A1 Kids Childcare Centre

Education institution number:
46510
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
24
Telephone:
Address:

130 George Street, Tuakau

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A1 Kids Childcare Centre

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 A1 Kids Childcare Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Akatoro Domains

ERO’s judgement

He Whāriki Motuhake

The learner and their learning

Whakaū Embedding

Whakangungu Ngaio

Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whakawhanake Sustaining

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whakawhanake Sustaining

3 Context of the Service

A1 Kids Childcare Centre is a privately owned centre located in Tuakau. The centre owner leads a team of two qualified and one in-training teacher in a mixed two-to-five years setting. The service’s philosophy aims to provide a culture of respect and aroha, to nurture tamariki as competent learners.

Summary of findings

Children benefit from a positive, responsive learning environment. Warm nurturing relationships between teachers and children, underpinned by the centre philosophy, build children’s confidence. Social competency is sensitively and effectively promoted. Children’s positive experiences of
play-based learning are supported by kaiako utilising a range of strategies to expand their vocabularies and deepen their thinking. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging.

Children’s language, culture and identity is well supported. Kaiako integrate the languages and cultures of Māori, Pacific and Indian children throughout the curriculum. A range of resources affirm cultural identities. Tuakana teina relationships are an integral part of the mixed age setting. Positive relationships with whānau are valued. Kaiako seek their input into enriching cultural experiences within the curriculum. The team is yet to use this information to fully develop the localised curriculum. Children’s mana is recognised and fostered.

A well-resourced learning environment provides appropriate challenge and choice for children. They are given scope to explore and develop working theories. Teachers have deepened their understanding of curriculum, pedagogical and assessment practices through professional development and effective internal evaluation. Individualised, in-depth learning stories are clearly linked to Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, and capture children’s learning and progress over time. Curriculum planning is not yet utilising information gathered from parent aspirations. All children participate fully in the curriculum alongside their peers. 

The service has established systems and processes that support decision making. Leaders and kaiako demonstrate a strong sense of relational trust which supports collaboration and openness to change and improvement.  Identified improvement actions from the previous ERO review have been implemented and sustained. Equitable outcomes for children are evident.

3 Improvement actions

A1 Kids Childcare Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • strengthen localised curriculum to develop children’s greater understanding of iwi, marae, and other places of significance to local hapū
  • strengthen learning focused partnerships with parents and whānau through gathering their aspirations to enrich planning and assessment for children.

4 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of A1 Kids Childcare Centre 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.

5 Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • ensuring windows and areas of glass are included in daily hazard checking (HS12)
  • recording of evidence of parental acknowledgement of category (ii) medication administered (HS28).

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

16 June 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name A1 Kids Childcare Centre
Profile Number 46510
Location Tuakau

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

45 children aged over 2 years.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

26

Ethnic composition

Māori 15, NZ European/Pākehā 1, Pacific 6, Indian 4.

Review team on site

May 2021

Date of this report

16 June 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, October 2017.

A1 Kids Childcare Centre - 04/10/2017

1 Evaluation of A1 Kids Childcare Centre

How well placed is A1 Kids Childcare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

A1 Kids Childcare Centre is located in Tuakau, Franklin. The centre is privately owned and operated by a family business and provides care and education for children from two years to school age. A1 Kids Childcare Centre is licensed for a maximum of 45 children, all over two years of age. At the time of this review, 43 children were on the roll, including 31 who identify as Māori. This is their first ERO review since the service opened in August 2014. In June 2016 the centre had a change in ownership.

The centre's philosophy has been recently reviewed, 'To become a home away from home environment where ngā tamariki learn to love to learn'. The teaching team has remained consistent and new owners manage the centre.

The Review Findings

Centre owners effectively manage resourcing and funding to meet the needs of children and their whānau to ensure children have access to equitable learning opportunities. They provide clear strategic and annual planning that promotes the vision and direction for ongoing centre improvement. Policies and procedures are regularly updated and reviewed. Children's well-being and learning is being fostered through robust governance practices.

Centre leaders promote a culture of collaboration and respect. Cultural diversity is highly valued and this is evident in centre practices and the learning environment. Leadership has implemented useful systems, processes and expectations to support the smooth running of the centre. Teachers, alongside the centre manager, participate in ongoing self review, reflections and planning to provide positive outcomes for all children. The centre manager accesses appropriate external professional learning for teachers to build their confidence and capability to ensure that children learn and play in a supportive environment.

The curriculum is inclusive and designed to promote positive outcomes for children. Community partnerships provide the centre with weekly learning of te reo and tikanga Māori for children and teachers. There are some examples of teachers supporting learning with small groups of children. Children experience a learning programme that supports their culture, language and identity. Teachers provide resources that encourage learning and exploration. External support for children with additional learning needs is accessed appropriately as required to ensure positive outcomes for children.

Individual learning portfolios are well presented and show children’s interests and development in their learning over time. Attractive and informative learning displays provide opportunities for children and parents to understand the learning in action at the centre. Planning and assessment is currently under review to develop strategies to support children to lead their learning. Children are well supported to achieve success through responsive assessment practices.

Teachers have warm, positive respectful relationships with children and support them to be confident learners. Whāriki time engages children in learning together, developing social skills and interacting positively with each other. Children are engaged and enjoy learning in a range of activities.

Key Next Steps

Centre owners and ERO agree the key next steps for centre development include:

  • strengthening planning to support individual children's learning needs

  • implementing teaching strategies that promote oral language and provide complexity of tasks to extend children's learning

  • integrating literacy and mathematics learning in all aspects of the curriculum

  • formalising the support programme for provisionally certificated teachers

  • strengthening the performance management system to include documented formal observations and quality feedback and feed forward to build teacher capability.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of A1 Kids Childcare Centre 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of A1 Kids Childcare Centre will be in three years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

4 October 2017

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Tuakau

Ministry of Education profile number

46510

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

43

Gender composition

Boys 27

Girls 16

Ethnic composition

Māori
Indian
Other Pacific Peoples
Other ethnicity

31
4
4
4

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2017

Date of this report

4 October 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

This is the first ERO review at this centre

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.