182 Hurndall Street, Maungaturoto
View on mapERO’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.
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.
The owners of Kaipara Kids Early Learning Centre manage the centre. There are two rooms for different age groups of children. At the time of the review approximately 20 percent of children enrolled are Māori.
Teachers engage in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships in a language-rich environment. The curriculum acknowledges the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Teachers plan and implement a curriculum that is consistent with Te Whariki, the early childhood curriculum. The curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. They are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development.
Consistent implementation and monitoring of practice is required to maintain regulatory standards.
During and 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 (HS6).
Having a written emergency plan that includes details of the roles and responsibilities that will apply during an emergency situation (HS7).
Having a procedure for monitoring children's sleep ensures that includes children being checked for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing at least every 5-10 minutes, or more frequently according to individual needs (HS9).
Checking equipment, premises, and facilities every day of operation for hazards to the children. Consideration of hazards must include medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials; hazards present in kitchen or laundry facilities; vandalism and foreign materials (e.g., broken glass); the condition and placement of learning, play and other equipment; windows and other areas of glass; and bodies of water (HS12).
Having a process to ensure that parents/caregivers give prior written approval of their child’s participation and of the proposed ratio for regular excursions at the time of enrolment (HS17).
ensuring that before a person is employed or engaged as a children’s worker, a safety check as required by the Children’s Act 2014 Act must be completed. A detailed record of each component of the safety check must be kept, and the date of the risk assessment is required to be completed after all relevant information is obtained. These records must be kept by, or available to, the service provider as long as the person is employed or engaged (GMA7A).
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
28 June 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Kaipara Kids Early Learning Centre |
|
Profile Number |
46707 |
|
Location |
Maungaturoto, Northland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 13 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
52 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
28 June 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2019 |
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.
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.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kaipara Kids Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kaipara Kids Early Learning Centre is situated in Maungaturoto, a small rural township in Northland's Kaipara region. The service was established in 2015. It has operated under new ownership since March 2018, and was fully licensed in January 2019. The centre is managed by one of the owners, who is a qualified early childhood teacher. The majority of staff are qualified.
The centre is licensed to provide full-day education and care for up to 43 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 years. There is a designated area for up to 10 infants and toddlers. At the time of this review there were eight Māori children on the roll.
Teachers' philosophy and practice is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. They value parent partnerships. The philosophy promotes children as "capable and confident explorers and problem solvers, with freedom to lead their own learning through play, in a caring and unhurried culture of support".
The manager has initiated comprehensive professional development to enhance the centre's leadership, curriculum, teaching and learning. A great deal of refurbishment has improved the premises. Renovations are also underway to create new indoor and outdoor areas for infants and toddlers. The service is also now a member of the Twin Coast Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning, with other local educators.
Children show a strong sense of belonging. They demonstrate positive relationships with their peers. Trusting, caring relationships between children and teachers foster wellbeing for all. Use of te reo Māori in karakia and waiata is a feature of interactions and relationships, and embraces te ao Māori. As they investigate the environment, children are able to select and rearrange resources to suit their own play and creative ideas.
Children under two years of age are supported by a warm and respectful teaching team. Home routines are woven through individualised programmes. Teachers provide resources designed to intrigue and engage the youngest children. They recognise children's gestures and growing vocabulary. They also affirm and encourage children's choices and preferences in play and care routines. Positive interactions support self-esteem and confidence. Change is sensitively managed as older toddlers become ready to transition into the main play area.
The teaching team has worked collaboratively to grow a shared understanding of the valued learning outcomes that they want to foster through their curriculum and teaching practices. Learning stories capture key moments in individual children's development and inform further planning.
Various sensory experiences, and a growing focus on natural materials, are a deliberate curriculum focus to promote children's creativity and investigation. Teachers adjust resources to respond to children's strengths and emerging interests. They promote learning and sustained play. Centre leaders are keen to continue enhancing the range and complexity of resources to further support children's learning.
Teachers highly value their relationships with parents. Communication is open and positive. The teaching team has a genuine interest in supporting families and children to connect and contribute as part of a centre community. Teachers provide good opportunities for parents to discuss their children's learning and wellbeing at regular meetings, and at social and family events. The team plans to continue to develop its partnerships with whānau to promote Māori culture, language and identity.
Sound leadership by the new owners has prompted progress and improvement in a relatively brief time. Extensive refurbishment supports good provision for health and safety. The centre's vision is aligned with strategic and annual goals and plans. Sound policies and procedures guide all operations. Internal evaluation is used as a tool for improvement. Staff professional development, appraisal and inquiry align with key priorities, fostering positive outcomes for children and families.
The owners agree that the key next steps include:
providing further resources that promote complexity of play and physical challenge
continuing to build the centre's bicultural practices through a review of the philosophy and programme.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kaipara Kids Early Learning 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:
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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
3 May 2019
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 |
Maungaturoto, Northland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46707 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
43 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
70 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 40 Girls 30 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
8 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
3 May 2019 |
||
|
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:
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.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
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.