- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
Kamo Childcare Centre Ltd 1, known as Kamo Tots, is one of two privately owned adjacent centres under the same management structure. Children often transition from Kamo Tots to Kamo Kids between the ages of two and three years. The centre is licenced to provide all day education and care for 28 children including up to 25 under the age of two years. Children who attend the centre identify as Pākehā or Māori.
One of the owners manages the day to day operations of the centre and the head teacher provides the professional leadership of staff. The teachers are well qualified and most have taught at the centre for several years.
The centre has a history of positive ERO reports and has responded well to suggestions made. The 2013 ERO report identified areas for improvement relating to reporting children's learning and consultation with whānau. The centre staff have focused on these areas.
Children are very well cared for and have many opportunities to learn. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and interact confidently with teachers and the environment. Children have many opportunities to develop their communication skills. The centre philosophy recognises the importance of staff establishing supportive relationships with children and their families.
Teachers' interactions with children are positive and affirming. They encourage children to be independent, within a supportive environment. Teachers carefully observe and listen to children and respond in respectful ways.
Teachers provide age appropriate activities and they support children to develop their interests. Children are able to make decisions about what they do, where they play and who they engage with. Routines related to feeding, sleeping and toileting are designed to cater for the needs of the child and the wishes of the parents.
Portfolios provide an informative record of children's experiences and their learning at the centre. Teachers record what they notice about children's learning and interests and how they can support these. Parents are encouraged to contribute to children's portfolios and teachers use this information when they plan the learning programme. Displays around the centre allow children to see themselves in the programme and share their experiences with their families.
The programme has a strong and deliberate bicultural focus. Teachers recognise that all children benefit from experiencing te reo and tikanga Māori. Te reo Māori is often integrated into the day to day activities of the centre. Staff are actively upskilling themselves so that they can support children's understanding of these aspects of Māori culture.
The centre environment supports children to learn and encourages physical activity by providing appropriate challenges. The purpose built facility is spacious and enables children to move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. While the babies have dedicated play areas, they often interact with the older children and consequently, transitions within the centre and between the centres are well managed to suit the individual child's readiness.
Staff know children and their families very well. Many families have had a long association with the centre. There is good communication with families. Parents are encouraged to be involved with centre activities and to contribute to self review.
The vision for the centre and the education philosophy are shared and affirmed by all staff. They continue to work well as a team and are focused on ongoing improvement. Teachers are all involved in self review and regularly reflect on their own practice. They are well supported by managers to grow their professional practice. ERO recommends that managers make greater use of indicators of quality, including Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners and He Pou Tātaki, as part of the centre's performance management systems.
The centre managers have reviewed the way that they plan strategically and have made adjustments to strengthen their processes. ERO suggests that they continue to review strategic planning processes so that clear improvement goals are identified and to document the actions to be taken to reach these goals.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kamo Childcare Centre Ltd 1 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.
The next ERO review of Kamo Childcare Centre Ltd 1 will be in four years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
21 June 2016
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 |
Kamo, Whangarei |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
10076 |
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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 |
28 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
32 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 18 Girls 14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā |
10 22 |
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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 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
February 2016 |
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Date of this report |
21 June 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review |
February 2013 |
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Education Review |
February 2010 |
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Education Review |
March 2007 |
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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.
