365 Kumi Road, Awanui, Kaitaia
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.
Ahi Ka Homebased Childcare is based at Awanui. It is licensed for 50 children, including 25 up to the age of two years. The majority of the 28 children enrolled are Māori.
The service was established in 2016 and is a standard funded network with ten educators. Educators are studying towards the Level 4 certificate in early childhood education. The qualified visiting teacher oversees programmes provided for children in educators' homes. The director/network manager has oversight of management and administration.
The governance board includes the director and three educators who are also part owners of the service. They make decisions collaboratively about service operations and convene regularly to ensure they are meeting regulatory requirements.
The service's philosophy gives priority to equitable outcomes for all tamariki, through a Māori world view and a bicultural environment. Whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tuakana/teina relationships, respect and humility are valued aspects of the service. The service promotes children's cultural heritage and identity, and their sense of belonging. There is a strong focus on wrap-around support for whānau and tamariki in the community and on ensuring that tamariki have access to good quality early education experiences.
This is the first ERO evaluation of the service.
Whanaungatanga is a strength of the service. The director and visiting teacher foster strong relationships with whānau and educators through regular visits and various forms of open communication. Parents are encouraged to engage with the service in supporting their children's learning. They are informed of events and news through regular newsletters and emails.
The visiting teacher and director know whānau well and educators appreciate their support. The director and staff work closely with community agencies to support and nurture tamariki and whānau with additional needs. They provide good support for tamariki and whānau during transitions to local kura.
Playgroup sessions are well attended and enable children to revisit past projects. Other community events and facilities help educators to enhance children's learning experiences. The visiting teacher should now develop playgroup and programme plans and evaluate the effectiveness of programmes in achieving desired learning outcomes.
The visiting teacher and directors are developing a team approach to supporting educators in providing good quality programmes. They work together to identify children’s strengths, interests and next learning steps. Programmes are influenced by Christian and Māori values, and educators are developing an understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, as a basis for their work with children.
Children's participation in events and playgroup sessions is recorded in carefully presented, good quality journals. An online tool that parents are invited to contribute to highlights activities children are involved in. Some educators' learning stories express particularly well how children are learning through play, and their progress and continuity of learning. The visiting teacher should continue to support educators to develop their assessment, planning and evaluation practices.
The visiting teacher makes good links in her learning stories to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. She could now ensure that evidence is recorded in her visiting notes of how educators support children's language development and how children are exposed to meaningful play-based experiences.
Educators have good opportunities for professional learning and networking with each other. It is important now to ensure that visiting teacher reports to educators include discussions and suggestions about good teaching and learning practice. This documentation should encourage a stronger focus on supporting educators' own development and growth as facilitators of children's learning over time. Better communication about good practice may also generate more interest from educators in attending the professional learning and development offered by the owners.
The management team work well together and are becoming confident with internal evaluation processes. The philosophy was recently reviewed and adapted to better reflect the service's vision, operations and practices.
A long-term strategic plan articulates the vision, purpose and values of the service. It clearly identifies strategic goals and actions required. Many of the Ahi Ka systems, policies and procedures are in early stages of implementation, and some are still under development. The owners recognise the value of maintaining clear records of decisions made, and continuing to develop planning for improvement.
The director and visiting teacher agree that key next steps to improve the quality of management include:
developing specific annual plans to guide ongoing improvement and regularly evaluating progress towards long-term strategic goals
strengthening appraisal process to reflect Education Council requirements
increasing the use of te reo Māori as part of learning programmes.
They also agree that key next steps for the visiting teacher include:
improving the documentation of support and guidance for educators
developing an effective system of reporting to the director about the visiting teacher's work with educators
strengthening processes for the assessment of children's learning and for programme planning and evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Ahi Ka Homebased Childcare 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:
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.
In order to improve current practice, the director should review policies and procedures relating to:
excursions, including risk analysis and management
police vetting all staff, to align with the requirements and intent of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
The next ERO review of Ahi Ka Homebased Childcare will be in three years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
7 June 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 |
Awanui, Kaitaia |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46877 |
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Institution type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
28 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Gender composition |
Girls 16 Boys 12 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
24 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
1 |
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Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
7 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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 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
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.