Kids Barn Childcare Centre

Education institution number:
46200
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
74
Telephone:
Address:

129 Fairfield Road, Hawera

View on map

Kids Barn 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence. 

ERO’s judgements for Kids Barn Childcare Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

ERO’s judgement

He Whāriki Motuhake

The learner and their learning

Whāngai Establishing

Whakangungu Ngaio

Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Aronga Whai Hua

Evaluation for improvement

Whāngai Establishing

Kaihautū

Leaders foster collaboration and improvement

Whāngai Establishing

Te Whakaruruhau

Stewardship through effective governance and management

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Kids Barn Childcare Centre is located in central Hawera, South Taranaki. The centre’s philosophy emphasises holistic teaching and learning, relationships and learning experiences through nature and animals. There has been a significant roll increase of Māori children, alongside children from other ethnicities. Some staffing changes have also occurred.

3 Summary of findings

Children explore independently in supportive and stimulating environments. Kaiako follow children’s changing interests and needs. Meaningful and responsive language strategies are used by kaiako to stimulate individual and group exploration. Community networks are established and provide additional learning and care support for children and whānau. Children are settled and connected as learners.

Children experience responsive care and attention. Kaiako consistently engage with infants and toddlers. Children display a growing sense of security and trust. Their verbal and non-verbal cues are responded to in meaningful ways. Children are developing as confident and happy learners.

Children’s cultural understandings are beginning to be recognised by the centre. They experience some te reo and tikanga Māori. Kaiako are in the early stages of building their capability to provide a programme that effectively responds to children’s culture, language and identity.

Children’s outcomes for learning, and progress with Te Whāriki are not consistently clear. Leaders and kaiako recognise that more consideration can be given to working with Māori whānau. Engagement with community to design and implement their local curriculum and identify learning priorities is required.

Leaders and kaiako are establishing processes and building their understanding of internal evaluation. Use of internal evaluation is identifying some actions for improvement and changes in teaching practices. However strategic planning for improvement, focused on outcomes for learners, is not well established.

Governance and management processes ensure the review of centre policies and procedures. The centre’s philosophy, vision, strategic planning and management policies are yet to explicitly acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the centre’s engagement with Māori as tangata whenua. Reporting on progress for all learners is required.

4 Improvement actions

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

  • develop learning focused partnerships with whānau and draw on local Māori expertise to develop a localised curriculum that identifies and documents shared learning priorities
  • broaden professional knowledge and practice to effectively use evaluation for improvement
  • make clearer links to children’s learning and progress in relation to the intended outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
  • enable whānau collaboration and contribution to review of the service’s philosophy, vision and strategic planning.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Barn 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

21 April 2021 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name Kids Barn Childcare Centre
Profile Number 46200
Location Hawera

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

62 children, including up to 12 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

50-79%

Service roll

89

Ethnic composition

Māori 28, NZ European/Pākehā 42, Chinese 4, Other ethnic groups 15.

Review team on site

February 2021

Date of this report

21 April 2021

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, November 2017; Education Review, February 2015.

Kids Barn Childcare Centre - 09/11/2017

1 Evaluation of Kids Barn Childcare Centre

How well placed is Kids Barn 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

Kids Barn Childcare Centre is a privately owned early childhood centre in Hawera. It is licensed for 62 children, including 12 children up to 2 years of age.

Since the February 2015 ERO review, the centre has been relicensed as a result of a change in ownership. The majority of the teaching team are new. The quality of education is overseen by the manager, who is supported by two head teachers. The centre has made significant progress towards addressing the key next steps identified in the previous ERO report.

There are two main learning areas, one for children over two years of age and the other for the service's youngest children. Each of these areas has its own team of teachers.

The centre philosophy makes a commitment to providing high quality education and care for each child, underpinned by positive relationships with whānau and community, holistic teaching and learning, and real life with nature.

