Blooming Stars Childcare

Education institution number:
25371
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
26
Telephone:
Address:

14 Evelyn Street, Papatoetoe, Auckland

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Blooming Stars Childcare

ERO’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.

ERO’s Judgement

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.

Background

Blooming Stars Childcare is privately owned and was relicensed by the Ministry of Education in August 2021 due to a change of ownership. The owner/centre manager leads a team of three qualified teachers and four support staff. The majority of children enrolled are of Indian heritage.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.

Educators engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning. It provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. Children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour is supported by the curriculum provided.

Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • strengthening the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their languages and cultures 

  • increasing the visibility of how teachers respond to parents’ aspirations for their child’s learning in assessment, planning and evaluation information. 

Actions for Compliance

The service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following non-compliances have been addressed:

  • Monitoring that water stored in the hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C (HS14).

  • Maintaining a record of all food served during the service’s hours of operation (other than that provided by parents for their own children) (HS19).

  • Where food is provided by the service, foods that pose a high choking risk are to be prepared in accordance with best practice as set out in Ministry of Health: Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services (HS22).

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

21 June 2023 

Information About the Service

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children over two years of age

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

35

Review team on site

April 2023

Date of this report

21 June 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Previously reviewed as Superstart Childcare:
Education Review, July 2018

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • 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.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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.

Superstart Childcare - 30/07/2018

1 Evaluation of Superstart Childcare

How well placed is Superstart Childcare 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

New owners of Superstart Childcare took over the Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre licence during December 2017. They are both experienced early childhood teachers and one owns another Superstart service. The centre has been relicensed for 40 children over the age of two years. The centre is experiencing roll growth and there is corresponding growth in teacher numbers. The centre owners, one of whom is also the centre manager, are supported by four teachers.

The centre offers early childhood education and care for its local multicultural community. Most children are of Indian descent. Parents choose from sessional, school hours, or full-day provision. The centre operates in two buildings with a shared playground.

The philosophy emphasises building positive relationships with parents and families, children having a sense of belonging, and valuing the cultures represented in the centre. Teachers are committed to implementing Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and providing a curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The Review Findings

Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the child-centred environment. Teachers are responsive to children's learning needs and use strategies that enhance children's sense of belonging. As a result, children are settled in the environment.

Children experience a variety of bicultural practices and learning through the programme. Teachers have developed a centre pepeha and children recite karakia. Children willingly participate in waiata and the current Matariki focus. Teachers integrate some te reo Māori when promoting numeracy in play.

Teachers are developing a localised curriculum that responds to children's cultures and their many home languages. Teachers support children's development of English language through play. Children have many opportunities to choose from the variety of good quality resources and activities which sustain their interest and play. Teachers implement inclusive practices for children with additional learning needs, and consequently they play confidently alongside their friends.

Teachers collaboratively plan programmes of learning based on children's interests and what teachers notice about their learning and development. Teachers write learning stories about children's interests and their dispositions for learning. They also identify useful next steps for extending children's skills and dispositions. Teachers could now more clearly document children's progress with these skills and dispositions in their assessment stories.

Building positive relationships with families has been a focus since the centre opened. Teachers have very good strategies for informing parents about their child's day, and for ongoing communication between the centre and home. Parents are invited to have input into centre policies. The centre manager has also begun gathering parents' aspirations for their children to inform the centre philosophy and strategic developments. The centre manager should make the link between these aspirations and the aims of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The owners have useful systems for making ongoing improvement to teacher practices. The centre manager is new to leadership. She is taking advantage of many opportunities to improve her own skills. Most of the staff are new to the centre and the manager is building a cooperative and collaborative team. The owners offer appropriate professional learning opportunities for teachers. Their current development priorities include visits to other centres and embedding the principles and aims of Te Whāriki 2017.

Leaders are planning to review the current philosophy to ensure it reflects the teaching beliefs of the new team. Strategic and annual plans include goals that are appropriate for ongoing centre improvement.

Key Next Steps

The centre manager has appropriately identified the need to continue to increase teacher knowledge of te reo Māori, and to understand and implement appropriate tikanga.

The centre manager agrees that for ongoing improvement she should:

  • develop a curriculum that reflects the centre's community

  • ensure responses to parent aspirations are clearly evident in learning stories

  • offer professional learning opportunities to increase teaches' knowledge of the updated Te Whāriki

  • strengthen appraisal processes, including the use of goals that are specific, measurable, achievable and relevant.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Superstart 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:

  • 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 Superstart Childcare will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

30 July 2018

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

Papatoetoe, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25371

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

40 children over the age of 2 years

Service roll

35

Gender composition

Boys 21 Girls 14

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Fiji
other Pacific Peoples
other

2
20
6
2
5

Percentage of qualified teachers

50-79%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2018

Date of this report

30 July 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Previously known as Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre

Education Review

 

 

May 2016

Supplementary Review

November 2012

Supplementary Review

October 2011

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.

Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre - 19/05/2016

1 Evaluation of Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre

How well placed is Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

The owner and supervisor would benefit from external support to build leadership capacity and coherent management systems that support teachers to improve the curriculum for children.

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

Background

Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre is located in a residential area in Papatoetoe, Auckland. Full-day and sessional options are available for children from two to five years of age.

This centre is one of two privately owned Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centres. The owner is highly committed to serving families/whānau and the community. Relationships with whānau are central to the core values of respect, care and having fun that underpin the centre’s philosophy. The owner speaks with pride of the close links the centre has with the wider community.

A significant feature of the centre is the way children, whānau and staff celebrate and acknowledge a wide range of cultural heritages through the centre programme, social events and trips. The majority of the children have Indian heritage.

Since the 2012 review, the owner has appointed a new supervisor who is at the centre one day a week and other times, as needed. She and another teacher have recently been fully registered and a third teacher is provisionally registered. The fourth member of the teaching team is currently undertaking teacher training.

The owner and teachers have made some positive changes to the centre’s self review to address recommendations in the ERO 2012 report. Further work is still required to implement effective teacher appraisals, align strategic and annual plans, and to build leadership capacity within the centre.

The Review Findings

Children are happy and play well together. They benefit from a homely environment where they are warmly greeted at the beginning of their day. Children and whānau are well known to teachers. Parents who spoke to ERO appreciate the open communication and responsive relationships they have with the centre. The use of social media and twice yearly home visits support ongoing communication between the centre and parents.

Children initiate their own learning and enjoy imaginative play. Teachers work alongside them, following their interests. Two separate buildings connect to an outside area, providing easy access for children to freely move between the different learning areas.

The staff are culturally diverse and parents are encouraged to share their cultural backgrounds. The owner and supervisor continue to be committed to developing bicultural practices and increasing teachers’ confidence in te reo and tikanga Māori. Children’s learning stories reflect the warm relationships that staff have with children. Some well developed portfolio examples clearly show children’s learning journeys. Teachers could now strengthen their recognition of children’s cultural identity in portfolio records.

Teachers plan collaboratively. They identify resources and activities to support learning. Children’s work is carefully displayed on centre walls. Teachers could now explore ways to develop parent’s understanding of their children’s learning and how it links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Teachers have worked hard to record their reflections about their teaching practice. The owner and supervisor are keen to continue developing the quality of the programme. They plan to do this by further assessing the effectiveness of teaching practices, and considering how these practices respond to children’s learning and interests. This is an important next step for the centre.

Teachers are self-directed and dedicated, and report they work well as a team. The owner and supervisor also have a collegial working relationship. They have identified the need to link their leadership roles and responsibilities to job descriptions and to provide appropriate ongoing professional support to build leadership capacity within the centre.

Key Next Steps

The owner, supervisor and staff would benefit from external support to help them bring about improvements in several key areas, including:

  • reviewing the centre philosophy, vision and values as a team to better reflect the day-to-day teaching practices and the owner’s commitment to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi
  • refining and aligning strategic and annual plans and using self review to clearly identify next steps for the centre to support ongoing and sustainable improvements
  • developing more effective monitoring and reporting systems to focus on continuous improvement in management, teaching and learning outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Topcare Early Childhood Learning 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:

  • 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.

To improve current practices the owner should:

  • align job descriptions and teacher appraisals with The New Zealand Education Council requirements and identify centre-wide and individual teacher goals that specify ongoing professional development areas and identify training needs.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance. To address these, the owner must:

  • establish and implement good employer and personnel management practices that promote good quality teaching practices and ongoing improvement
  • establish processes for monitoring and ensuring that the centre meets all legal requirements

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, section 6, 7 and 8 Education (ECS) Regulations 2008, 47c(i).

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Topcare Early Childhood Learning Centre will be within two years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

19 May 2016

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

Papatoetoe, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

25371

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

42 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

29

Gender composition

Boys 15 Girls 14

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

other

3

1

16

4

2

3

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2016

Date of this report

19 May 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Supplementary Review

November 2012

Supplementary Review

October 2011

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.