86 Kaurilands Road, Glen Eden, 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.
Lil Seeds Ltd is one of three centres under the same ownership. A qualified owner/director leads a team of two qualified head teachers, four qualified teachers, and two other staff. There are two indoor areas for different age groups of children and a shared outdoor area.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children have opportunities to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The service curriculum provides a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning. It provides children with a range of experiences to extend their learning and development.
Consistent implementation of systems and practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it had addressed the following
non-compliances:
Ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for all hazards as required (HS12).
Having evidence that parents have given prior written approval to their child's participation and of the proposed ratio for regular excursions at the time of enrolment (HS17).
Providing information to parents about any Ministry of Education funding received by the service (GMA3).
Ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A).
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Implementing and documenting a system of regular appraisal (GMA7).
Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage is secured (HS6).
Having evidence that parents have been informed about all injuries, illnesses and incidents that occur at the service (HS27).
Ensuring medicine is not given to a child unless it is given with the written authority of a parent. A record of all medicine given to children includes name of the child, name and amount of medicine given, date and time medicine was administered, and evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28).
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
9 August 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Lil Seeds Ltd |
|
Profile Number |
20442 |
|
Location |
Glen Eden, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
35 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 7, NZ European/Pākehā 18, Asian 4, Pacific 4, other ethnic groups 2 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
9 August 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, April 2019; Education Review, April 2014 |
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 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:
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 certification; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
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 |
Lil Seeds Ltd is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Prior to 2015, Lil Seeds Ltd was known as Just Kidd Inn Ltd. The centre offers separate programmes for different age groups in two buildings. The Lil Explorers programme is for children aged between three years and school age. A 'forest kindy' approach that offers excursions three days a week for these children, is a special feature of the Lil Explorers programme.
The Ohana Young Parent Charitable Trust provides programmes in the centre for groups of young mothers. The owner and teachers are strong advocates for infants and their young mothers. They teach parenting and life skills in 10 to 12 week courses to intakes of young mothers who enrol their babies in the centre for this period.
The service is one of three centres owned and managed by the same company in West Auckland. The owner/manager oversees daily centre management. The teaching team is well established. Two lead teachers have responsibility for the children's care routines and learning programmes.
The Lil Seeds Ltd philosophy and vision guide all practices and developments at the centre. The philosophy emphasises peaceful and respectful communication, loving and homely environments and collaboration. It promotes play and nature-based learning.
An inclusive and respectful culture is strongly evident in the centre. Children and parents are warmly welcomed. Well planned and managed arrival routines help Lil Explorers children settle quickly into self-directed play. These children are independent and play well, with and alongside each other.
Lil Explorers children benefit from unobtrusive routines and the calm unhurried pace of the programme. They engage well with their teachers and with the play-based learning programme. High quality resources that reflect home environments and engaging learning activities, provide suitable challenge and very good opportunities for children to explore, think and problem solve. Children experience extended periods of uninterrupted play that enable them to sustain their interest in activities and learning.
Children are well supported to develop social competence. They are respectful, confidently initiate conversations and ask questions, and negotiate with their teachers and each other.
Teachers respond well to Lil Explorers children's interests. Teachers encourage children to take risks, accept challenges and try new experiences. They align children's learning programmes with the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers integrate literacy, numeracy and aspects of science learning very well as children play throughout the day.
Bicultural practices are very strongly evident in the programme. Te reo Māori is interwoven throughout the programme. Teachers provide good opportunities for children to use te reo Māori during the day. Teachers have a good knowledge of children's cultural identities and could now make this knowledge more visible in children's portfolios and their learning stories.
The indoor and outdoor environments support Lil Explorers children's learning and wellbeing very well. Three days a week teachers provide an extensive nature-based outdoor learning programme at local parks, reserves and beaches. Parents appreciate the unique nature of these programmes.
Learning stories provide parents with good information about the Lil Explorers programme. Leaders and teachers now plan to provide parents with more information about children's individual learning. Teachers could consider ways to enable children to access and re-visit their learning records more easily while at the centre.
Teachers work in very close partnership with young mothers in the Ohana programme to promote positive outcomes for their children. They facilitate wellbeing, parenting and education programmes for mothers, and support them to document their children's care routines. Infants receive high quality care from their mothers, who are supported by two qualified teachers.
The centre is very well managed. A useful three year strategic plan is used to review progress. The manager leads a highly collaborative team of teachers who have a strong commitment to the centre's philosophy and goals.