The Review Findings

Children learn in a welcoming and inviting environment that strongly reflects the centre philosophy, and where the expressed values are highly evident in practice. Leaders have identified it is timely to review the centre philosophy as a new team, to further strengthen a shared understanding of what it looks like when enacted effectively in teaching practice.

The service values the importance of children learning through play. Children's sense of belonging is evident. Positive child-teacher-family relationships successfully support the development of children's identity.

Respectful teaching and learning practices promote high quality learning outcomes for children. Teachers view children as competent and provide effective support for them to lead their own learning. The wide range of activities and resources promotes and extends their ideas and interests. They are able to challenge themselves and problem solve.

Teachers use effective strategies to encourage children’s language development, mathematical understanding and sustained engagement in learning. They are included in children's play and take a considered approach to supporting and extending children's ideas and understanding.

Programme provision for infants and toddlers is appropriately focused on nurturing their wellbeing. Children's care routines are unhurried and enjoyable learning experiences. Their rhythms and routines guide the programme. Authentic opportunities for active communication and exploration support children to develop independence and self-management skills.

The stimulating and inviting outdoor environment reflects the rural community, the bicultural identity of New Zealand, and the natural world. Children can readily access the orchard and gardens as part of the programme, which supports the centre's sustainability focus. Food is provided for children, to better support healthy eating. Their ownership of the environment and sense of wellbeing are strongly evident.

Positive relationships between educators and children are evident. Regular, useful information is provided for parents about their child’s day, through daily diaries and individual child profiles. These form an attractive record of children's development and engagement in learning and are accessible to children and their families.

Leaders and teachers have recently refined the process for documenting children's assessment. Further strengthening the use of assessment to evaluate the impact of teaching and learning is a next step.

The centre is strengthening provision for Māori children and their whānau through community links and place-based learning. Meaningful experiences celebrate Māori children's language, culture and identity. ERO's evaluation affirms leaders and teachers actions to further enhance their knowledge of what success as Māori looks like for Māori learners and their whānau.

Teachers are developing culturally responsive practices to support Pacific children's cultures. They actively respond to parent aspirations. Continuing to strengthen the ways they assess and document success for Pacific learners is a next step.

Children's transitions into and within the centre are well supported by key teachers. Positive relations between centre staff and local schools assists older children’s seamless transition. A recent centre review of transition processes contributes to a well-considered flexible approach to meet individual children’s needs.

Careful consideration is given to provision for children who require additional learning and their families. Teachers appropriately plan and implement successful strategies to cater for children's individual needs. Staff work in collaboration with parents and whānau and seek advice and guidance from appropriate agencies when necessary.

A robust appraisal process supports teachers to think about how well they are teaching and making changes to their practice. They share their knowledge and professional learning with each other. External professional support is based on individual and team needs and used to improve teaching.

A collaborative leadership culture encourages opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles. Teachers are valued and acknowledged for the strengths, skills and expertise they bring to the centre. They regularly seek professional learning and development and access research to support their practice.

The centre’s strategic plan has a clear focus on outcomes for children and their families. Ongoing review is used successfully to identify how well these are achieved. A comprehensive strategic plan meaningfully guides operations and has a strong accountability focus on improving outcomes for all children.

There is a useful internal evaluation framework to guide and inform ongoing improvement practices. Leaders recognise that continuing to deepen their understanding of what constitutes a high quality evaluation process is a next step.

Key Next Steps

ERO, centre leaders and teachers agree that the key next steps are to:

  • review the centre philosophy as a new teaching team

  • continue to strengthen the use of children's assessment in evaluation and documentation of success for Pacific learners

  • further strengthen internal evaluation to better evaluate learning outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Barn 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 Kids Barn Childcare Centre will be in three years.

Patricia Davey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

9 November 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 Early Childhood Service

Location

Hawera

Ministry of Education profile number

46200

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

62 children, including up to 12 aged under 2

Service roll

84

Gender composition

Boys 49, Girls 35

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

9
67
8

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

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2017

Date of this report

9 November 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2015

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.