61 Smith Street, Matamata
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management, and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Known locally as Kids Corner, this is one of two not-for-profit services governed by the Matamata Childcare Centre Trust Board. Operational oversight and pedagogy are the responsibility of the centre manager and pedagogy lead. Approximately half the children enrolled identify as Māori, a small number are of Pacific heritage.
Children experience a language rich curriculum where adults engage in meaningful and positive interactions. A range of experiences and opportunities are provided to enhance and extend their learning and development - both indoors and outdoors. Children are supported to develop their social competence and are involved in decisions about their learning.
Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their child. A philosophy statement guides the services operations.
The service’s practices require a continual focus on regulatory standards to ensure ongoing maintenance of licensing criteria.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
furniture and items intended for children to sleep on, that will be used by more than one child over time, being securely covered with or made of a non-porous material
reviewing the written emergency plan on an at least annual basis
adults providing education and care carrying out relevant emergency drills with children on an at least three-monthly basis
a written child protection policy that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014
written information being provided to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service
having an ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation that helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its education and care
ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children being safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF30, HS7, HS8, HS31, GMA3, GMA6, GMA7A]
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
11 January 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Matamata Childcare Centre |
|
Profile Number |
34026 |
|
Location |
Matamata |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
40 |
|
Review team on site |
Nov 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
11 January 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2019; Education Review, January 2016 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Matamata Childcare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Corner, trading as Matamata Childcare Centre, is owned and operated by a non-profit making incorporated society. An elected parent committee governs the centre. The centre was re-licensed in January 2015, following an extension of the facilities with the purchase of an adjacent house.
The centre is licensed to provide education and care for 75 children, including 25 under two years of age.x There are 16 teachers, 13 qualified and three unqualified. The centre is open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Friday and offers all day and flexible sessional care, in response to the needs of families. There are two separate learning areas that have better than minimum teacher-to-child ratios.
The experienced centre manager provides overall leadership for the centre. There are two team leaders that lead each of the age-group areas.
The centre's philosophy has recently been reviewed and aims to provide a culture of care and a child-led curriculum. Building relationships with children and whānau is important. They value and encourage cultural, social and physical diversities. Modelling tolerance and non-judgemental attitudes is a key part of enacting the centre's philosophy.
The centre has responded well to next steps from the 2016 ERO report.
Curriculum design allows children to follow their interests and develop skills to become self-directed learners. There are a wide range of learning opportunities provided through well-resourced environments. Literacy, mathematics and oral language are actively encouraged and children positively interact with their peers in play and learning activities. Teachers meet regularly to plan and evaluate learning contexts that are related to children’s interests. Children’s portfolios are a useful way for teachers to follow and document children’s learning interests and progress.
The centre manager and team leaders work collaboratively to promote positive learning outcomes for children. Relationships are based on respect and trust and leaders strongly support children’s families with resources and advice to promote equity. Parent and whānau aspirations are responded to and there is a positive culture where children are valued and respected. There are good transition practices across all levels. Children with additional needs are well supported and a high level of quality care is clearly evident.
Leaders have developed a range of useful approaches to build teacher capability. They provide opportunities for teachers to develop their leadership skills and understanding through internal professional learning and development. Leaders have facilitated the development of a centre whakatauki with support from local iwi. This has strengthened the relationships with iwi and further enhanced the local curriculum.
Children under the age of two, benefit from secure relationships that promote the development of their positive sense of self. Teachers are empathetic and supportive of babies and their families, enabling teachers to respond sensitively to each child’s changing needs and preferences. Infants and toddlers enjoy dedicated and thoughtful learning areas for play and personal development. Teachers maintain a calm environment in which young children have time to develop at their own pace.
The annual plan guides centre direction and a range of spontaneous reviews regarding centre operations are an ongoing feature of internal evaluation.
In order to improve outcomes for children the centre manager and leaders should continue to place high priority on:
formalising teacher observations to have greater consistency of teaching practice
strengthening teachers documentation in children's assessment portfolios to more effectively identify learning and development progress.
Before the review, the staff and management of Matamata Childcare Centre 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
15 March 2019
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.
|
Location |
Matamata |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34026 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
53 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 32 Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
7 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 March 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
December 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2010 |
||
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 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.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Corner, trading as Matamata Childcare Centre, is owned and operated by a non-profit making incorporated society. An elected parent committee governs the centre. The centre manager is now a member of this committee. The committee provides appropriate resourcing for the centre to support the programme.
The centre was re-licensed in January 2015, following an extension of the facilities with the purchase of an adjacent house. It is now licensed to provide education and care for a maximum of 75 children from birth to school age, including 19 babies and toddlers (children up to two years). The centre is open from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday and offers all day and flexible sessional care, in response to the needs of families.
Considerable change and development has occurred since the last ERO review and report in 2012. Buildings and facilities have been extended and upgraded. Two separate age-based areas have been established, and became operational at the start of 2015. Five additional teachers were employed in response to the extended licence. Almost all of the teachers at the centre are qualified, and two are in training.
