1 & 2 Paranui Crescent, Tikipunga, Whangarei
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Valleys Little and Junior Treasures are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Valleys Little and Junior Treasures is a small service that operates from two renovated homes in Tikipunga, Whangarei. The owner-manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the service. The teaching team consists of nine qualified teachers and three support staff. A significant number of Māori children attend the service.
Children are settled and engaged in their learning. They are warmly welcomed and greeted by teachers and their peers. Children are viewed as curious, independent and capable learners. They are motivated to inquire and explore their environment and new learning.
Kaiako build positive relationships with infants and toddlers that support secure attachments. They provide varied and plentiful resources to foster children’s explorations, wonderings and creativity. The social and emotional development and wellbeing of all children is prioritised.
Parents who spoke with ERO talked highly of the service’s programmes, resources, relationships and the indoor/outdoor learning environments. Kaiako work in partnership with parents and whānau to strengthen children’s progress and learning. Their voice and contributions are valued and evident through the curriculum and the programme.
Teachers regularly use te reo Māori, and children understand simple phrases. Tuakana/teina relationships are evident in the centre supporting success for Māori and other children. Sign language is incorporated into the daily programme and is used when communicating with children.
Teachers are intentional in identifying and supporting children’s interests and abilities to guide curriculum design and decisions. Responsive leaders and kaiako know their children well as learners and scaffold their development. Teachers recognise opportunities to support children’s literacy and numeracy through play.
The service has adopted a shared-leadership approach. Leaders and kaiako collaboratively enact the service’s philosophy, vision and goals. They have taken a collective approach to professional learning and development. This learning has focused on strengthening a shared understanding of curriculum, assessment, teaching and learning practices. This is enabling teachers to develop a rich and responsive curriculum that enhances positive outcomes for children.
The service has an established system to implement its policies and procedures. Managers and teachers have used spontaneous and planned internal evaluation that demonstrates clear links to improving outcomes for learners.
Valleys Little and Junior Treasures will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Service leaders and teachers should strengthen the implementation and monitoring of procedures of systems across the service to ensure that licensing criteria are met.
Teachers could evaluate their role in extending the depth and complexity of children’s learning and development. This process of reflective practice would strengthen curriculum planning and design.
Teachers should more often include children’s individual languages and cultures in their learning profiles and through centre documentation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Valleys Little and Junior Treasures completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:
a written emergency plan that includes: a list of safety and emergency supplies and resources sufficient for the age and number of children and adults at the service and details of how these will be maintained and accessed in an emergency - civil defence kit
The Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008 (HS7).
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
20 May 2021
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Valleys Little and Junior Treasures |
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Profile Number |
46764 |
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Location |
Tikipunga, Whangarei |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
38 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
48 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 23, NZ European/Pākehā 20, Pacific 2, other ethnic groups 3. |
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Review team on site |
February 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
20 May 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2017 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Valleys Little Treasures in Tikipunga, Whangarei is a small centre located in a renovated house. There are indoor and outdoor play areas and a sleeping room for children. It is licensed to provide all day education and care for 18 children including 16 under two years of age. Children up to three years of age are enrolled at the centre.
The service’s child centred philosophy successfully promotes children's wellbeing and care with a strong focus on whānaungatanga and manaakitanga. Children are of Māori or Pākeha heritage and benefit from high teacher/child ratios.
The centre is privately owned and has operated for nearly two years. All staff including the owner are fully qualified and most are experienced teachers. This is the centre’s first ERO review.
Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and are very settled in the centre. They are social, talkative and show their enjoyment in play. They experience learning and care in a positive and supportive environment. There is genuine aroha with warm, caring relationships between children and their teachers.
Children are viewed as capable and confident learners. They are well supported by their teachers to develop their independence, oral language and confidence. They enjoy a varied programme which includes excursions into the community. Children up to the age of three years, experience flexible and responsive care routines.
The programme for children is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Learning through play is prioritised and children’s choices and wellbeing are respected. The programme is responsive to their individual interests and offers a range of engaging activities. Portfolios of learning are attractive and provide whānau with regular, valuable information about their child's learning.
The centre’s learning environments are attractive and developing as areas for children to explore. The outdoor environment is spacious and physically challenging. Providing further opportunities for wonder and curiosity in the programme would increase opportunities for complex play for children.
Staff who model te reo Māori and waiata. Whānau appreciate the willingness of staff to learn and incorporate te reo me ōna tikanga in the daily programme.
Teachers are welcoming, friendly and approachable. They reflect the children’s cultural backgrounds and collaborate well to promote children's wellbeing. They are skilled at creating a positive environment that is responsive to children. Parents are well informed about their children and appreciate the strong support from teachers in an inclusive, family friendly environment.
Professional development has helped teachers establish operating processes and systems and effective practices. Teachers have a good foundation for further evaluation development and sustainable practices. A policy framework is being updated to align with the Vulnerable Children's Act and the new Health and Safety legislation. Performance management systems are developing.
Teachers should continue to improve centre practices. Priorities include:
documenting the centre’s philosophy
evaluating key strategic goals using quality indicators in internal evaluation to improve outcomes for children
ensuring ongoing property development and the provision of learning resources continue to promote children’s exploration and creativity
strengthening performance management processes to guide teachers to meet all the practising teachers criteria
ensuring all policies and procedures are clearly aligned with licensing criteria changes.
Before the review, the staff and management of Valleys Little Treasures completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Valleys Little Treasures will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
22 March 2017
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Tikipunga, Whangarei |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46764 |
||
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
18 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
23 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 12 Girls 11 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
13 10 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
February 2017 |
||
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Date of this report |
22 March 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
No previous ERO reports |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.