment and conditions
- Quality of service for children
- Demographics and personal characteristic (such as qualification status, gender, service type)
Following the 2019 measles outbreak, a vaccination‑status question was added to the 2020 survey asking respondents to indicate if they were immunised against several well-known vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. Findings were published in the NZ Medical Journal. (Early-childhood-education-staff-are-falling-through-a-vaccination-policy-gap-in-new-zealand.pdf)
Who is surveyed and participation
Teaching staff self‑select to participate. The survey link is shared through teacher Facebook groups, social media, and our newsletter. Participation is voluntary, with no incentives offered.
Participation has grown with each cycle, suggesting staff see value in contributing and trust the survey process. In 2020, responses exceeded 4,000 before the survey was closed. In 2023, a cap of 3,000 completed responses was introduced.
For the purposes of the survey, “teaching staff” includes anyone counted as part of the teaching team in a licensed ECE service, whether casual or regular, including those on leave. It does not include service owners, self‑employed educators, volunteers, or independent contractors.
Ethical considerations
We are committed to protecting participant identity and ensuring no harm. Participation is entirely voluntary, and no person is compelled to take part.
