Homebased Childcare Ltd 1

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

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Eastern Bays Homebased Childcare, previously known as Waiapu Kids, is privately owned, and has undergone a recent change of management. Three qualified visiting teachers support educators across Whakatane, Kawerau and Rotorua. A large number of Māori children and a small number of Pacific children attend this service.

Summary of Review Findings

Children are responded to as confident and competent learners within an inclusive curriculum. Māori are acknowledged as tangata whenua. Assessment, planning, and evaluation demonstrates an understanding of children’s interests, learning, whānau, and life contexts.

Adults engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance the learning of children and nurture reciprocal relationships. The service provides a language-rich environment that supports their learning. A range of experiences and opportunities are provided for children to enhance and extend their learning and development.

Systems and processes are in place to promote the health and safety of children attending. Suitable human resource management practices are implemented.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• Increase the opportunities children have to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts.

• Strengthen the extent to which Information documented about the children’s learning reflects their identity, language, and culture.

Next ERO Review

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

2 November 2022 

Information About the Service

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.

1 Evaluation of Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty

How well placed is Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty (30090) is one of three networks, which cater for children from birth to school age. Educarers and children come from Whakatane and Opotiki. The service is owned and administered by the Waiapu Anglican Social Services Trust Board. The administration director is also the licensee for the three networks, and has overall responsibility for regulatory compliance, finance and administration of the networks.

There are four qualified early childhood teachers in the service. The teacher manager facilitates professional leadership in the service and the implementation of systems to improve educational outcomes for children. Together with three experienced visiting teachers they lead, support and guide educarers to ensure they provide care, safety and appropriate educational outcomes for babies, toddlers and young children in their homes. Teachers share a belief that homebased care and education is closely aligned to the concept of whanaungatanga, and offers parents/whānau a close alternative to family life.

This network is licensed for 60 children, with a maximum of 60 children up to two years of age. There are 44 children on the roll and 17 children are of Māori descent.

The service has addressed the areas for development identified in the 2013 ERO report. This review evaluates the quality of education and care received by children, with particular focus on the environments, interactions and the learning programme. It also evaluates the service's progress with self review. 

The Review Findings

Waiapu Kids - Hombased Bay of Plenty is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for babies, toddlers and young children in a homebased environment. The service philosophy, vision, strategic goals and systems contribute to a coherent approach to internal evaluation, which is ongoing and responsive. Managers support ongoing professional learning and development for teachers and educarers. All children benefit from adults who are highly committed to their care and education needs.

Māori children's identity and sense of belonging is promoted. The service values Māori language and culture, and ensures that both teachers and educarers have the opportunity to attend te reo and tikanga Māori courses. A teacher has created a booklet for educarers so that they can integrate te ao Māori into the home environment.

Babies, toddlers and young children participate in a curriculum that promotes learning through play. They enjoy visits with educarers to the supermarket, parks and libraries, which provide opportunities to socialise with other children and their educarers. The service provides a wide range of occasions for children and educarers to participate in larger group activities such as playgroups, musical activities, gymnastics, visits to the beach and native bush areas. The homebased nature of the curriculum effectively supports children to engage in meaningful play and to follow their interests.

Children are first and foremost valued, celebrated and affirmed for who they are and what they bring to their learning. The manager works with teachers to sustain a culture, which is socially appropriate and contributes to a reflective approach for ongoing review and improvement. Teachers support educarers and work with them to nurture each other and new educarers to the service. Educarers provide useful guidance to parents and promote successful strategies and home routines for children. Leadership throughout the service is based on high levels of relational trust which contributes to children's wellbeing and development. 

Babies, toddlers and children are well nurtured by warm positive relationships. Adults show genuine attitudes of acceptance, respect and a willingness to listen and respond to their needs. Parents and whānau aspirations are sought and valued. Teacher skilfully work to ensure educarers and parents are well matched and focused on to meeting the needs and interests of children.

Children have many opportunities to develop their understanding of concepts in literacy and mathematics. Teachers' model and coach educarers to use high quality practices. Educarers listen to children and extend their interests. Babies, toddlers and young children have experiences where their curiosity is recognised, their skills are encouraged and they are able to challenge themselves in a safe environment.

Children's learning is recorded in attractive and informative profiles and in online communication with parents. Profiles show children's development and progress overtime. Babies, toddlers and young children benefit from teaching and learning opportunities that build on and contribute to their knowledge, confidence and learning. 

Key Next Steps

The service manager and teachers have identified that it is important to continue to evaluate children's profiles to build on current practice and explore the different ways to capture the voices of babies, toddlers and young children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 Waiapu Kids - Homebased Bay of Plenty will be in three years. 

Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer

4 May 2017 

2 Information about the Home-based Education and Care Service 

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.

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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.