Learning Adventures Levin

1 Evaluation of Lollipops Educare Levin

How well placed is Lollipops Educare Levin to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Lollipops Educare Levin is a purpose-built early learning service established in 2015. It provides full-day care, five days a week, for up to 64 children from birth to five years. They are catered for in age groups in four learning areas, each with a team of teachers. There has been a rapidly increasing roll over the two years of operation. Many enrolled children identify as Māori.

In 2016, the Evolve Education Group (EEC) took over ownership and responsibility for governance and management. The centre manager is supported by a teaching and learning development manager. Ongoing staff changes and rapid roll growth have hindered development and progress.

This is the first ERO report for this service.

The Review Findings

Useful systems and processes are being established to promote effective practice, build capability and support improvement, to ensure positive outcomes for all children.

A sense of whanaungatanga is promoted and clearly evident in warm, nurturing, respectful interactions. Teachers have good knowledge of children through strong connections and relationships with families and whānau.

Children are welcomed and supported to build positive relationships as they follow their interests. They are provided with opportunities to explore and communicate. There is a clear focus on supporting their wellbeing and sense of belonging.

Transitions between rooms are thoughtfully considered and well monitored. Children up to two years are able to freely explore their environment. Teachers are attentive to their care needs and highly responsive to their interests and cues.

The centre philosophy requires review to establish clear curriculum priorities and emphases that effectively respond to parents’ aspirations and guide curriculum development. 

Further development of the curriculum should occur to ensure it:

• reflects current early childhood education and practice, including literacy and mathematics

• promotes child-led learning and environments that support rich learning

• reflects all children’s cultural identities

• acknowledges the importance of parent partnerships to support children’s learning and development.

Assessment portfolios celebrate children's achievements and developmental milestones. A review of planning is underway to strengthen practice and improve intentional teaching. Further development of assessment, planning and evaluation is required to strengthen teachers' response to children's individual needs, strengths and interests.

The centre manager has a clear vision for the development of the centre and works collaboratively with the teaching team to promote this. There is an appropriate focus on working effectively with families and the wider community to develop a culturally responsive approach, particularly for Māori children.

Good systems for communication and the smooth operation of centre activities have been developed. EEG provides comprehensive guiding documents for operation. These are being used effectively to ensure accountabilities are met and establish good practices. Annual planning successfully guides centre development.

The manager provides good support for the new centre leader to build her leadership capability and undertake her role effectively. Regional meeting clusters provide opportunities for sharing practice and promoting improvement.

Teachers’ strengths are recognised and valued. Emerging leadership is encouraged and supported. An effective appraisal process, aligned to EEG procedures, is well implemented. The process should be further strengthened through identification of next development steps for teachers and leaders, with professional learning and development specifically aligned to goals.

The recently redefined role of the teaching and learning development manager should enable improved support for curriculum development and leadership and teacher practice.

Self review occurs in response to areas identified for improvement and is focused on improving outcomes for children. It promotes teachers’ learning about effective practice and helps them to identify the success of actions taken. Continued development of shared understanding about effective internal evaluation, particularly evidence-gathering and sense-making aspects, should strengthen the process. 

Key Next Steps

Agreed next steps are to further develop:

• philosophy and curriculum to support the vision for learning and reflect effective early childhood education principles

• understanding and implementation of effective assessment for learning

• leaders' and teachers' capability and practice

• understanding and use of internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Educare Levin 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 Lollipops Educare Levin will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

1 August 2017 

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.