31 Curtis Street, Karori, Wellington
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kindercare Learning Centre Karori is one of eight learning services in the Wellington region, owned and operated by Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd, a national organisation. The centre is licensed for up to 100 children, including 37 up to two years of age. Of the 120 children enrolled, nine are Māori.
The purpose-built centre caters for children in age specific rooms that access shared outdoor spaces. Kindercare provides an overarching philosophy, policies and procedures and a framework to monitor health and safety. An area manager works in partnership with the centre director to support the operation of the centre.
The centre philosophy is based on three key values identified in the organisation's overarching philosophy, ‘Safe, Loved and Learning’.
Since the March 2015 ERO report, there have been changes to staffing, including leadership. The previous ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included: integration of bicultural perspectives in practice and guiding documentation; and programme planning and evaluation processes.
This is one of two reviews undertaken at the same time, of Kindercare centres in Wellington.
Children confidently investigate in an environment that encourages open-ended exploration. A wide range of resources is available for them to follow their interests. Children are spoken to with warmth and respect by their teachers, who encourage their social and emotional competencies. Children engage in play in a calm atmosphere. They understand turn taking. Children demonstrate a high level of familiarity with the centre's rituals and routines.
Infants and toddlers are sensitively and responsively cared for by staff. Good two-way information sharing between homes and the centre is evident.
Children are well supported to transition into and through the centre. Transition to school practices continue to develop. A next step is to evaluate the impact of the practices on outcomes for children.
Curriculum planning and assessment are areas for development. Group planning guides the provision of a range of engaging activities and is becoming responsive to individual interests. A combination of teacher-directed and child-initiated learning is evident. Older children engage in a range of planned literacy, numeracy, and digital activities. Although there are some opportunities for children to revisit their learning, staff should consider how these might be extended.
Revisiting the philosophy in collaboration with parents, families and whānau should help to establish shared priorities for children's learning through reciprocal partnership, and include reflection of the diverse cultures of those who attend the service.
Through on-line learning stories, parents receive useful, regular information about their children’s progress. Regular communication and strong relationships with families are valued by managers and teachers. Planning to meet parents' aspirations for their children's learning is at the early stages of development.
The bicultural aspect of the centre's curriculum continues to require development. This was identified in the previous ERO report. Review of the service's curriculum aligned to Te Whāriki (2017) is needed to clearly acknowledge outcomes for Māori children and reflect the centre's statement of bicultural partnership.
Centre leaders model a collaborative, reflective approach to practice. New roles and responsibilities have been created and practices put in place to support all teachers to improve their practice. Leaders provide regular, formal feedback that encourages teachers to question and improve their practice. Teachers are well supported in their professional learning and development.
Understanding about self review and internal evaluation continue to require development. A next step is for teachers to determine the effectiveness of their teaching actions on outcomes for children to better inform decision making.
Governance and management systems are well established and provide a clear framework for centre operation. There is a strong focus on building leadership. A key next step is for Kindercare to strengthen guiding policies and procedures to better acknowledge te ao Māori. Clearer expectations and guidance for teachers to implement a Treaty-based curriculum is required to improve practice at centre level.
At service level, priorities are to:
Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd should strengthen policies, procedures and other guiding documentation to establish clearer expectations and guidance for teachers about curriculum and the bicultural intent of Te Whāriki (2017). These should align with the relevant licensing criteria.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centre Karori 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:
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:
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 Kindercare Learning Centre Karori will be in three years.
Patricia Davey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
7 May 2018
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 |
Wellington |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46282 |
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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 |
100 children, including up to 37 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
120 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 66, Girls 54 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
7 May 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2015 |
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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:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whānaungatanga – 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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kindercare Learning Centre Karori is part of a national network that provides education and care for children from birth to five years of age. The centre opened in November 2013 and is one of seven early childhood education and care centres in the Wellington region, owned and operated by Kindercare Learning Centres Ltd. This is one of two reviews undertaken at the same time, of Kindercare centres in Wellington.
The service owners have a clear philosophy, policies and procedures and a framework for monitoring health and safety. An area manager works in partnership with the centre director to support the effective operation of the centre.
Children learn in a spacious, purpose-built centre. Infants, toddlers and older children are catered for in five age-specific rooms, each accessing shared outdoor play spaces. This is the centre's first ERO review.
The centre philosophy is based on Kindercare values, ‘Safe, Loved and Learning’, and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. These values are clearly reflected in centre practices.
Children confidently explore the environment, following their own interests and activities for extended periods of time. Self-directed play is highly evident. Relationships between teachers and children are warm and respectful. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning.
Older children engage in an appropriate range of planned literacy, numeracy, and digital activities. These experiences are linked to the centre philosophy and focus on supporting children's readiness for their next stage of learning.
Staff practice for babies and toddlers reflects a culture of care, supporting younger children’s personal routines. Good two-way information sharing between home and centre is evident in daily journal entries. Children are well supported to transition into the centre and between rooms.
Teachers' curriculum planning and assessment practices are developing to be responsive to individual interests. The bicultural aspect of the centre's curriculum is at an early stage of development in most rooms. Teachers seek ways to reflect in the programme the cultural identities of children. Further work in planning, assessment and cultural responsiveness is a centre-identified focus for staff development in 2015.
Parents are provided with useful, regular information on their children’s progress. Assessment profiles are accessible, attractive and informative. Portfolios are shared online, which enables both teachers and parents to make regular comments on children’s learning and current interests. Parents also have a formal opportunity to discuss their children’s learning. Regular communication and strong relationships with families are valued by managers and teachers.
Daily operations are based on set routines. The centre should continue to regularly review routines to ensure they are appropriately responsive to all children’s individual needs.
Centre leaders model a collaborative, reflective approach and focus on practices that promote high quality care and education for children. They provide regular formal feedback that leads teachers to question and improve their practice. Teachers are encouraged to take on leadership roles and they are given opportunities to increase their capability and skills.
A high percentage of teachers were provisionally registered at the time of this review. These teachers are well supported through a centrally-delivered induction and mentoring programme. All teachers take part in a wide range of relevant professional development and are encouraged to share new learning with colleagues.
Kindercare governance and management systems are well established and provide a clear framework for centre operation. Roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders are clearly defined and well understood.
Managers and staff continue to develop their understanding of self review and evaluation. Teachers have conducted a number of reviews to examine the effectiveness for children of aspects of centre practice.
ERO and centre managers agree, as the centre expands, they should further review, develop and embed current practices and processes.
Key next steps for development include further strengthening of:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centre Karori 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:
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:
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 Kindercare Learning Centre Karori will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central
20 March 2015
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.
|
Location |
Wellington |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46282 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education and Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
100 children, including 37 aged up to 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
88 |
||
|
Gender composition |
46 Boys, 42 Girls |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
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 |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
20 March 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
||
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:
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.