Early Explorers Childcare Centre

Education institution number:
45914
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
44
Telephone:
Address:

1836-1848 Great North Road, Avondale, Auckland

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Early Explorers 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 Early Explorers Childcare Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whakaū Embedding
Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service

Early Explorers Childcare Centre is managed by the owner with the support of a qualified head teacher. They lead a team of six qualified teachers and seven support staff. There are two areas for different age groups of children. A small number of children attending are Māori or have Pacific heritage.

3 Summary of findings

Children are provided with opportunities and experiences that promote their interests and curiosities, which motivates them to learn. They enjoy playing together with their peers and are supported to develop positive friendships. 

Leaders and teachers collaborate to design and embed a curriculum that acknowledges and responds to the diversity of learners. They enable this by:

  • providing tamariki Māori with meaningful learning opportunities, including te reo Māori, and tikanga Māori values of kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga

  • celebrating children’s cultures and promoting respect, through teaching practices that help children to learn about their own and other cultures

  • fostering warm and secure relationships between infants and toddlers and their teachers

  • increasing the use of New Zealand Sign Language and Makaton.

Leaders and teachers have begun to evaluate how well the service’s curriculum is promoting children’s learning. Assessment and individualised learning plans are used to build on what children know. Teachers intentionally extend children’s thinking, exploration, numeracy, oral communication, and literacy skills. Leaders and teachers seek the aspirations that parents and whānau have for their children. To further promote children’s equitable outcomes, leaders plan to increase opportunities for parents/whānau to participate in, and contribute to, curriculum design and their children’s learning programmes.

Leaders demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement. A strategic plan guides the service’s goals and priorities, and a systematic process of internal evaluation is being embedded. Documented evaluation information shows improved outcomes for children. The purpose and process of internal evaluation is not yet fully understood by the whole teaching team. Building teachers’ confidence and capability in using internal evaluation would further support ongoing improvement and children’s learning outcomes.

4 Improvement actions

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

  • Increase parent/whānau participation in, and contribution to, the curriculum design to enhance learning outcomes for children.

  • Build the teaching team’s knowledge and capability to use internal evaluation processes to promote improvement and positive outcomes for children.  

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Early Explorers 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Early Explorers Childcare Centre

Profile Number

45914

Location

Avondale, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

51

Review team on site

September 2022

Date of this report

8 December 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2021
Education Review, September 2016

Early Explorers Childcare Centre

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

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.

Background

Early Explorers Childcare Centre is a privately owned and operated service. The owners manage the daily operations of the centre and provide administrative and property maintenance support. The teaching team includes two qualified head teachers, five qualified teachers and six unqualified staff.

Summary of Review Findings

Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful and positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children have opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

There is a sufficient quantity and variety of furniture, equipment, and materials provided that are appropriate for the learning and abilities of the children attending.

Compliance

Since the on-site review the service has provided evidence that they are now meeting the following non-compliance:

  • Implementing suitable selection and appointment procedures (GMA7).
  • ensuring all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014, including developing a written procedure for safety checking that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act (GMA7A)
  • Monitoring that equipment, premises and facilities are checked every day of operation for hazards to children, including hazards in the kitchen or laundry facilities, poisonous plants and bodies of water (HS12).
  • Documenting evidence of parental permission and approval of adult:child ratios for special excursions(trips) and gaining approval by a person responsible for the excursion to take place (HS17).
  • Maintaining evidence of parental permission for any travel by motor vehicle (HS18).
  • documenting a record of injuries and illnesses that occur at the service, including evidence that parents have been informed (HS27).
  • Developing a written child protection policy that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 (HS31).

Next ERO Review

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

Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

3 June 2021

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Early Explorers Childcare Centre

Profile Number

45914

Location

Avondale Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

53

Ethnic composition

Māori 15
NZ European/Pākehā 16
Pacific 7
Indian 6
Asian 5
other ethnic groups 4

Review team on site

March 2021

Date of this report

3 June 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, September 2016
Education Review, October 2013

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.

Early Explorers Childcare Centre - 28/09/2016

1 Evaluation of Early Explorers Childcare Centre

How well placed is Early Explorers Childcare Centre 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

Early Explorers Childcare Centre provides education and care for up to 50 children from three months to school age. It is open on week days from 7am to 6pm. Children are cared for in two age-related rooms. Each room has an outside area. The younger children move to the older age group area when they are approximately two years of age. Children and their teachers are from many different cultural back grounds.

The centre owners/managers employ a team leader to supervise teaching and learning across the centre. Two qualified teachers work with children in each room, alongside staff who are in training or unqualified. Recently two new teachers have been employed.

The centre's philosophy focuses on providing time, space and freedom for children to develop as individuals who are confident to take risks, enjoy challenge and persevere while having fun.

ERO's 2013 report identified the need for teachers to extend children's learning, increase opportunities for children to understand aspects of Māori language and culture, and to develop strategies for positive behaviour management. Good progress has been made in these areas.

The Review Findings

Children and their families are well known to staff and benefit from friendly and supportive relationships with them. Children enjoy the spacious environment and move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas. They play uninterrupted by routines for much of the day.

The younger children benefit from the relatively high number of staff. Teachers follow children's individual routines and their conversations with children support good oral language development. Children's independence and resilience is encouraged. Teachers communicate regularly with children's whanau/families.

Teachers use effective strategies to support children who speak a language other than English at home. Early literacy and numeracy skills and knowledge are promoted through activities and the discussions that children and teachers have during play. Children have opportunities to learn about science and technology and to be creative.

Teachers are being well supported by managers to strengthen the assessment of children's learning in order to guide programme planning. Teachers sometimes record information about children's play in ways that show the development of their learning over time and how teaching has supported that learning. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their child's portfolio and to share their aspirations for their children during their time at the centre.

Teachers increasingly include aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. Children and their families respond positively to this aspect of children's learning. Centre managers are now considering how they can include more learning from the cultures of the other children who attend the centre. They plan to focus on how well they support the identity of children from Pacific cultures.

Transitions into the centre and on to school are sensitively supported by teachers. They work with school leaders to ensure that children have positive experiences when they go to school. Children move from the younger age group to the older age group gradually, when they are ready to move.

The centre is well managed. Policies that guide centre operations are reviewed regularly. Procedures related to health and safety are well managed. Effective self-review processes are followed and all staff are involved in both planned reviews and reviews that arise incidentally during the year. Self review contributes to annual and long-term strategic planning.

The managers have established a centre culture that is focused on ongoing improvement. Staff meet regularly to discuss children's learning, programme planning, professional development and other centre operations. This helps all staff to take an interest in making positive changes.

Because of the appointment of new staff and the significant professional development over the last three years, it would be timely now to review the centre philosophy. Part of the review could involve discussion about the desirable outcomes for children and the teachers' role in promoting these outcomes.

Key Next Steps

ERO suggests that centre managers continue to guide staff to:

  • use what they learn about children through effective assessment to plan programmes that are responsive to the interests and dispositions of groups and individuals, and that promote children's inquiry and problem solving skills

  • review the layout and resourcing of the environment to maximise educational opportunities for children

  • ensure that appraisal processes are robust, support improvement in teaching and learning, and meet the requirements of the Teachers' Council.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Early Explorers 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Early Explorers Childcare Centre will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

28 September 2016

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

Avondale, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

45914

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

54

Gender composition

Boys 32 Girls 22

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Chinese

Indian

Samoan

Tongan

Bangladeshi

Filipino

other Pacific

other ethnicities

9

16

6

5

4

4

2

2

3

3

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

August 2016

Date of this report

28 September 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

October 2013

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.