Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont

Education institution number:
20083
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
72
Telephone:
Address:

194 Bayswater Avenue, Belmont, Auckland

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Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont - 13/03/2020

1 Evaluation of Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont

How well placed is Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont has been providing education and care for children and families in the community for over 40 years. It is owned and operated by Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd (the organisation). Many teachers and families have had connections with the centre for a number of years. The centre offers sessional and full day care and education options for children from infants to school age. Teachers and families represent a diverse range of cultures and ethnic groups.

The centre is divided into three rooms to cater for the different age groups, with access to shared outdoor spaces. The organisation provides policies, procedures and a framework and process to monitor health and safety. The centre has a long-standing leadership and teaching team, with low staff turnover. Most staff are qualified and registered teachers.

The service philosophy is based on the organisation's three key values for children to be ‘safe, loved and learning’. An area manager works in partnership with the centre director to support centre operations. The organisation has developed service-wide expectations and a strategic approach to te ao Māori and culturally responsive practices.

Leaders and teachers have maintained the positive aspects identified in the March 2015 ERO report. They have worked together to continue to promote a collaborative learning culture, enhance teachers' knowledge and effective teaching and learning practices, and use self review to evaluate and enhance the impact and effectiveness of initiatives, practices and management.

This evaluation was one of five reviews in Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd, Auckland region.

The Review Findings

Leaders and teachers actively foster respectful relationships with children, parents and whānau within an inclusive and calm learning environment. They model high levels of respect and care for one another and for children and families. The home language, culture and identity of families are acknowledged and highly valued, which promotes a positive sense of belonging (whanaungatanga). Children’s learning and wellbeing are at the heart of all decision making.

Teachers give strong emphasis to building ongoing learning partnerships with children. Parents are regularly informed about children’s learning through well-written records. Informative wall displays make children's learning highly visible and provide opportunities for children and parents to revisit learning together.

Teachers are very responsive to the interests, strengths and capabilities of children within a child-led curriculum. They highly value children's ideas, involve them in decision making, offer choices and encourage independence. Teachers carefully consider the presentation of the environment and quality resourcing to encourage children’s curiosity and exploration. Physical challenges, creativity, literacy, numeracy and science are well integrated into the daily programme in ways that are meaningful for children. Excursions into the community and purposeful links to local schools enrich curriculum provision.

Children with additional needs are well supported to succeed. Teachers work collaboratively with families. They make purposeful connections to internal and external expertise to support families and diverse learners.

Infants and toddlers benefit from a curriculum of care and respect. Teachers are mindful of supporting a positive sense of wellbeing and security for children. They work closely with parents and whānau to provide respectful routines and rituals that are aligned to home rhythms.

Strong, effective leadership has established a reflective culture of committed staff focused on ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for children. Leaders have high expectations for teaching and learning outcomes for children. They provide purposeful professional support, including targeted professional development and mentoring, to strengthen teacher capability and leadership capacity.

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively and take collective responsibility for children’s learning and wellbeing. The organisation has established a strategic approach that is well aligned to service priorities and the professional learning and development of teachers. Governance and management practices are underpinned by a strong, shared vision and purpose. There is a clear focus on building leadership and promoting robust appraisal and mentoring processes to promote ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

At the service level, the priorities are to further:

  • develop annual action planning of service priorities that enable regular monitoring, evaluation and reporting of progress on priorities that are focused on learner outcomes
  • strengthen understandings and use of Te Whāriki, including the development of local curriculum and priorities
  • extend understandings of te ao Māori and culturally responsive practices.

At the organisation level, the priorities are to continue to:

  • give greater prominence to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in key documentation and teaching practices, including fully implementing the organisation's te ao Māori and culturally responsive practice action planning across the service
  • refine strategic planning and ensure clear alignment of internal evaluation, monitoring and reporting
  • evaluate the effectiveness of leadership, management and governance.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont 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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

13 March 2020

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

Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20083

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

72 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

78

Gender composition

Boys 45, Girls 33

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Chinese
Other Ethnicities

2
52
12
12

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

November 2019

Date of this report

13 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2015

Education Review

March 2012

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

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.

Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont - 16/03/2015

1 Evaluation of Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont

How well placed is Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont 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

Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont has been operating for more than 30 years. It provides high quality sessional and full day care and education for children from three months to five years of age. Children are divided into three rooms to cater for the different age groups. It is licensed for 72 children, including 25 under two. Significant upgrades and transformation throughout the three rooms and the outside environments provide children with new and exciting places to explore, learn and play. Most children are NZ European/Pākehā. There are also seven children identified as Māori, and a number of children with English as a second language.

The centre is owned and administered by Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd. The service owners provide clear direction and support through useful policies and procedures, and a framework for monitoring health and safety. Programmes and practices strongly reflect Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and are well aligned with the Kindercare philosophy for effective early childhood care and education. The philosophy promotes an environment where children feel “safe, loved and learning”. This approach underpins centre management, teachers’ work with children and centre relationships with parents, families and whānau.

Centre leaders have worked together for many years. As noted in ERO’s previous reviews, nearly all teachers hold recognised early childhood qualifications. Professional development has focused on building teachers’ capacity to notice, recognise and respond to individual children’s learning dispositions and their interests, needs and strengths.

The positive features identified in ERO’s 2012 report continue to be evident. These particularly include the affirming relationships, warm interactions and high quality care for children and their families, positive and enthusiastic leadership, and sound foundations for effective guidance and management. The identified areas for review and development in the 2012 report, including self review, enriching the learning programme, better responding to children’s emerging interests and strengthening teacher knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori are being successfully addressed.

The Review Findings

High levels of care and respect underpin interactions between teachers and children in this centre. Children thrive in, and benefit from, the close-knit family atmosphere, warm relationships and nurturing environment. They have fun and engage confidently and independently with teachers and the thoughtfully resourced, inviting environment. Children respond well to teachers’ enthusiasm and high expectations. A strong programme of inclusion and support enables children with additional learning needs, and those with English as a second language, to play and learn with and alongside their peers. Leaders have expressed an interest in developing their own and teacher understanding of second language acquisition to enhance professional practice.

Infants and toddlers benefit from consistent care-giving that responds sensitively to each child’s changing needs and preferences. Flexible and responsive routines help ensure that children’s developmental needs and interests are prioritised. Teachers maintain a calm, unhurried pace in which younger children have space and time to lead their learning.

Centre leaders and teachers have significantly developed their self-review practices since ERO’s 2012 review. Teachers are now looking more deeply into children’s learning and developing a programme that deliberately responds to their interests and extends their knowledge. Literacy, mathematics and science are strongly woven through children’s programmes. Teachers know the aspirations parents have for their children and they are committed to providing a rich learning experience for each child. Planning is shared with parents and centre staff are helping them to identify and value the significance of their children’s play as the foundation for future learning.

Planning is in place to develop digital records of children’s learning to immediately share children’s development and learning with parents. Centre leaders are committed to further developing systems for a safe foundation and culture of privacy and protection in a digital environment.

Some teachers attended a marae workshop in 2013. This rich experience offered them a hands-on opportunity to gain insight into te ao Māori. Kindercare has formed an association with the marae to provide further support and extension of resources. Tikanga Māori is subtly threaded through centre practices and beliefs. Centre leaders are keen to explore ways in which the learning environment can further reflect New Zealand’s bicultural heritage.

The strong focus on continual improvement is evident. Clear systems of self review, grounded in current theory and research, are well used to improve all aspects of service practices, management and organisation. The area manager, centre manager, supervisor and curriculum leader work collaboratively with teachers to enhance teaching and learning experiences for the children in their care. Ongoing review of the performance management system is enabling leaders to promote high quality, professional teaching and learning practices.

Key Next Steps

ERO affirms the key next steps centre leaders have identified to promote positive learning outcomes for children. These are to continue to:

  • build and enhance teachers’ knowledge and capacity in effective teaching and learning practices
  • promote a collaborative learning culture for children, teachers and parents and whānau
  • use self review that includes bicultural and multicultural lenses to evaluate and enhance the impact and effectiveness of initiatives, practices and management.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont 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 Kindercare Learning Centres Belmont will be in four years.

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

16 March 2015

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

Belmont, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

20083

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

72 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

88

Gender composition

Girls 47 Boys 41

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

British

Chinese

Korean

Indian

other

7

62

6

5

4

2

2

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%

Based on funding rates

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

February 2015

Date of this report

16 March 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2012

 

Education Review

February 2009

 

Education Review

February 2006

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.