Grow and Learn Early learning Centre Ltd

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 Grow and Learn Early Learning Centre Ltd are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Grow and Learn Early Learning Centre Ltd is privately-owned and operated. Children learn in a mixed-age setting. The service caters for a culturally diverse community. Approximately half the children identify as Māori. There are some Pacific children and a small group of children of Asian heritage. Since the March 2021 ERO report progress has been made in improving aspects of leadership, governance, and health and safety practices.

3 Summary of findings

Leaders and kaiako work collaboratively to create a purposeful curriculum that is consistent with
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Older children learn in an environment where:

• sustained, co-operative play

• early literacy

• social competency

• and independence are fostered and evident.

Kaiako are responsive to the interests, strengths, and needs of infants and toddlers. These younger learners have opportunities to make choices and participate in the curriculum, however, teachers need to develop a wider range of strategies to successfully engage younger children in the curriculum in the mixed-age setting.

Te ao Māori values are embedded in the routines and provide opportunities for all children to learn karakia, waiata and some te reo Māori. Further integrating te reo Māori and home languages is required in daily practice across the curriculum.

Assessment practices are collaborative and consider parent’s and whānau’ aspirations to foster children’s identity as learners. Kaiako acknowledge children’s efforts, challenges and learning needs. Assessment documentation does not yet consistently show:

• whānau cultural aspirations for their children or how kaiako respond to children’s languages cultures and identities

• progress over time in relation to the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki

• intentional teaching strategies to support curiosity, oral language, and exploration.

Leadership is improvement focused and provides meaningful opportunities to build kaiako capability. A collaborative internal evaluation framework has recently been established and all kaiako need to develop their understanding and use of effective internal evaluation as a tool for improvement. Recent changes to staffing have impacted on the sustainability of some aspects of practice. Greater monitoring of some aspects of health and safety is required.

4 Improvement actions

Grow and Learn Early Learning Centre Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• gather and intentionally integrate whānau cultural aspirations in assessment documentation and into the curriculum

• for teachers to develop a wider range of strategies to successfully engage younger children in the curriculum

• build consistency of practice in assessment documentation

• build shared understanding of the internal evaluation process by:

   

   

  • identifying relevant evaluation questions, and

  • clear and measurable indicators of high-quality practice to support evidence gathering

  • analysis and decision making that results in improved outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Grow and Learn Early Learning Centre Ltd 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

ERO identified the following areas of non-compliances:

• stretchers intended for children to sleep on are securely covered with or made of a non-porous material (that is, a material that does not allow liquid to pass through it)

• ensuring complete records are maintained for all regular excursions undertaken

• the centre manager must be safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 every three years.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, PF30, HS17, GMA7a].

7 Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

10 October 2022

8 About the Early Childhood Service

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

At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.

Background

Grow and Learn Early Learning Centre Ltd is a privately-owned service, located in Elsdon, Porirua. A centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the service. The June 2020 ERO report identified that aspects of leadership, governance and health and safety practices required improvement. Some progress has been made in response.   

Summary of Review Findings

Teachers providing education and care, engage in interactions that enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Strategies are in place to involve parents and whānau in their children’s learning. Children have opportunities to develop an understanding of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor learning experiences for all children.

Consistent implementation of health and safety and governance, management and administration practices are required to meet all aspects of regulatory compliance.

Actions for Compliance

ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:

• teachers who administer medication are provided with information and/or training to the relevant task and is clearly documented
• all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS29, GMA7A.  

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

• ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured
• undertaking a documented evaluation of the emergency drills and using this to inform the annual review of the service’s emergency plan
• having a written Child Protection policy that meets the requirements of the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8, HS6, HS31.

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

22 March 2021 

Information About the Service

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.