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Light and Shadows: A Journey of Inquisition and Expression

In early childhood education, following the lead of tamariki is key to fostering meaningful learning. Back in mid-February, I observed a growing curiosity about shadows among preschoolers in my centre. Their spontaneous questioning paved the way for an extensive exploration of light and shadow – a journey that paralleled our long-term internal review focus on oral literacy and communication. With thoughtful planning and simple, hands-on experiences, I was able to turn this curiosity into a pow...

Meet the ECC Executive: Danielle Fisher

Hi, my name is Danielle Fisher, and I’ve dedicated the past 20 years to the world of early childhood education – a journey that has taken me from passionate teacher to a manager, regional leader, and now, proud centre owner. Each chapter has shaped me in unique and meaningful ways, and I treasure these experiences as I build and nurture my own centres. I am currently the Co-Director of Stables Montessori Preschools in Canterbury. Family is at the core of my world, and spending quality time w...

Move to one regulator a major turning point in ECE reform

The proposal to make the Education Review Office the sole Early Childhood Education regulator is a massive change that should deliver much sought after clarity for the ECE sector, says the Early Childhood Council....

FamilyBoost majorly boosted – many more families will benefit from reduced childcare costs

“Today’s announcement means more families can access support with their costs, and increase children’s ability to access quality childcare, potentially for longer than before for families who were struggling” said Early Childhood Council CEO Simon Laube.“Adjusting the thresholds also means the payments households get from IRD are nearly doubling after today’s changes.”“I’m pleasantly surprised how much more generous FamilyBoost has become, it’s sure to stimulate great interes...

Sensory Play in ECE

Sensory play is not just about fun; it's a crucial part of early childhood education. It challenges our children and encourages them to use their senses to investigate and interact with their environment in new and creative ways. This helps them make sense of the world around them and fosters their overall development....

He Wā Whakahirahira: Celebrating Matariki at Kimihia

Guided by the values of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, ako, and wairuatanga, our aim was to honour this sacred time in a way that brought our whānau and wider learning community together not only to celebrate, but to connect, remember, and grow.We knew from the outset that this celebration would be more than just a gathering. It was an opportunity to reflect the mauri of Matariki – a time of new beginnings, spiritual renewal, and unity. It began with reaching out to our whānau to as...

Why ECE Centres Need to be Audit-Ready

Over the last few years, the early childhood education (ECE) sector has seen a series of funding shifts — from temporary rule changes, to pay parity scales, to technology updates and changing enrolment requirements. For many centres, particularly those with new ownership or leadership, staying on top of these changes has been challenging.What’s Changing Now?What funding auditors are looking for has changed over time. Where they once took six hours on site, there was a period when auditors we...

Drains for Rains

For us, this project was about teaching our tamariki about the effects of careless actions by humans on the world’s animals and environment and letting them see they can make a difference.How it Began...It started with discussions at mat time about why it is important that “drains are only for rains”, why we need to keep our drains clean from rubbish and learning where the water from our drains ends up. As tamariki understanding grew, they started to realise that all rubbish leads to the o...

Learning Support funding welcomed but something’s got to give for ECE

There was no meaningful financial relief announced for ECE providers in Budget 25 - but the government’s commitment to a funding review, buried in the detail, may offer some light at the end of the tunnel."If you’re an ECE provider struggling to stay viable, you’re asking ‘what will help me keep the doors open? The lack of investment today confirms providers' worst fears - that the Government does not have confidence to invest in ECE because of the broken funding system," said Simon Laub...

Why Child Protection Training Matters More Than Ever in ECE

In an environment where children are nurtured, guided, and supported in their most formative years, every adult has a role to play in safeguarding their wellbeing. That’s why robust, ongoing child protection training is essential for all ECE professionals, from centre managers and curriculum leads to kaiako and admin staff.The early childhood sector is uniquely placed to identify concerns early. Educators often develop strong, trusting relationships with children and their families and whānau...

ECE regulation change timeline welcomed by providers

“It’s good progress to have a clear timeline approved by Cabinet. We can expect changes within the next 18 months, ensuring the regulatory improvements can happen as soon as possible,” said ECC CEO Simon Laube.  “The Ministry for Regulation’s work has been thorough and perceptive, and committed to getting to the bottom of problems that have built up over many years.”“We’ve been waiting for the Government to confirm its full support for the regulatory changes released in Dece...

Kiddywinkles Early Learning Sets the Foundation for Primary School Success

Across New Zealand, some early learning centres excel at fostering school readiness, and Kiddywinkles Early Learning Centre in Huapai is a standout example.Kiddywinkles recently hosted the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, who was highly impressed by the centre’s commitment to early education. "Centres like yours are doing an excellent job at getting kids school-ready," she remarked....

Nurture a Kinder Aotearoa with SPCA

The SPCA Teachers’ Portal is designed to support early childhood educators nurture this natural connection by weaving animal welfare education into everyday experiences and linking it to Te Whāriki. Free, play-based and easy-to-use resources aid kaiako in fostering children’s empathy, social-emotional skills, and understanding of the needs and feelings of animals. They carry these values into their wider communities, shaping a more compassionate future for all.Connecting to Te Wh�...

