'Api Fakakoloa

Education institution number:
46076
Service type:
Homebased Network
Definition:
Tongan ECE service
Total roll:
44
Telephone:
Address:

66 Lovegrove Crescent, Otara, Auckland

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'Api Fakakoloa

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

Api Fakakoloa is one of eight homebased networks governed and operated by ‘Api Fakakoloa Educational Services Ltd. A managing director, director, and a team of eight qualified coordinators support educators who work in homes with children. The philosophy and vision of the organisation is ‘oku fatu, pea uho, e ngāué ‘a e ‘Api Fakakoloá he ‘Ofa ‘a e ‘Otuá.

Summary of Review Findings

Educators engage in meaningful 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 knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Coordinators and educators respect and support the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourage children to understand and respect each other. The service’s curriculum is informed by Tongan values that align with the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Ongoing monitoring and implementation of practices is required to ensure all aspects of regulatory standards are maintained.

Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows that it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Ensuring first aid kits are located in a space that is readily accessible to adults and inaccessible to children (PF15).

  • Securing heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage (HS6).

  • Having a record of emergency drills carried out with children on at least a three-monthly basis (HS7).

  • Ensuring that equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children, and hazards to the safety of children are identified, eliminated, minimised or isolated (HS11).

  • Coordinators monitoring and having evidence that parents have given written prior approval for their child to participate in special outings and excursions (HS14).

  • Ensuring written parental permission is obtained before children travel by motor vehicle (HS15).

  • Implementing consistent practices relating to the recording of administration of medication to children (HS25).

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Having evidence of review of the written emergency plan on, at least, an annual basis (HS4).

  • Having a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep that ensures children do not have access to food while in bed and are checked for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing at least every 10 to 15 minutes (HS8).

  • Ensuring there is an adult present at all times while children are attending, who holds a current first aid qualification gained from a New Zealand Qualification Authority accredited first aid training provider (HS22).

  • Maintaining a record of all illnesses that includes the child’s name, the date, time and description of the illness, actions taken and by whom and evidence that parents have been informed (HS24).

  • Documenting an ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation that includes a schedule showing timelines for planned reviews and evaluation of different areas of operation (GMA5).

Next ERO Review

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

31 January 2023

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

‘Api Fakakoloa

Profile Number

46076

Location

Otara, Auckland

Service type

Home-based service

Number licensed for

60 children, including up to 60 aged under 2

Service roll

33

Review team on site

November 2022

Date of this report

31 January 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, February 2017.

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 regulatory 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

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.

Api Fakakoloa - 20/02/2017

1 Evaluation of Api Fakakoloa

How well placed is Api Fakakoloa 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

Api Fakakoloa is one of eight homebased education and care networks owned by Api Fakakoloa Educational Services Limited. This network is licensed for 60 children from birth to five years of age. Children enrolled in this network are from across South, West and East Auckland.

A team of six qualified coordinators oversee the delivery of the curriculum to educators who provide education and care for up to four children in each home. Most of the educators are family members such as grandparents. Most children have Tongan heritage and others are Māori or from other Pacific ethnicities.

The service's philosophy promotes the Tongan language, beliefs and cultural practices and is built on Tongan values of love, relationships, respect, sharing, support, and obedience. The philosophy values the importance of the home - Api, to enrich children as kaloa/treasures who develop knowledge of, and learn about, Tongan and English languages.

The organisation's directors have worked closely with a team of managers to develop policies and systems to manage the fast growing demand for home based education and care in the Tongan community. Additional staff support the operations and management of the service and together with leaders embed the services' vision and strategic direction.

This is the first ERO report for this network since being established in 2012.

This review was part of a cluster of two home-based education and care network reviews of Api Fakakoloa Educational Services Limited.

The Review Findings

Api Fakakoloa's vision reflects a strong commitment to early childhood education within a Tongan cultural context. The service is driven by a belief in the importance of belonging, wellbeing and identity based on Tongan values of love, respect and inclusion. Underpinned by strong Tongan values, the vision and philosophy are well understood and articulated clearly at all levels of the organisation and through the wider Tongan community that it serves.

Children's learning is recorded in attractive portfolios. Coordinators model how to analyse children's learning and guide educators to build a picture of children's development. Portfolios show children's involvement in a variety of experiences in the home and community. Children's confidence in their growing use of Tongan language and relationships with others are documented clearly for parents. Parents are invited to contribute to the programme for children and are increasingly providing feedback to educators.

Effective health and safety systems are monitored regularly. Monthly checks inform the property team of required maintenance areas. Strengthening initial and annual safety check systems will ensure a more robust process is undertaken.

Strategic and annual plans clearly identify priorities that contribute to the service successfully achieving its vision. Positive outcomes for children are the basis of the service's strategic goals and overall direction. These goals and plans are well monitored and documented clearly in English and Tongan languages.

Internal evaluation is well understood. A robust process is used to evaluate practice, guide improvements and inform future direction. Some significant improvements to documentation have been a result of this process.

A skilled programme manager leads a highly effective team of coordinators who take time to build respectful and trusting relationships with children, educators and fanau. Policies and procedures clearly define expectations for coordinators and educators. The appraisal process promotes staff reflection that results in improved coordinator practice.

The directors are committed to building the capacity and skills of all staff. Ongoing professional development and induction are well supported through well attended talatalanoa workshops. Outcomes from talatalanoa show how educators and coordinators are increasing their knowledge, confidence and improving practices across the service. They coach and support educators to improve their individual skills and collective understanding of effective teaching strategies.

Leaders and coordinators collaborate to build a shared knowledge and high expectations across the service. Coordinators and educators work together to plan programmes that are responsive to children's interests.

Coordinator records skilfully highlight positive educator practices that include:

  • the value educators place on children's contributions and ideas

  • educators' skilful response to infant and toddler ways of learning

  • responses to children's interests and strengths

  • promotion of oral language and communication.

Integrated Tongan language and culture are evident in the programme for children. Educators' use of the daily diaries show their increasing understanding of the way children learn.

Coordinators' reports support educators to plan programmes that prioritise learning through meaningful, culturally responsive experiences. Building educator practice and understanding of the early childhood curriculum is evident through these reports. Coordinators are working intentionally with educators to support them to appropriately integrate literacy and numeracy.

There is a genuine commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi and the place of tangata whenua in Aotearoa. The service's curriculum aligns with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

Key Next Steps

The directors and management team agree that to enhance effective practices they could:

  • continue to grow educator knowledge and practice

  • refine operation and curriculum systems to ensure requirements are manageable and achievable.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Api Fakakoloa completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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 Api Fakakoloa will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

20 February 2017 

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 Home-based Education and Care Service 

Location

Otara, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

46076

Institution type

Homebased Network

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

60 children, including up to 60 aged under 2

Service roll

59

Standard or Quality Funded

Standard

Gender composition

Boys 35 Girls 24

Ethnic composition

Tongan

Samoan

Niue

55

3

1

Number of qualified coordinators in the network

6

Required ratios of staff educators to children

Under 2

1:2

Over 2

1:4

Review team on site

December 2016

Date of this report

20 February 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

No previous ERO reports

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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.