19 Fernhill Drive, Westgate, Auckland
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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Kiddy Winkles Westgate are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding Whakaū Embedding |
Kiddy Winkles Westgate is a purpose built and privately owned centre. The service provider manages daily operations and governance of the centre. He is supported by a director of teaching who is responsible for learning conditions and the mentoring of the team. The service is culturally diverse with a small number of Māori and Pacific children enrolled.
Children are encouraged to engage in experiences that support them to learn with and alongside their peers. Māori children and whānau have authentic opportunities to contribute to the implementation of a curriculum that reflects Maramataka, the traditional Māori Luna calendar. Leaders in the service are strong advocates for children’s diverse learning needs. They strive to provide an equitable and inclusive environment where all learners can be fully involved in a responsive curriculum.
Kaiako intentionally and naturally introduce literacy and numeracy aspects into play-based learning opportunities. Priority is given to supporting children’s oral language development and helping children to become articulate and confident communicators. Leaders and kaiako work together to design and evaluate the service curriculum that is informed by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Leaders are working to ensure this practice is consistent for children under the age of three.
Leaders and kaiako have opportunities for professional learning and coaching designed to help them to develop their confidence to engage in evaluation and inquiry. They focus on sharing the impact of learning on their professional practice to build shared understandings within the team. Leaders are working to ensure that kaiako intentionally note outcomes for learners that are identified as a result of changes to teaching practice.
Those responsible for governance and management work well together to implement operational systems. The leadership team collaborates to monitor the progress of their strategic priorities. A system for internal evaluation is beginning to demonstrate how teaching practices support children’s learning outcomes. These frameworks are supporting the service to plan for and progress its long-term improvement goals.
Kiddy Winkles Westgate will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Continue to refine planning and curriculum implementation processes for children under the age of three to align with the outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Continue to develop the teaching team’s professional knowledge to better understand learning and development for children under the age of three.
Systematically monitor and evaluate operational documentation to show outcomes for children.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kiddy Winkles Westgate completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
31 January 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Kiddy Winkles Westgate |
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Profile Number |
46836 |
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Location |
Westgate, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
95 |
|
Review team on site |
December 2022 |
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Date of this report |
31 January 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Previously reviewed as Just Kidz Educare – Westgate Education Review, March 2018 |
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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.
Just Kidz Educare - Westgate opened in October 2015 and is licensed for 100 children, including 25 up to the age of two years. The centre operates from a purpose-built facility located within the Westgate shopping complex in West Auckland. It is organised into four age-related areas with Arohanui catering for babies and toddlers. This area for the youngest group also has its own outdoor space. The other three areas, Waiata, Wairua and Korero share a large outdoor environment that provides opportunities for mixed age play.
Serving a culturally diverse community, approximately half of the centre's children and families are Mandarin-speaking Chinese. They are joined by smaller groups of Pākehā, Māori and Pacific children and families. The teaching team is also culturally diverse with teachers available in each room who speak Mandarin and some Indian languages. Most teachers are qualified and registered, or in training.
The centre philosophy is influenced by Reggio Emilia and Pikler, with both philosophies promoting deep respect for children. It encourages high quality teaching and learning practices, positive partnerships with parents, and places value on the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This centre is one of three in Auckland owned by a family group. The owners provide governance support for the centre manager. The manager is supported by an assistant manager and head teachers. A recently appointed operations manager has oversight of all three Just Kidz centres. Her role includes working alongside staff to support consistent and high quality practices across the company.
Children and families experience meaningful and trusting relationships with teachers. They are welcomed into a family-like environment where home and cultural beliefs and practices are affirmed and valued. Teachers gather useful information from parents to enhance children's care and learning. As a result of these good practices, children have a strong sense of belonging and are settled in the centre.
Older children are involved and engaged in their play and learning. They have good opportunities for uninterrupted play, and have independent access to play materials of their choice. Teachers are calm and gentle with children. As skilled practitioners, they question and provoke children's interests, and provide good opportunities for problem solving and critical thinking.
Teachers skilfully plan for children's emerging interests. They support children's learning in literacy, mathematics and science. Teachers have a good understanding of te āo Māori, including te reo and tikanga Māori. They have an ongoing commitment to consistently improving and integrating their bicultural curriculum throughout learning programmes.
Infants and toddlers are well nurtured by their teachers within a carefully designed space. Teachers follow children's lead, and create areas and activities that promote their interest and exploration. Parent preferences for their babies and toddlers take precedence in teachers' planning and practice. Managers have plans to further improve the outdoor environment.
Teachers and leaders are highly reflective practitioners. Leaders use mentoring and coaching approaches to enhance teacher skills. The time made for practice discussions motivates teachers to improve continually, and provides a trusting and secure environment for teachers to take risks. Teachers are recognised as leaders, and have many opportunities to lead in different areas of the centre. These good practices contribute to the collaborative and professional centre culture where adults focus on what is best for children.
The centre is very well led and governed. Driven by expectations for high quality practice, managers use well-considered employment and staffing processes. These aspects include generous resourcing of the centre, significant professional learning opportunities and a very good teacher appraisal process for rigorous accountability and improvement. Internal evaluation is very well understood, and used effectively as a tool for ongoing improvement. The centre has a good policy framework and other very good systems that support its overall operation.
ERO endorses the centre's self-identified next step to improve strategic planning so that it better aligns to teachers' professional learning and appraisal. This improvement would support centre managers to report in a more cohesive and evaluative way against strategic goals.
Other key next steps include centre managers and teachers continuing to enhance the quality practices currently evident at the centre.
Before the review, the staff and management of Just Kidz Educare - Westgate 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 Just Kidz Educare - Westgate will be in four years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
13 March 2018
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 |
Westgate, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46836 |
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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 |
100 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
111 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 57% Boys 43% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
6% |
|
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:9 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
January 2018 |
||
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Date of this report |
13 March 2018 |
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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:
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.