The way teachers talk to children can influence their learning. This paper explores features of quality talk in early childhood centres, and discusses how quality can be documented.

Being ready, willing, and able to learn are important attributes for four-year-olds. Can early childhood centres encourage persistence?

Many centres use valuable display space for notices to parents, rather than displaying children's writing. This study of New Zealand kindergartens gives insight into the kinds of environments which help children get ready for literacy.

A study of 100 childcare centres shows that many parents make passive choices of centres rather than actively choosing between alternatives. Parent choice is not currently a viable means of controlling quality and policy makers need to look at other mechanisms.

Technology education is a key learning area, yet very little is known about how young children should be involved in a technology curriculum. This paper reports on the mismatch between currilulum planning and young children's home experiences.

The positive changes in early childhood education policy in New Zealand in the late 1980s occurred largely as a result of enough people coming together to speak with one voice for the sector. When the webs created by policy makers join with the webs of scholars and webs of thinking ...

Kohanga reo is a movement which can and has moved government into a legitimation crisis. It is a movement of Maori people who believe in the rightness of the culture, the language, traditions, and values.

How are professional ethics considered when preparing early childhood teacher education students for their practicum? Are students aware of the difference between an ethical dilemma and poor teaching practice? And do they know how to deal with either?

Starting school is a period of transition and adjustment as children move from early childhood centres or home to the school  environment. How well children make this transition can be a critical factor for children's adjustment to the demands of the school environment and in determining future school success.