Government must act now to save Waitara childcare centre

Waitara & District Community Childcare were given 90 days’ notice to vacate the LINZ building they occupy – handing them the impossible task of finding a new building and obtaining a Ministry of Education operating licence, a process that typically takes over 12 months.On Wednesday, it was revealed to staff that suspected black mould had been found in a LINZ-managed adjacent building, not used by the centre. Despite none being found in the centre itself, the Ministry of Education stepped...

Emotional Intelligence: Why is it Important for Leadership Success?

Most businesses, however well run, organized and efficient, struggle with emotional complexity or drama that occurs within teams. ECE centre management, in an environment of predominantly women who are all juggling life’s challenges, takes that stress up several notches.Self-regulation helps us to manage triggers and create greater balance and focus, but it’s easy to get stuck in firefighting mode and run on autopilot. Could there be new or different ways to lead or manage our day, our team ...

Musical Play for the Non-musical Teacher

Musical play is about so much more than simply singing a lullaby and banging on a drum. Sound exploration starts in the womb and is threaded through everyday ECE experiences. Teachers can help to support this learning in a number of ways, irrespective of personal ability....

Relational Leadership: Leading with Connection

Leaders who adopt this approach recognise that every interaction, whether with a colleague, a parent, or a child within their learning community, has the potential to shape the culture of their setting. They understand that leadership is less about hierarchy and more about fostering an environment where every voice is valued.As David Giles (2019, Relational Leadership: A Phenomenological Perspective) reminds us, “Relational leadership is not about knowing all the answers; it’s about cre...

The Transformative Power of Gardening for Children

Collaborative SkillsGardening provides tamariki with opportunities to work alongside adults and peers in tasks such as sowing seeds, planting, watering, and harvesting. Through these shared experiences, they learn and practice social skills, including listening, asking questions, following instructions, and taking turns.Confidence and CompetenceWith repeated opportunities to engage in gardening tasks, tamariki grow in confidence and competence. They begin to see themselves as capable gardeners r...

Report finds ECE regulation is not fit for purpose

Read the full report...

Country Kindy successfully repels Ministry of Education’s aggressive approach in legal action, raising renewed questions

Many of ECC’s members are small providers much like Country Kindy. Small providers make easy targets for the powerful ECE regulator, but all providers are equally fearful of the Ministry of Education with its gigantic departmental budget of $3 billion, more than the total funding distributed to all ECE services in a year.“MoE doesn’t seem ready to face accountability for what they did to Country Kindy. In this case they even engaged high-powered lawyers to try to bully its opponent into th...

Operation Zero Waste

But despite my values, the life of convenience and disposability was justified by my own busyness. I mean, I didn’t do nothing for sustainability. I stopped buying craft supplies like foam shapes and glitter because we all know where artwork goes after the fridge. We used ‘compostable’ nappies which kept my conscience clean. But ashamedly, we were doing some things which were just lazy, like sending recyclables to landfill.In November 2023 I attended a hui with the Hamilton City Council’...

Celebrating Diwali at Kimihia Early Learning Centre

Celebrating Diwali helps us to strengthen a sense of belonging and acknowledge the unique cultural identities of children who are living away from their place of origin, which we all know plays a fundamental role in the development of children.At Kimihia, we commemorate Diwali by incorporating various elements of the festivities. We know the value of sharing each of our families’ uniquely different cultures and traditions and we carefully plan to enhance the mana of the Indian community in the...

ECE clarifications welcome, but there’s more work to do in the regulation review

"Misconceptions in ECE can perpetuate when Ministry of Education officials make their own interpretations of the regulations, when in fact the system allows ECE centres a good level of flexibility in how they could comply. It’s great to see these inconsistencies being dealt with,” said ECC CEO Simon Laube.“Flexibility is crucial – the regulations need to work fairly for a large 125 child centre in Papakura and one with 27 children in Ranfurly, and everything in between.”ECC supports it...

Using New Zealand Sign Language to Support Diverse Communities

When my business partner Mark and I took ownership of Haven ELC in 2018, we noticed the depth of diversity in our immediate community and in the ethnicity of the tamariki and whānau who accessed the service. The centre was rich in diverse language, culture and identity. There were 12 different languages spoken amongst tamariki, kaiako, and families.After the Covid pandemic, our local community underwent many changes in cultural diversity as overseas families reconnected and came to New Zealand ...

How The Castle Streamlined its Website with Rocketspark

The Castle is a well-established, community-focused, not-for-profit early learning centre in Cambridge. It has been a pillar of the community for nearly 50 years, providing high-quality care and education to local children. Like many not-for-profits, The Castle faced challenges with a tight budget while needing a functional, easy-to-manage website. The centre needed a solution that allowed them to update their website efficiently without ongoing maintenance fees, allowing them more time to focus...