Centre leaders and teachers use a good framework for internal evaluation. Recent internal evaluation has focused on staff appraisal, Te Whāriki and bicultural practices. Teachers' professional learning and inquiries are impacting positively on their practice.
Key next steps for the centre include:
continuing to strengthen the recording of all children's individual learning and next learning steps
making children's cultural identity more visible in learning records
progressing the numerous initiatives to involve parents in their children's learning.
In addition, to strengthen curriculum design and implementation and evaluation in relation to the Ohana infants' programme, next steps are to:
increase the frequency and consistency of teachers' assessment of infants' and toddlers' learning progress
regularly evaluate and adapt the planning and implementation of programmes for infants and toddlers, to ensure that they reflect the expectations of Te Whāriki.
Before the review, the staff and management of Lil Seeds Ltd 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.
To improve current practice, managers and teachers should:
consult with parents to review and improve adult:child ratios for excursions, particularly when near water or alongside roads, to maximise provision for children’s safety
carefully manage, minimise or remove risks associated with children's access to the kitchen.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
18 April 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 |
Glen Eden, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20442 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
39 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 24 Girls 15 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
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 |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
18 April 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review as Just Kidd Inn Ltd |
April 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2011 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2008 |
||
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 |
Just Kidd Inn provides high quality early childhood education that promotes the well being and learning of the children who attend.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Just Kidd Inn Ltd is a well established, privately owned early childhood centre that provides all-day care and education for 25 infants and toddlers. It is one of three centres owned by the service provider, all of which are located in Glen Eden. Children move from this centre to Kidd Inn Early Learning Centre, a short distance away.
The centre has separate spaces for its two main age groups. The infants are in a residential house that has been well adapted to their needs. Toddlers have a separate building that features easy access to outdoor activities and covered spaces. Developments to the curriculum and outdoor play areas over the past three years have increased opportunities for children to be in natural environments and use natural resources. Children have increased opportunities to learn through and about nature.
The owner and the head teacher are experienced and registered early childhood practitioners who support a team of fully qualified and registered teachers. The centre has a long history of providing high quality care and education for children within a warm and nurturing family atmosphere that fosters learning through active exploration.
Infants and toddlers continue to receive high quality care and education. The centre’s philosophy is very well reflected in practice. It is underpinned by positive and trusting relationships. These relationships help provide a low-stress, settled and calm environment that supports the wellbeing and sense of belonging of the infants and toddlers. In keeping with the centre’s philosophy, the programme focuses on the needs of children, and the desires and aspiration of their parents.
The centre’s curriculum is well designed to support the overall development and learning of infants and toddlers. It provides appropriate opportunities for them to enjoy play and care experiences that encourage them to communicate and explore. Programmes are well resourced and respond to the strengths and diversity of individual children. Home cultures are acknowledged well and good efforts are made to incorporate New Zealand’s bi-cultural heritage into the curriculum. Transition practices within this centre and to the Kidd Inn centre are very well developed.
Programmes develop appropriately from what teachers and parents notice about the interests, developments and learning of the children. There is a focus on assisting each child to follow their own interests as well as participating in some group activities. Portfolios contain attractive records of children’s learning and development over time, and increasingly promote formal parent input.
Teachers use their knowledge of children and their families to engage children in meaningful conversations throughout the day. They talk freely to children, helping them extend their social interactions, their language and their learning. There is unhurried support for children to learn new things and children are treated with dignity and respect. This promotes children’s development of independence and self-help skills.
Centre leaders and teachers participate in ongoing professional development to learn about current best practice in early childhood education. They make effective use of their updated information, along with their practical experience, to continue delivering high quality care and education for children.
The owner provides knowledgeable and capable oversight of the centre. She sets high standards and expectations, and supports teachers to meet them. Her policy framework and management planning are sound. Centre self review is rigorous, systematic and well documented. The owner and teachers undertake in-depth review about all aspects of the centre’s operation and invite parent contributions. Effective self-review keeps the owner and teachers focussed on continual improvement.
ERO and the owner agreed that staff should consider how:
Before the review, the staff and management of Just Kidd Inn Ltd 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.
The next ERO review of Just Kidd Inn Ltd will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
4 April 2014
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 |
Glen Eden, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20442 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
50 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 24 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Samoan other |
4 43 1 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
4 April 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2011 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2005 |
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.