18 Martyn St (Entrance 11 Domain St), Waiuku
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 (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 Little Ants Childcare are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakatō Emerging |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Little Ants Childcare is a privately owned service that opened in 2016. A centre manager works with three lead teachers within age-based settings. A staff of 19 includes nine registered teachers. Some progress has been made towards addressing the key next steps from the 2018 ERO report.
Children’s developing social competence is well supported by teachers in play-based contexts. Transitions into, and through the centre are personalised to individual needs. Infants up to the age of two experience a calm, unhurried environment. An inclusive curriculum provides learning opportunities for those with additional needs. Children benefit from respectful and responsive interactions with teachers.
Established relationships between teachers and parents and whānau Māori support the early stages of developing learning focused partnerships. Regular opportunities for families to engage with the centre are provided. Aspects of te ao Māori are reflected throughout the centre. Some teachers have begun to integrate te reo and tikanga Māori into daily teaching practices. The curriculum does not fully respond to the language and culture of Māori, Pacific and children of other heritages and the priorities identified by parents and whānau.
Well-resourced, age-based settings support children’s learning dispositions and working theories. Appropriate risk and challenge for older children is provided. A variety of learning experiences encourage children to be fully involved in the programme.
Children’s learning portfolios reflect their engagement and enjoyment within the programme. The service is beginning to explore the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, early childhood curriculum, and how it relates to deliberate plans for children’s learning. Children’s progress and continuity of learning over time is not well reflected in assessment practices.
Regular opportunities for ongoing professional learning and development are available for kaiako and leaders. Appraisal and induction processes are not always implemented. Leaders are not yet seeking and using evidence about the impact of professional learning and development on improving teaching practice and children’s learning outcomes.
The service is at an early stage of using evaluation to sustain improvement and promote valued outcomes for learners. Evaluation, inquiry, and knowledge building is yet to identify what is working well and for which learners.
Little Ants Childcare will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning to build:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Ants Childcare 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8, GMA7]
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
13 September 2021
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Little Ants Childcare |
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Profile Number |
46962 |
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Location |
Waiuku, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
48 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 35, Other ethnic groups 9. |
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Review team on site |
June 2021 |
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Date of this report |
13 September 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 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.
Little Ants Childcare is a new service in Waiuku that opened in leased premises in mid-2016. While the centre is licensed for up to 60 children, including a maximum of 15 under two years of age, the owners have chosen to keep the roll to a maximum of 55. The roll includes groups of Māori and Indian children and smaller numbers from other diverse backgrounds. The staff also have diverse cultural backgrounds.
The owners have worked closely with the centre manager during the establishment phase. Their vision and philosophy have guided the development of centre practices. The philosophy is articulated under the concepts of Nurture, Inspire and Grow (Whāngai, Te Whanake and Te Puawai). The owners have a focus on family, community and a holistic view of the child, and on their role in improving outcomes for children.
Programmes are provided for children in three age-related groups. Each room has its own outdoor area. The centre manager works with three lead teachers and their teaching teams. The centre employs a qualified cook, who provides meals for children.
Children and their whānau are welcomed as they arrive. Trusting relationships with staff help children to settle quickly into the programme. Teachers' warm and nurturing approaches support children's sense of belonging. Good practices for supporting children with additional learning needs, are underpinned by teachers' care for and knowledge of each child.
Children select from available resources and use materials flexibly to support their play. They approach adults confidently and there are some very good examples of adults engaging in prolonged, in-depth conversations with older children. These teachers listen carefully, and respond to and support children's ideas. Children's strong interests sometimes result in an ongoing, child-led focus in the programme.
Managers and staff appreciate support from whānau Māori as they work to increase the visibility and quality of bicultural practices in the centre. An external professional provider has been contracted to support this development. Some teachers are particularly conscious of recognising, valuing and building on children's cultural identity and strengths, and making this practice an integral part of the child's learning portfolio.
Teachers' records of children's learning often show their very good knowledge of children's individual personalities, dispositions for learning and physical development. They also include a good sense of continuity and progress in learning and make links to the strands and goals of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Teaching teams are working with external support to establish consistent, effective approaches to programme planning and evaluation. Children's learning records are available for whānau in an online platform and many value and comment on this information. Individual portfolios contain copies of online records and are readily available so that children in the preschool/Puawai room can easily revisit and discuss prior learning.
The owners and manager have established a sound framework of policies and procedures and their strategic plan has guided centre development. They have adapted the building to improve facilities and continue to find ways to address challenges with building layout. The owners and manager have identified that a next step is to streamline and increase the rigour of management processes and embed effective practices.
Their underpinning philosophical beliefs about children's learning and support for whānau are well articulated. Teachers have worked together to develop a shared understanding about their philosophy statements. This work will be a useful basis, alongside other guiding documents, for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of teachers' practices and programmes for children.
Teachers have begun to use a self-review format for considering changes in their practice. The owners and manager recognise that a good understanding of the process and value of internal evaluation at all levels of centre operations is still to be developed. More robust quality assurance and reporting processes will help to assure the owners not only that the service is meeting its obligations and legal requirements, but also about progress towards strategic goals and useful next steps.
The owners and manager have identified areas for further development and have been proactive in accessing external support. Next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Little Ants Childcare 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
In order to improve current practices, the centre manager should ensure that:
The next ERO review of Little Ants Childcare will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
9 May 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 |
Waiuku, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46962 |
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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 |
60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
70 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 37 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
12 |
|
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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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
February 2018 |
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Date of this report |
9 May 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.