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Title / Demonstrate knowledge of inclusive education in an ECE service and the roles of support agencies
Level / 4 / Credits / 3
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard will be able to: discuss current thinking in relation to inclusive education for children in an ECE service; and discuss the roles of support agenciesfor children, their whānau/family and an educator.
This unit standard is designed for people who intend to work, or are working with, children in an ECEservice. People working in the wider education sector may also be interested in this unit standard. This unit standard will prepare people to advance to a higher level of study in ECE.
Classification / Early Childhood Education and Care > Early Childhood: Educational Theory and Practice
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
1An early childhood education (ECE) service may include a centre-based service, hospital-based service, or home-based service. The home-based service may be nominated by the child’s parent, be the child’s own home, or the home of the educator.
2Three 'broad age groups' are defined in Te Whāriki for children. These are overlapping age categories and aredefined as:
infant – birth to 18 months;
toddler – one year to three years;
young child – two and a half years to school entry age.
Evidence of children from one age category is required in this unit standard.
3Candidates for this unit standard should be familiar with the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which informs guidelines, procedures, and practices in the ECE sector.
4Definitions
Educatormay include persons and groups including teachers, supervisors, co-ordinators, whānau/families, and nannies who are involved in the learning and the development of children. Evidence of one is required in this unit standard.
Inclusive education refers to a programme dependent on an underlying belief in, and acceptance of, every child as a unique and special person with the potential to grow and develop.
Support agenciesmay include Ministry of Education, Plunket, Refugee Centre, Parents as First Teachers, District Health Boards, Public Health Services, New Zealand Association for Gifted Children, and other specialist support groups.
Whānau/familiesmay be parents, guardians, and members of the extendedfamily who have an interest in the child.
5Legislation and Conventions include but are not limited to:
Care of Children Act 2004
Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989
Disability (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Act 2008
Education Act 1989
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Human Rights Act 1993
Privacy Act 1993
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) 1989
Vulnerable Children Act 2014
and subsequent amendments.
6References
Ministry of Education, Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early Childhood Curriculum (Wellington, Learning Media, 1996); available at
Ministry of Education, Much more than words: Monitoring and encouraging communication development in early childhood (Wellington: Learning Media, 2001).
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Discuss current thinking in relation to inclusive education for children in an ECE service.
Evidence requirements
1.1Current perspectives and definitions of inclusive educationare discussedin terms of education for children in an ECE service.
1.2Guideline statements relating to inclusive behaviour inEarly Childhood Curriculumand legislative documentation are summarised in the discussion.
Outcome 2
Discuss the roles of support agenciesfor children, their whānau/family, and an educator.
Rangeevidence of three support agencies is required.
Evidence requirements
2.1Agencies are identified and their roles are discussed in terms of the support they provide for a children and their whānau/family.
Rangeevidence of two examples from each agency of supporting the needs of children and two examples of supporting the needs of the children’s whānau/family.
2.2Examples are given of how these agencies provide support for an educatorin an ECE service.
Rangeevidence of two examples from each identified agency is required.
Replacement information / This unit standard was replaced by unit standard 29861 and unit standard 29881.This unit standard replaced unit standard 21327.
This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 17 December 2010 / 31 December 2017
Revision / 2 / 8 December 2011 / 31 December 2019
Rollover and Revision / 3 / 20 August 2015 / 31 December 2019
Review / 4 / 20 April 2017 / 31 December 2019
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0135
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
NZQA National Qualifications ServicesSSB Code 130301 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2019 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut