99 B Atkinson Road, Titirangi, Auckland
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.
Three Bears Titirangi Childcare is a small, mixed-aged service. A qualified owner leads a team of five, including four qualified teachers. The children attending are ethnically diverse and one third of the children have Māori heritage. This is the second ERO review of the service since a change of ownership in November 2020. In both reviews, non-compliances were identified that were an unacceptable risk to children.
A philosophy statement guides the service's operation and expresses the service’s beliefs, values, and attitudes about the provision of early childhood education.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to nurture reciprocal relationships. Teachers support children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour. They provide a language-rich environment that supports learning.
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.
Implementing and monitoring of systems is required to maintain regulatory standards.
Key next steps include:
developing processes for curriculum planning and evaluation that align with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
improving the opportunities provided for older children to engage in more complex play and learning experiences.
The service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following non-compliances have been addressed:
Having a first aid kit that contains the full requirements of Appendix 1 (PF28).
Ensuring equipment, premises, and facilities are being checked on every day of operation for hazards including cleaning agents, medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials (HS12).
Maintaining a record of excursions that includes an assessment and management of risk (HS17).
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
28 August 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Three Bears Titirangi Childcare |
| Profile Number | 20329 |
| Location | Titirangi, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
24 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
29 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
28 August 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, November 2021 |
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Three Bears Titirangi Childcare is located in West Auckland, operating in an adapted residential home. It is licensed for 12 children with a maximum of 12 under two years of age. The centre re-opened in term one, 2016 after being closed for six months for restructuring to better cater for children under two years of age.
The 2012 ERO report noted that children and parents enjoyed the family atmosphere of the centre. It recognised the positive relationships between teachers, children and families. These features continue to be evident.
The manager and teachers have responded well to the recommendations in ERO's 2012 report. They have continued to explore ways to strengthen bicultural practice and programme planning, assessment and evaluation of children's learning. Areas of non-compliance have all been addressed.
Teachers place importance on providing a "home-away-from-home setting, respectful relationships and a culture of love and kindness". The centre aims to be a unique and special place for children and families where children are at the heart of the matter.
Three Bears Titirangi Childcare provides high quality education and care for children in a calm and peaceful learning environment. The centre's philosophy is very well enacted and strongly reflected in programmes and teacher practice.
Inclusive and respectful relationships with families and children support children's sense of belonging and wellbeing in the centre. Teachers continue to enhance the centre rituals that also promote wellbeing and belonging.
Children have easy access to indoor and outdoor environments that focus on the natural world, are appropriately resourced and encourage exploration and self-management skills. Comfortable, safe spaces are provided for infants who are not yet mobile.
Children benefit from teachers' integration of te reo and tikanga Māori throughout the daily programme. Teachers have a genuine commitment to developing a bicultural curriculum. They know children and families well and report that Māori whānau support the use of te reo and tikanga Māori in the centre. Teachers continue to respond to and affirm families' diverse languages and cultures.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and principles of Magda Gerber and Dr Emmi Pikler guide the programme. Learning environments enable children to be challenged within secure and homely surroundings. Teachers are responsive to children's needs and interests through a nurturing and gentle approach. Children's assessment records show their learning and development over time. Teachers continue to enhance and document planning, assessment and evaluation practices.
Teachers have a good understanding of children's learning development. There is a deliberate approach to working at the pace of each child in an unhurried and meaningful way. Teachers have a carefully considered approach to transitions into and out of the centre.
The manager and teachers have established a culture that supports ongoing improvement. Internal evaluation is well documented and informs future decision making. Formal, planned internal evaluations that consider routines and rituals, and planning, assessment and evaluation, have been identified for the near future.
Opportunities for shared leadership roles are being established. This is underpinned by current professional development on teacher motivation and leadership. A thorough teacher appraisal process is documented.
The manager is developing long-term and annual plans to guide centre operations. This step is supported by a policy framework that is up to date and meaningful. The manager and teachers are building their capacity to sustain, and continue building on, current good practices.
The manager agrees that key next steps are to continue developing systems and processes introduced in the past year, and to strengthen:
learning partnerships with parents/whānau
the concept of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) to promote care for the centre, community and planet earth
Before the review, the staff and management of Three Bears Titirangi 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:
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 Three Bears Titirangi Childcare will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
17 February 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 |
Titirangi, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20329 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
12 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
14 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 8 Boys 6 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Bulgarian Danish |
2 8 2 1 1 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratio of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
December 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
17 February 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Supplementary Review |
September 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
July 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2006 |
||
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.
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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Not meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Three Bears Childcare Titirangi is a small service that operates out of a converted house in West Auckland. It provides care and education for up to 12 children, catering mainly for children under the age of two. In 2020 the service was sold. This is its first ERO review under the new ownership.
The philosophy statement expresses the centre’s beliefs, values, and attitudes about provision of early childhood education and care. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions with children. The service provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.
The service’s curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development. The curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
An increased level of monitoring is required to ensure that the licensing criteria are maintained in the areas of premises and facilities, and health and safety practices.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF19, HS8, HS17, HS29.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Phil Cowie
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
10 November 2021
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Three Bears Childcare Titirangi |
|
Profile Number |
20329 |
|
Location |
Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
12 children, including up to 12 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
16 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 7, other European 4, |
|
Review team on site |
August 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
10 November 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service |
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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: