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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
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Teacher Member Posts
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
Speaking Up: Learn to Communicate Your Issues and be an Advocate for Children
Advocate for Children and Early Childhood Education and Care.
“If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances” – author Julia Sorel
We are more likely to benefit children and keep growing as people ourselves if we take chances.
What Is on Your Mind? What Would You Li
Daylight Saving is here – what you need to know to support tamariki over this period
Losing an hour of sleep can be hard on your body clock.
So it’s no surprise that young children can seem particularly grumpy and out of sorts at the start of the daylight saving period.
In Aotearoa, daylight saving begins on the last Sunday of September, when 2am becomes 3am.
SUDI or SIDS – What you need to know and actions you can take to reduce the risk
SUDI Sudden Unexplained Death of an Infant.
Should an infant at your early childhood service die in their sleep how would you feel?
You might consider there was nothing you could do to prevent this from happening – that if it was going to happen it was going to happen whether or not the baby was in its parents’ care or your care.
Now
Service Provider Member Posts
Kindergarten Girl on Slide Nearly Died From Strangulation
Slide safety.
UPDATE: Another case of strangulation showing that lessons have not yet been learnt. A child died in 2016 at Angels Childcare in Auckland due to strangulation on a slide.
An Opinion article on Slide Safety
By Dr Sarah Alexander September 1, 2010.
The mother of a young girl nearly strangled after being caught in a rope
Visiting Teacher Forms for Home Visits
The Visiting Teacher forms we have provided here in sample format are for you to modify according to your service and community. The forms include:
To make a record of a child observation. A letter to thank the child for your visit. Evidence of the home visit and supervision of the educator (the administration record).
Child Observati
Terminating a Child’s Enrolment Because of Behaviour Issues
When Behaviour Issues Get to be Unmanageable.
A member has asked if her service can legally terminate the enrolment of a child whose behaviour has left other children crying, disrupts the programme, and requires constant individual supervision.
She’s worried what will happen if the parent goes to the local newspaper. She’s worried also about
Record of Meetings – Writing the Minutes
This explains why and how to keep a record of meetings and what to record when writing the minutes.
Why take Minutes
Keeping a record of meetings, by writing the minutes of the meeting, allows the time spent in a meeting to be productive, by stopping the same discussions and topics coming up that have already been well threshold. Records
Research Library – Today’s Featured Articles
Decolonising early childhood education: An Indigenous Fijian perspective
Indigenous Fijian values and aspirations for Indigenous Fijian children’s early childhood education and how ECE can contribute to the broader decolonisation of education. Login to view the full article. Or you can order a pdf copy of the article, go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Call for Papers for the 2026 New Zealand International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal Special Issue
Theme: “Quality Begins with Teachers: Workforce Challenges in Early Childhood Education”
High-quality early childhood education begins with a skilled, supported, and sustainable workforce. This special issue calls for paper that explore the central paradox of our sector – the significant responsibility placed on teachers despite the systemic challenges that threaten their professional sustainability.
In this 2026 issue of the NZIRECE Journal, we aim to examine the complex realities educators navigate and the resilient practices they use to maintain high standards of care and education. We invite submissions from both New Zealand and international scholars that address the essential links between workforce wellbeing and pedagogical excellence. Papers from different perspectives are welcomed
Early Childhood Educators’ and Parents’ Perspectives of Literacy for Children Under Three
Research on literacy practices for infants and toddlers (children under 3 years) in early childhood education and parent and educator understandings. Read the full paper below. Or to order a pdf copy of the article go to the main NZIRECE Journal page.
Index for the NZ Research in ECE Journal, 2007, Vol 10
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 10, 2007 are shown below.
To view any paper, scroll to the end of this page for copies.
Children’s Views of their World
Freda BriggsUniversity of South AustraliaNZRECE Journal, Vol. 10, 2007, pp. 3 – 1
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