The centre manager provides overall management and leadership for the centre. Two team leaders have been appointed to lead each of the age-group areas. The newly formed teaching team is made up of both longstanding and more recently appointed staff. Teachers are currently building relationships and developing ways of working together effectively, and in the best interests of children.
The centre provides a welcoming environment for children and their parents. Priority is placed on developing and maintaining positive relationships. These relationships support the reciprocal communication of information about children, toddlers and babies that is important to their daily care and wellbeing.
The centre’s existing programme philosophy aims to provide an emergent curriculum that is responsive to children’s emerging interests and develops them as confident and competent learners. However, this philosophy is in urgent need of review so that all teachers in the newly formed team understand what is expected of them as teachers in this centre.
Areas identified for development in the 2012 ERO report are yet to be addressed. These relate to strategic planning, self review, assessment and bicultural practices. The development of a strategic plan has been identified as a particular priority for the centre’s immediate and long term development.
The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.
The centre manager works cooperatively with the parent committee to ensure that the learning environment is safe, attractive and well resourced. Careful consideration has been given to the building renovations in both age-group areas to make them inviting spaces where babies, toddlers and young children can play with and alongside their friends to have fun and develop their early learning.
Teachers place strong priority on getting to know children and their families well. They make parents feel very welcome in the centre and develop respectful relationships with them and their children. Very good communication between teachers and parents is evident across the centre. Important information about children’s care and wellbeing is shared in a manner that is of benefit to the child.
There has been a recent focus on strengthening the involvement of parents and whānau in their children’s participation in the centre programme. Under the leadership of the centre manager, a range of strategies are being used to encourage parents to have a voice and to share their aspirations for their child’s education and care. This is an area for continuing development. Similarly, teachers have been giving careful consideration to the transition between the two age-based areas. The need for this has been highlighted with the development of the separate building. This review of transition, and development of agreed guidelines should be most useful for parents and staff, and bring consistency of practice to the process.
Teachers work hard to develop trusting relationships with children. Their interactions with them are respectful and caring, and babies, toddlers and young children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in the centre. Teachers of the babies and toddlers are very responsive to children’s individual care needs. They are in tune with their non-verbal cues and provide for each child’s feeding, toileting and sleep rhythms throughout the day.
Older children especially develop friendships, and are able to play cooperatively with one another independently of adults. Children, including toddlers are encouraged to make independent choices, engage in creative activity and experience social interaction. There are opportunities for children to engage in physical challenge and the easy access to an adjacent park provides additional space and variety for them. This is particularly important for older boys, as they near school age, who are in need of additional opportunities to engage in games and purposeful physical activities.
The centre manager has introduced systems to improve supervision and to ensure smooth organisation of the centre. This has been important as the centre has been restructured and numbers of children and staff have increased. However, it is now time to review the programme in the over two area, particularly the routines for eating and mat times to improve the flow of the programme, and to enable more relaxed management of this increased group size. In carrying out this urgent review, leaders and teachers need to give careful consideration to increasing opportunities for children to be involved in purposeful, uninterrupted and more complex play in an emergent, learner-centred programme.
In conjunction with the review and development of the programme and philosophy, the centre leader must plan and provide a relevant programme of ongoing professional learning and development for all teaching staff. This development should enable all teachers to confidently and consistently recognise and respond to children’s learning in play, to engage with them in purposeful learning conversations and intentional teaching. Aligning this professional learning with teachers’ appraisal goals is likely to strengthen this work, and lead to greater opportunities for teacher sharing and reflection on best practice for learning and teaching.
Strategic planning:The centre manager acknowledges the importance of leading a strategic planning process with committee members and staff. The resulting plan should be owned and understood by all members of the centre community, and be a working document that sets the vision, and guides development. This plan should also provide a shared reference point for ongoing self review.
Philosophy review and professional learning and development: The centre manager needs to work collaboratively with team leaders and teachers to establish an agreed and shared approach to learning and teaching that is informed by current research and best practice in early childhood education. It is important that teachers are involved in ongoing, relevant professional learning as part of this process.
Building leadership capability: The centre manager recognises the need to continue to build her capacity to provide effective leadership for this growing centre. It is also necessary to empower team leaders to effectively lead learning and teaching in their respective age-group areas in order to strengthen teaching practice and improve learning outcomes for children, especially in the over two area.
Appraisal process: The centre manager recognises the need to strengthen and consistently implement the appraisal process for leaders and teachers in the centre.
ERO recommends, and the centre manager recognises the need for guidance and assistance from Ministry of Education providers, to develop and implement manageable and sustainable strategic planning and self-review processes. This is particularly important as the centre faces the challenges of an increased group size and the associated challenges.
Before the review, the staff and management of Matamata Childcare Centre 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.
To improve current practice the centre manager must consistently implement a robust appraisal process for all teaching staff annually.
The next ERO review of Matamata Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
26 January 2016
|
Location |
Matamata, Waikato |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34026 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
104 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 57 Girls 47 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Pacific African Other European |
17 77 4 4 1 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
26 January 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
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.
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.