32 Waharoa Road West, Matamata
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Akarangi Quality 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 Kids Collective are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whāngai Establishing |
Kids Collective is governed by an owner with a centre manager overseeing the three age-based learning spaces. A curriculum leader provides leadership and support to teachers and leaders. Since the last ERO review in 2017 there have been significant changes within the teaching team.
Children’s learning is enhanced by being able to readily access the outside and indoor play spaces. They play and learn within a programme which is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. A variety of learning opportunities are accessible to all children and caters for a range of interests and skill development. Children’s independence and decision making are well promoted.
Children experience an environment in which leaders and teachers have established positive relationships with them and their whānau. They are welcomed into the centre and whānau have some opportunities to participate and contribute to the learning programme. The views of children and parents are yet to be purposefully gathered, to support and respond to learners’ needs.
Inclusive practices support diverse learners. Support from external agencies needs to be re-established to better support these children.
Children are benefitting from some integration of te reo and tikanga Māori within the curriculum. A recently developed philosophy includes bicultural concepts that outline valued priorities for children’s learning. Leaders are yet to draw on expertise of whānau to contribute to the building of a bicultural curriculum. Kaiako are beginning to reflect children’s culture, language, and identity in the curriculum. This is reflected in some of the children’s documented assessment.
Leaders have developed a useful system of internal evaluation to support centre improvement. Kaiako are beginning to implement this new system. They are yet to embed outcomes for children as part of the evaluation system.
Kids Collective will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
strengthen internal evaluation processes to include the perspectives of parents and whānau, and evaluate how well individuals and groups of children are progressing in terms of the valued outcomes from Te Whāriki
continue to build teaching capability to effectively respond to all children’s culture, language, and identity through assessment, planning and evaluation practices
purposefully engage with parents and whanau to encourage and support them to materially influence a localised curriculum
build ongoing partnerships with external agencies to support and promote equitable outcomes for children with diverse learning needs.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Collective 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
13 July 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kids Collective |
| Profile Number | 30317 |
| Location | Matamata |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
72 children, including up to 19 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
94 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 83, Other ethnic groups 3. |
|
Review team on site |
February 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
13 July 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, March 2017; Education Review, February 2014 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
George Street Childcare (previously Busy Time Childcare), is a privately owned service located in Matamata. It provides education and care for children from three months to school age. The centre is licensed for 45 children, including up to 19 aged under two. The roll of 91 includes eight Māori children. The centre operates a mixed-aged programme, with a separate area for infants and toddlers.
Since the previous ERO review in 2014, there has been a change of centre ownership and significant renovations to the buildings and playgrounds. In addition, the licence has been increased to 45 children, including 19 aged under two years. The centre's roll has grown, resulting in more appointments to the teaching team.
The leadership team has also been restructured along with the appointment of a new centre director and three new team leaders. Teachers have participated in professional learning, development in the areas of infant care and education, and self review.
The centre's draft philosophy makes a commitment to providing high quality care and education for children and their families in a safe, loving environment. The approach to teaching and learning represents the philosophy of Magda Gerber, promoting respect and trust in babies and toddlers to be active explorers and self learners.
Children benefit from participating in a programme where there are many opportunities to engage in sustained play of their own choosing. A feature of the programme is strong tuakana/ teina relationships where older children are able to play alongside and support younger peers. Literacy and numeracy learning is naturally integrated through children's play. Māori children's language, culture and identity is promoted by the daily use of waiata, karakia at mat times, and appropriate tikanga Māori practices. Teachers are developing their confidence in their use of te reo Māori.
Children's learning is documented in attractively presented learning portfolios and an online format. There is a need to further develop the consistency of assessment and planning practices to better identify and respond to individual children's interests and learning, particularly for the older children.
There are many opportunities for parents to be involved and contribute to the life of the centre through their participation in special events and celebrations. Children's development as confident learners with high levels of independence and social skills, is effectively promoted through involvement in the programme.
Infants and toddlers enjoy warm and affirming relationships with their teachers. The centre implements a primary caregiver process, where a specific teacher takes responsibility for undertaking all care routines for each individual child. This underpins a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging for very young children, and helps to establish meaningful partnerships with parents. A newly implemented 'Continuity of Care' system supports transitions into, and within the centre, particularly for infants and toddlers. Building on existing relationships with local schools would further strengthen transition processes for the older children.
Respectful teaching practices support positive outcomes for children. Teachers know children well and use this knowledge to build links with home experiences. They use a range of useful teaching strategies to promote children's oral language skills. Teachers are committed to ongoing learning and professional development. Children benefit from positive, respectful and reciprocal relationships with their teachers.
The centre owners provide supportive and well-informed governance. They have developed useful policies and processes to guide centre operations and meet legal requirements. They have provided useful external professional development for teachers and leaders. An effective teacher appraisal system has been developed and now needs to be fully implemented. Well-informed governance is contributing to ongoing centre improvement. Although useful guidelines for self review are documented, over the last year implementation of the process has become inconsistent. There is a need to develop a more systematic, in depth and centre wide-approach to self review. This is likely to support owners, leaders and teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of centre operations and make evidence-based decisions about ongoing improvement.
The centre director is knowledgeable about early childhood education, particularly for infants and toddlers. With support she will be able to assist the new leaders and teachers to grow in their professional knowledge and further promote positive outcomes for children.
The key next steps are for the centre leaders to:
review, develop and implement an updated strategic plan, philosophy statement and curriculum. This focus is likely to promote teachers' capability to add complexity to children's learning, and in particular for older children.
to access professional mentoring and support to strengthen their leadership capabilities. This assistance is likely to promote a more deliberate approach to building teacher capability. This should include a focus on strengthening leadership of learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of George Street 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:
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.
The next ERO review of George Street Childcare will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
23 March 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.
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Location |
Matamata |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
30317 |
||
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
45 children, including up to 19 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
90 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 49 Boys 41 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Other |
8 72 4 6 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
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 |
January 2017 |
||
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Date of this report |
23 March 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
February 2014 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
March 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
April 2010 |
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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.