Impressions Childcare Centre

Education institution number:
30291
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
119
Telephone:
Address:

805 Crozier Street, Pirongia

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Impressions Childcare Centre

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Impressions Childcare Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakatō Emerging

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Impressions Childcare Centre is privately owned. Children are grouped in four age-based areas with separate outdoor spaces. The philosophy promotes trusting and reciprocal relationships between teachers, families and children. Of the children enrolled, a small number are Māori or have Pacific heritages.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s emerging interests are fostered through well-resourced learning environments. Their introduction into the service and movement between rooms are supported by a key teacher approach. This provides a secure point of contact for children and families. Children are empowered as capable learners, with their decision making and independence encouraged by responsive teachers. Regular excursions into the local community contribute to children’s sense of belonging and help them to transition onto school.

Children with additional needs learn alongside their peers. Teachers and leaders connect with external agencies to support their inclusion in the curriculum.

Teachers are building on the positive relationships they have with parents by developing partnerships that focus on children’s learning. Parents have formal and informal opportunities to share their aspirations for their child’s learning. Their contributions influence the development of learning goals for their child.

Assessment records reflect children’s interests and show their progress in relation to skill development and individual dispositions such as curiosity and persistence. Leaders and teachers are yet to document a curriculum that aligns children’s learning to the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The service is working towards integrating all children’s cultural identities into the curriculum. Elements of tikanga Māori and basic te reo Māori are experienced by children. There are some examples of children from Pacific nations and those from other cultures experiencing language weeks and other celebrations as part of the curriculum provided.

Leaders are establishing organisational conditions to support children's learning and wellbeing. Systems to help undertake internal evaluation for improvement are being developed. New processes to support teachers’ professional growth usefully focus on children’s experiences. These processes are yet to generate information about the impact of teaching practices on children’s learning.

4 Improvement actions

Impressions Childcare Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Strengthen collective capacity to use information within internal evaluation to pose focused questions, identify intended outcomes for children and gain insight into the impact of actions taken to progress towards these outcomes.

  • Develop the capability of the teaching team to identify and document children's learning and development in relation to the valued learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.

  • Continue to develop teachers' cultural capability to respond to children’s cultural identities within the curriculum.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Impressions Childcare Centre completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite phase the service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following areas of non-compliance have been addressed:

  • Having records of parental permission and approval of adult: child ratios before children leave the premises for regular excursions (HS17).

  • Ensuring safety checking of children’s workers includes a statement of risk assessment and that safety checking processes include consideration of conflicts of interest (GMA7A).

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

10 November 2023

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Impressions Childcare Centre

Profile Number

30291

Location

Pirongia

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

143 children, including up to 40 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

139

Review team on site

September 2023

Date of this report

10 November 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, March 2020; Education Review, September 2016

Impressions Childcare Centre - 12/03/2020

1 Evaluation of Impressions Childcare Centre

How well placed is Impressions Childcare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Impressions Childcare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Impressions Childcare Centre is a large, privately owned, full-day, education and care service located in the rural village of Pirongia. The centre operates four aged-based rooms with separate outdoor spaces. It is licensed for 143 children including 40 children aged up to two years. The current roll of 144 children includes 26 children who identify as Māori and several children from a range of ethnic groups.

The centre manager and team leaders together manage and lead centre operations. The philosophy promotes trusting and reciprocal relationships in an environment where meaningful responses empower children and adults.

Since the September 2016 evaluation, management and teachers have undertaken professional development to further their knowledge and understanding of bicultural practices and some of the strategic priorities for the centre.

The Review Findings

Children experience positive interactions with their teachers. Literacy, mathematics and science are naturally integrated throughout the programme. Babies and toddlers benefit from routines that are responsive to their individual preferences and needs. Children are given time and space to lead their own learning in a calm and settled environment. Strong relationships with the local school and the key teacher approach support children to transition positively into, within the centre and on to school. Children with additional needs are supported through individualised planning and responsive practice. A strong sense of belonging and wellbeing is evident for children in a family-based environment.

Purposeful learning experiences promote positive learning outcomes for children. Parents' views and aspirations for their children are gathered and used in individualised planning and assessment of learning. Children's learning progress is visible in their individual portfolios. The age-based learning environments are attractive, well-resourced and intentionally planned by teachers to invite children to explore. Children are supported to build their knowledge about New Zealand’s unique cultural heritage through the use of te reo Māori in context with learning experiences. Teachers should further strengthen ways for multi-cultural families, including Pacific to relate to their culture and identity within the centre. The centre philosophy is highly evident in relationships, the curriculum and teachers' practice. Children enjoy learning in meaningful contexts.

Leaders promote a positive culture of teaching and learning. Teachers participate in regular professional learning and development. Leaders promote responsive and reflective practice. There is effective and regular communication between leaders, teaching teams and parents on the progress and development of their child. Emergent leadership is encouraged. Teachers feel well supported in their role.

Internal evaluation is valued and leads to improved outcomes for children. Policies and systems have been developed to guide centre operations. There is a need for management to take a strategic approach to centre operations including a more robust review of policies. The current appraisal process requires strengthening. Priority should now be given to support teachers to strengthen their knowledge of the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki. The centre's annual goals are identified and now need further development to align the centre's strategic direction.

Key Next Steps

The next steps for Impressions Childcare Centre managers are to strengthen the:

  • appraisal process, including observations of teaching practice to build the capability of teachers
  • leadership of learning to keep up with current research practices and the revised New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum
  • alignment of the strategic and annual plan
  • robustness of policy review.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Impressions Childcare 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.

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:

  • include earth quake and lock down drills as part of regular emergency drills
  • accident records to include evidence that parents have been informed
  • to ensure that excursion documentation includes adult-to-child ratios on the parental permission approval document.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8, HS27, HS17]

In order to improve practice, the service should:

  • undertake regular review of policies and procedures to meet current legal requirements.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

12 March 2020

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

LocationPirongia, Waikato
Ministry of Education profile number30291
Licence typeEducation & Care Service
Licensed underEducation (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Number licensed for143 children, including up to 40 aged under 2
Service roll144
Gender compositionMale 51% Female 49%
Ethnic compositionMāori 
NZ European/Pākehā 
Other ethnic groups
18%
78%
4%

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +
Reported ratios of staff to childrenUnder 21:3Better than minimum requirements
Over 21:7Better than minimum requirements
Review team on siteNovember 2019
Date of this report12 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education ReviewSeptember 2016
Education ReviewSeptember 2013
Education ReviewNovember 2010

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

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.

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.