Barnardos Early Learning Centre Palmerston North

1 Evaluation of Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Roslyn Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Roslyn Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

With significant support from Barnardos KidStart Childcare management, this service should be well placed to sustain and improve practice.

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

Background

Barnardos KidStart Childcare – Roslyn Early Learning Centre is one of 23 childcare centres owned and operated by Barnardos New Zealand, a national provider of community services for children and families. It is licensed for 38 children, including eight aged up to two years. At the time of the previous ERO review only children aged over two years were enrolled. Of the 41 children now attending the service, 12 are Māori. The community is ethnically diverse.

An established team of four registered teachers are supported by an untrained teacher and a regular reliever.

The philosophy emphasises the importance of respectful relationships, partnership with parents, the provision of a natural and authentic environment and play, in supporting children’s learning.

At the time of the February 2013 ERO report, teachers identified the need to strengthen the links between assessment and planning. Progress is evident.

Day-to-day responsibility for the management of the service is the role of the centre manager. The regionally-based practice leader supports operation and curriculum. The national operations manager has oversight of operations. She reports to a general manager and the Barnardos board through the Chief Executive Officer.

Since the 2013 ERO reviews of Barnardos services, significant restructuring of the national organisation has been undertaken.

This review was part of a cluster of five Barnardos KidStart Childcare early learning centres.

The Review Findings

The values expressed in the centre philosophy are highly evident in practice. Teachers are respectful and responsive in their interactions with children. Good communication with parents is seen as a priority to support partnership in care and learning. Play is valued. Daily routines unfold around the rhythms of individual children's needs and choices.

The programme promotes high levels of child engagement and purposeful play. Opportunities for creativity, exploration and collaboration with peers are many. Literacy, mathematics, science and the arts are well integrated in the context of everyday happenings. Independence in self care and care for others are actively promoted. Children are seen as competent leaders of their own learning. Teachers should continue to strengthen the quality of their learning conversations with children.

The learning environment is inviting and interesting. Beauty, order and authenticity are emphasised. Resources reflect a strong focus on real things and the natural environment. Displays celebrate children’s work and the importance of families and whānau. A quiet and calm tone supports sustained engagement in play and learning.

Provision for children up to two years of age is well developed. A carefully considered approach, referenced to up-to-date research, has supported the integration of these children into the life of the centre. Teachers' practice is characterised by high levels of respect and deep engagement. Tuakana teina (older children supporting younger) is encouraged and evident in children's interactions.

The identification of key teachers for each child attending the service effectively supports their settling, attachment, ongoing wellbeing and communication with families and whānau.

Children with diverse learning needs are welcomed. Teachers have established purposeful links with relevant support agencies. An enduring relationship with the Palmerston North refugee centre aids the transition of migrant children and their families into the centre and local community. Teachers have identified the need to continue to improve their cultural responsiveness. They have developed a plan to strengthen the integration of a bicultural perspective in the programme and practices. A next step is to work on their approach to supporting children and families from Pacific ethnic groups.

A flexible approach based on children's and their families’ needs supports transition into the service. A well-developed relationship with the adjacent primary school and practical support for families undertaking initial visits, help with the transition of older children to school. Teachers should continue to develop ways of sharing information about children's learning with new-entrant teachers.

Teachers' approach to planning for learning continues to evolve. A new and more meaningful approach based on noticing, recognising and responding to the needs and interests of individuals has been implemented over the past six months. Parents' input is sought and valued. Next steps should include:

• illustrating in learning journals how teachers are using intentional strategies to strengthen children’s learning and facilitate their progress

• increasing the focus on children's learning dispositions and learning theories

• identifying and planning to meet parents' aspirations for their children's learning

• strengthening aspects linked to the cultures, languages and identities of families.

The centre manager provides good leadership for practice and operation. Team work is well established. Teachers are highly committed to the philosophy and their roles in the centre. They are improvement focused and reflective. Professional development is regularly undertaken and new learning shared. Development planning and review are well researched and result in improved outcomes for children. A stronger focus on evaluation should strengthen decision making.

The appraisal process is not yet providing adequate support for teacher development and endorsement of satisfactory performance in meeting professional teaching requirements. Barnardos ‘Goals and Growth’ system should be fully implemented.

Barnardos provides a range of carefully-considered operational and administrative support for the centre. This includes constructive visits and reports from the practice leader, and quality assurance through the annual audit. Work is underway to strengthen the use of these tools for promoting improvement to teaching and learning. Guidelines and policies, while comprehensive, should be updated to reflect new ways of working.

Strategic initiatives at management level have recently been identified to improve outcomes under the new operational framework. Identification of strategic goals and operational development planning at centre level should be a priority.

Key Next Steps

Barnardos KidStart Childcare management should provide focused professional support for teachers in this service to:

strengthen cultural responsiveness, including bicultural practice and understanding of te ao Māori. Teachers' commitment to these aspects of practice should be reflected in the philosophy statement.

Barnardos KidStart Childcare management will develop an action plan for ERO that shows how it will address the key next steps to improve teaching and learning practices across this cluster of services, including:

• developing the quality of teaching

• implementing improvement-focused appraisal for all staff

• ensuring quality assurance processes are consistent

• strengthening assessment for learning practices

• increasing the understanding and use of internal evaluation

• improving the alignment between strategic planning at management level with centre operations.

ERO will monitor the progress Barnardos KidStart Childcare managers make in relation to the action plan.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Roslyn Early Learning 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.

ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to premises and facilities. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following area:

• the outdoor activity space must be suitably surfaced.[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF13]

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Barnardos KidStart Childcare - Roslyn Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

21 April 2016

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

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.