Imagine That Preschool

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 Imagine That Preschool are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Imagine That Preschool is a privately-owned service catering for children across three aged-based areas. A small number of children enrolled identify as Māori and of Pacific heritage. The centre philosophy places value on empowerment of children, supporting children’s mana, and aroha through reciprocal relationships with whānau and children.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience a curriculum that increasingly offers a wide variety of learning opportunities and experiences. Transitions into and through the centre are flexibly supported. However, there are limited opportunities for older children to lead aspects of their own learning.

Te reo Māori, New Zealand sign language, Pacific and diverse languages are well embedded in daily experiences and contribute to all learners’ cultural awareness. Infants and toddlers benefit from a key teacher approach that helps them develop a sense of belonging.

Effective communication between home and centre enables and sustains families’ participation and contribution to curriculum decisions. Teachers have the needed time to develop positive relationships with each child, their parents and whānau. Children with additional needs are well supported through partnerships with families and external agencies. Children’s emotional wellbeing is nurtured.

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to share professional knowledge, expertise, and cultural competence to build collective understandings of how children learn. Distributed leadership and relational trust support teachers’ participation in internal evaluation. Shifts in teacher practice are enhancing planning and assessment processes. However, leaders and teachers are yet to monitor and evaluate outcomes for children to determine the impact of planned actions and the effectiveness of teaching strategies on children’s learning.

The learning and wellbeing of children in the context of whānau relationships are the primary consideration in decision making. Policies and procedures enact the principals of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Strategic planning somewhat links to the centre’s vision.

4 Improvement actions

Imagine That Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• leaders and teachers to review and improve curriculum provision in the preschool room to provide greater child agency, independence and decision making

• leaders and governance to continue to build teachers’ knowledge and capability of effective assessment, planning and evaluation practices to support positive outcomes for all children

• align strategic planning and professional growth cycles more closely to the centre vision to better achieve their priorities for children. 

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Imagine That Preschool completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

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

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

• ensure safety checks are carried out for all children’s workers that meet the requirements of Children’s Act 2014.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008: GMA7A]

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

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

20 April 2023 

7 About the Early Childhood Service