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The following collection of websites provide information and resources that may be of interest to early childhood educators.
Curriculum documents, guidelines, and policy | Professional organisations | Professional reading | Ideas box student activities | For parents
Curriculum documents, guidelines, and policy
Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā
Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Education
This bilingual curriculum statement, in pdf format, provides a framework
for consistent curriculum and programmes in chartered early childhood
education services. It offers guidelines for planning, evaluation, and
assessment, and describes some of the connections between early childhood
education and the school curriculum.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/web/downloadable/dl3567_v1/WHARIKI.pdf
(500kb, PDF)
Te Whāriki Update
Te Whāriki Update is an occasional newsletter that informs
the early childhood sector about important developments in early childhood
education.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/governance/tewhariki/tewhariki_1_e.php
Early Childhood – Ministry of Education
This is a collection of links pertinent to early childhood education.
It includes information about the early childhood curriculum, qualifications,
strategic plans, resourcing and funding, statistical information, early
childhood education circulars and a link to the archives of Pitopito Korero,
the early childhood newsletter.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=index&indexID=1095&indexparentid=1000
Bright or Gifted Policy Development
This article provides guidelines on how to develop a policy based on theory
and research, for the gifted learner in an early childhood centre.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/gifted/reading/policy/development/contents_e.php
Special Education – Policy Guidelines
This page from the New Zealand Ministry of Education website contains an explanation of special education aims and policies. It includes special education policy guidelines, and lists relevant objectives from the New Zealand Disability Strategy: Making a World of Difference - Whakanui Oranga.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=7327&data=l
Anywhere Everywhere – EOTC Curriculum Guidelines for Primary
Schools, Secondary Schools, and Early Childhood Centres
This resource provides online information on goals, charter writing, sample
EOTC statements, developing programmes, guidelines for teachers and suggested
activities.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/eotc/resources/anywhere_e.php
Professional organisation
Early Childhood Education
This website (ECE) provides advice, support and information about New Zealand
early childhood education and parenting to groups, parents and the wider community.
Contains information about Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
for New Zealand and an online copy of Right from the Start, ECE's quarterly
newsletter.
http://www.ece.govt.nz/
Te Kohanga Reo National Trust
The Kohanga National Trust is the umbrella organisation for Kohanga reo
around New Zealand. This site outlines the guiding principles of Kohanga
reo, management structure, curriculum, curriculum support and training.
Contains a collection of links to Māori resources on the Web, including
news, dictionaries, educational sites and information on iwi and marae.
http://www.kohanga.ac.nz/
Group Special Education (GSE)
This Special Education index includes links to information about services, resourcing, assistive technology, frequently asked questions, newsletters, strategy documents, research projects, and publications.
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=index&indexid=6871&indexparentid=2107
Professional reading
Early Childhood Education
This New Zealand Education Gazette article, published 2 April 2007, discusses the role whānau play in early childhood centres. Contains three articles 'Education - it's a whānau thing', 'Maintaining the links' and 'Ripples of learning' each explaining experiences at their centres.
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/articles.php?action=view&id=7308
Easing the transition to school
This Education Gazette article, published 19 February 2007, describes how a Northland school class of six-year-olds produced a photo book for the prospective new entrants from their contributing early childhood education (ECE) centres to help these students with their transition to school.
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/articles.php?action=view&id=7286
Evaluation of Promoting Early Childhood Education (ECE) Participation Project
This report contains the findings from an evaluation of the processes and
outcomes of the Promoting Early Childhood Education (ECE) Participation
Project (PPP) aimed at lifting the participation of targeted communities in
quality ECE services.
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ece/11760
Parental decision making in relation to the use of Early Childhood Education services
This report presents the results of a research study that examined parental decision making in relation to the use of Early Childhood Education (ECE) services. The report explores reasons for using ECE services, factors important in deciding whether or not to use ECE services, and factors important in choosing between different types of service.
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ece/9923
Picking up the Pace
This is the final report on the professional development associated with the Early
Childhood Primary Links via Literacy (ECPL) Project. ECPL was part of a broader
project called Strengthening Education in Mangere and Otara (SEMO).
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=6444
Ideas box student activities
KinderArt – The Big List
This section of the KinderArt website is an extensive list of art and craft lesson
plans written by teachers. It covers areas such as architecture, artists, art
history, drama, drawing, folk art, painting, printmaking, recycling, sculpture
and textiles. It links to the KinderArt Littles list for early childhood education
which is divided into curriculum and interest areas.
http://www.kinderart.com/biglist.shtml
Literacy Centre – The Early Childhood Education Network
This American website aims to provide early learning activities for parents
and teachers to share with young children. The site focuses on students
learning to read and includes some maths activities which promote the
understanding of the representation of numbers and identification of simple
shapes.
http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm
For parents
Ask Jeeves for kids
This site is a search engine for children looking for help with homework
or research for school projects.
http://www.ajkids.com/
Earlychildhood.com
This includes articles from the publication Early Childhood News,
a newsletter which includes activities and curriculum, arts and craft,
"Ask and Expert" section, and an archive of interesting articles.
http://www.earlychildhood.com/
Helping your Child with Reading
This site contains advice for parents of pre-school children about motivating
and helping their children to read. It is from the United Kingdom National
Literacy Trust's National Reading Campaign.
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/campaign/preschooladvice.html
Sesame Street – Number of the Day
This Sesame Street webpage provides students with practise for one-to-one
counting skills and number recognition with numbers up to 20.
http://pbskids.org/sesame/number/index.html
Sesame Workshop
An engaging and educational site using children's media to help young
students reach their potential.
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/
Team-Up: Early Years
This Team-Up page provides information and activities to support children's learning in their early years. Topics include things to do at home, parenting, and on the choosing of an early childhood education service. Resources for Maori and Pasifika education are available.
http://www.teamup.co.nz/earlyyears/default.