The transition of refugee children from home to early childhood centres in New Zealand

This article is one component of a doctoral study that explored six early childhood teachers’ experiences of working with culturally diverse refugee children and their families in an urban district of New Zealand. Specifically, this article focuses on how teachers supported the transition of refugee children from home to centres. Data were gathered using initial semistructured interviews, observations, and stimulated recall interviews. A constant comparative method was utilised to analyse the data and key themes were identified. The study found that teachers took initiatives such as having a key teacher to work with refugee children and families, using culturally appropriate greetings, having a cultural support person, some of whom could speak home languages of refugee families, and doing home visits, to support the transition of refugee children into their centres. A main argument is that gaining insights into the experiences and challenges of the refugee children is important before designing culturally appropriate pedagogies that may support the transition process.