The rights of children with disabilities to access and fully participate in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres are protected by key international legislation including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...

In New Zealand there is currently no one definition of what it means for a child to be categorised as “gifted and talented”. The very notion of “giftedness” is in itself unclear, with teachers holding varying levels of understanding. This is problematic, making identification complex and pedagogical decision-making ad hoc ...

The multicultural nature of early childhood services in New Zealand is highlighted by the statistical reality that 22 percent of children are Māori, 7 percent are Pasifika, and 11 percent are Asian and other non-European/Pākehā ethnicities. Multicultural early childhood education has become a vital practice underpinning educational reforms. This is ...

Children are constantly trying to make sense of their world. Working theories—one of the key learning outcomes of Te Whāriki—are constructed, adapted, and enriched in children’s lives as children experience the world around them and interact with others. This article presents findings from a study that investigated teacher strategies that were used ...

This article discusses aspects of the journeys and emergent thinking of teachers/kaiako in the three Māori immersion/bilingual early childhood services that participated in the Whatu Kākahu—Assessment in Kaupapa (Philosophy) Māori Early Childhood Practice study. Through the exploration of kaupapa Māori assessment approaches, the services worked to reclaim and reframe Māori ways of knowing and being ...

Parent–teacher partnerships are critical to enacting the principles of Te Whāriki: relationships, family and community, empowerment, and holistic development. Our project used “funds of knowledge” as a theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical tool to explore partnership connections for children between the contexts of home and centre. This article discusses teachers’ experiences of visiting children’s ...

Each article in this issue of Early Childhood Folio raises questions about values and aspirations for children, and the power of beliefs, both silent and overt, to influence policy and pedagogy ...

This is one of a series about researchers whose work has made a difference in early years education. Jane Blaikie writes about the work of Marie Bell (19 February 1922–3 November 2012).

How might ways of engaging with families set Pasifika children up for learning success? Early childhood education in New Zealand is commonly play-based and builds on teachers’ understandings about children’s interests and abilities. Teachers are encouraged to collaborate with families in their assessment and planning. However, there is little research ...