Pandas Home-Based Childcare

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Pandas Home-Based Childcare is a privately-owned service that opened in 2019. Families from a diverse range of cultures across Canterbury attend the service. Many are of Chinese heritage.

The owner and administrator work as interpreters for the Chinese educators and families who use the service. They work closely with three visiting teachers who are qualified early childhood teachers. ERO visited a sample of educator homes as part of this review.

Summary of Review Findings

The home-based curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation. Visiting teachers support educators to provide a curriculum where each child is confident in their own culture and is encouraged to understand other cultures. Educators are assisted to offer an inclusive, language-rich environment that guides children’s learning. They are responsive to children’s preferences and interests.

Visiting teachers monitor the implementation of health and safety requirements in each home, including ensuring that the facilities and equipment for the use of children are safe and maintained in good condition. Suitable human resource management practices are in place for educators and staff.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are for visiting teachers to:

• give greater emphasis in guidance notes to educators in relation to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki and teaching strategies to enhance learning and evaluate the impact of intentional teaching on outcomes for children
• further developing all educators’ understanding and use of Te Whāriki to document children’s learning
• further develop the use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in key documentation and practices.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

1 June 2021 

Information about the service 

General Information about Assurance Reviews  

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing criteria for home-based education and care services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.  

ERO undertakes an Akanuku|Assurance Review process in any service: 

• having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation 
• previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’ 
• that has moved from a provisional to a full licence 
• that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership 
• where an Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements 

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service completed a Home Based Education and Care Assurance Statement and Self-Audit.

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.  

As part of an Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios) 
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.  

As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: 

• discussions with those involved in the service 
• consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems 
• visits to educator homes, selected by ERO.