Bright Stars Educare Limited

Education institution number:
30315
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
14
Telephone:
Address:

68 Collins Road, Deanwell, Hamilton

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Bright Stars Educare Limited

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

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

Background

Bright Stars Educare Limited is a privately-owned centre offering mixed-age, all-day education and care for children aged from birth to school age. The centre’s philosophy guides a service curriculum consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The centre currently attests to 100% qualified staff including a centre manager and four qualified kaiako.

Summary of Review Findings

Curriculum practices acknowledge and reflect the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua, giving children an understanding of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

Adults engage in positive and meaningful interactions which nurture reciprocal relationships. Kaiako are responsive to children as confident, competent learners and support children’s developing social competence. 

Assessment and planning documentation shows teachers’ understanding of children’s learning interests, whānau and life contexts and responds to parents’ aspirations.

Ongoing development of systems and processes, including internal evaluation helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its education and care.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • interpret the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, in relation to the values and learning priorities of the service’s kaiako, children, parents, whānau and communities
  • explore a kaupapa Māori approach to assessment, as described in Te Whāriki, to ensure Māori children’s learning reflects their language, culture, and identity
  • strengthening the extent to which information documented about Pacific children’s learning reflects their identities, languages, and cultures.

Next ERO Review

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

Shelley Booysen

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)

Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

8 March 2022 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Bright Stars Educare Limited

Profile Number

 30315

Location

 Hamilton

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

24 children, including up to 5 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

19

Ethnic composition

Māori 12, NZ European/Pākehā 4, Other ethnic groups 3

Review team on site

December 2021

Date of this report

8 March 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, November 2018; Education Review, October 2015

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 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.

Bright Stars Educare Limited - 02/11/2018

1 Evaluation of Bright Stars Educare Limited

How well placed is Bright Stars Educare Limited 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

Bright Stars Educare is a privately owned, all-day early childhood education and care centre located in the Hamilton suburb of Deanwell. It is licensed for 24 children, with a maximum of five up to two years of age. At the time of this ERO review, 22 children were enrolled, of whom 12 identified as Māori. The centre employs three qualified teachers and operates mainly as a mixed age-group.

The centre's mission is to provide a service which is inclusive and appreciative of all children, families, staff and the community. A strong emphasis is placed on providing a home away from home with an emphasis on whakawhanaungatanga. Children learn life skills, values and gain confidence through fun, activities, and respectful relationships with teachers.

The centre has a positive reporting history with ERO. Since the last ERO review in 2015 the centre has addressed the next steps related to strengthening planning and assessment. There has been a recent change in head teacher.

The Review Findings

Bright Stars Educare has established a family/whānau environment that links to the centre philosophy. Planned and spontaneous self reviews are leading to improvement in outcomes for children. Strategic and annual plans guide internal evaluation and centre operations. The centre priorities and goals are strongly linked to positive learning for all children.

The curriculum promotes strong bi-cultural and multi-cultural perspectives. The Treaty of Waitangi based curriculum is linked to Tainui and Kingitanga. Children are engaged in uninterrupted activities with set routines for mat and meal times. Trips into the local community and guest speakers enrich a curriculum based on play, exploration and early learning needs. Assessment is used well to identify individual children's strengths and interests. Strong reciprocal and respectful relationships with whānau support children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing.

Teachers have a good understanding of each child as a unique learner. They promote the concept of tuakana teina and te reo and tikanga Māori are strongly woven into daily programmes, routines and the environment. Teachers plan collaboratively and encourage children's understanding of literacy and mathematical concepts from a te ao Māori perspective. Children benefit from the variety of strengths and abilities teachers bring to the centre and enjoy participating in individual, group and centre activities.

Leaders work collaboratively with teachers and parents to provide a caring and nurturing environment. They have established a positive and collaborative teaching team. Relevant professional development supports teachers to strengthen their practice and professional discussions are focused on reflective practices. Leaders and teachers demonstrate a high level of commitment to bicultural practices that leads to positive outcomes for all children.

Provision of education and care for children up to two years of age is positive and sensitive. Teachers are responsive to children's individual routines and interact with young children in a calm, unhurried way giving them time and space to lean through play.

Parents spoken to by ERO were well informed about their children's learning and wellbeing. They expressed high levels of confidence in teachers to provide an environment where each child is respected and valued as an individual.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps are to strengthen the:

  • documentation of successful teaching strategies that promote complexity in, and extension of, children’s learning

  • teacher appraisal process by including formal observations and establishing links to teaching as inquiry practices

  • consistency of assessment practices related to children’s identified learning goals and outcomes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Stars Educare Limited 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 Bright Stars Educare Limited will be in three years.

Adrienne Fowler

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

2 November 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

Deanwell, Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

30315

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

24 children, including up to 5 aged under 2

Service roll

22

Gender composition

Boys 13 Girls 9

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other

12
5
5

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2018

Date of this report

2 November 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

October 2015

Education Review

April 2012

Education Review

April 2009

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.