6 Bank Street, Hillcrest, Auckland
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 Minimee Early Childhood Adventure are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
|
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Minimee Early Childhood Adventure is a privately owned service. An external organisation provides guidance and support to the manager and service leaders. The teaching team includes 10 qualified and six unqualified teachers. A small number of children are Māori.
Children at this service are supported to be settled, capable learners. They demonstrate good social skills, confidently initiate conversations and build friendships with other children. Infants and toddlers experience a calm and peaceful environment that allows time and space for secure attachments to develop between teachers and children.
Teachers provide very good opportunities for children to take risks and problem solve. The
well-resourced learning environment promotes children’s independence and exploration. Teachers skilfully integrate literacy and numeracy concepts into spontaneous play experiences. Children’s learning is documented in individual assessment records.
Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to provide an inclusive programme for all children. The talents of individual staff are used to provide interesting learning opportunities for children. The curriculum closely aligns to the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders and teachers use te reo Māori and integrate aspects of tikanga Māori into the curriculum. Parents and whānau who spoke with ERO shared that the service supports children to have a strong sense of identity in their cultures and languages.
The service’s philosophy is evident in all aspects of its operations. Parents and whānau have good opportunities to contribute to decision making in the service. Professional development undertaken by teachers contributes to positive and equitable outcomes for children. Leaders ensure that ongoing internal evaluation informs improved practices and systems. Their collaborative approaches contribute to sustaining a positive, professional team culture.
Minimee Early Childhood Adventure will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Minimee Early Childhood Adventure 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
7 July 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Minimee Early Childhood Adventure |
| Profile Number | 45922 |
| Location | Hillcrest, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 16 aged under two. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
59 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
7 July 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2017 Education Review, December 2013 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Minimee Early Childhood Adventure, located in Hillcrest on Auckland's North Shore, operates in a restored villa in three age-related rooms. It is licensed for 50 children, including up to 16 children aged under 2. The two owners of the centre have appointed an external management service to oversee the day-to-day running of the centre along with a centre supervisor.
The centre has responded well to ERO's 2013 report and has continued to strengthen internal evaluation processes, planning and assessment records, and transitions into, within and out of the centre.
The centre's vision is to create a 'home away from home' for children and whānau. Its overarching and individual room philosophies are influenced by the approaches of Reggio Emilia and Emmi Pikler alongside Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Children, parents and whānau are warmly welcomed into the centre. They are involved withteachers in leading and contributing to a programme that is responsive to children's interests and parents' aspirations.
Infants and toddlers benefit from practices that reflect teachers' commitment to a philosophy of care. Teachers respond to the needs of each individual child with sensitivity and aroha. There is a deep respect evident in teachers' interactions with children. Teachers work with children and their parents/whānau to guide and support next steps in learning.
Children are valued and respected learners. Teachers value play as a vehicle for learning. Children are allowed to learn at their own pace in a well resourced, calm and inclusive environment. They have meaningful conversations with each other and with adults, and are involved in complex and sustained play.
Children learn and play in stimulating and attractive environments with resources that provide opportunities for challenge, exploration and creativity. The many natural resources support children's interests and encourage them to investigate further.
Teachers have a good understanding of the curriculum and of children as learners. They integrate literacy, numeracy and science naturally within the programme. Teachers are skilled at listening and identifying children's learning dispositions in order to challenge and extend their understandings.
Teachers are continuing to develop their understanding of and ability to implement a bicultural programme through the use and recognition of te reo and tikanga Māori.
There is good alignment across centre systems, including the philosophy, strategic and annual planning, policies and procedures, professional development and internal evaluation. The centre acknowledges the need to strengthen and align teachers' appraisals within this system.
The centre is well governed and managed. Management systems and expectations are clearly understood by all staff. There is a positive organisational culture to build and support professional practice. Teachers are using internal evaluation well. There is now an opportunity to deepen evaluation thinking, in order to have a more meaningful impact on children's learning.
The centre manager and supervisor agree that the key next steps for the centre include:
deepening the acknowledgement of a bicultural partnership in centre philosophy statements, policies and curriculum
fully implementing Education Council requirements for teacher appraisal and registration including reference to Tātaiako, cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners
strengthening evaluative capacity in internal evaluation and through strategic and annual planning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Minimee Early Childhood Adventure 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.
The next ERO review of Minimee Early Childhood Adventure will be in three years.
Violet Tu’uga Stevenson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
20 September 2017
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 |
Hillcrest, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45922 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
60 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 33, Boys 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
|
|
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 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 September 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2013 |
|
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.