Just Kidz Flatbush

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 Just Kidz Flatbush are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Just Kidz Flatbush is part of the Just Kidz franchise. Three rooms provide education and care for different age groups of children. A small number of children attending are Māori. Large groups of children who identify as Pacific, Indian or Chinese attend within an ethnically diverse roll.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s developing social competency and wellbeing are fostered through strong relationships between teachers, children, parents and whānau. Infants experience a calm environment, which allows time and space for them to lead their own learning. Transitions into the service respond to child, parent and whānau needs. The play-based curriculum provides challenges for all children to explore and become fully involved in a wide range of experiences. Teachers respond to children’s interests. The curriculum positively promotes children’s sense of security. 

The Te Tiriti o Waitangi based curriculum requires strengthening. Some te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are included in day-to-day practices. Leaders and teachers are yet to explore and integrate things and places of importance to mana whenua within the programme. Whānau Māori have some opportunities to contribute to the curriculum. Children’s cultures are acknowledged, celebrated and reflected in the environment. However, these are not visible in individual assessment.

Planning, assessment and evaluation of children’s learning is variable. Parent aspirations and perspectives, when shared, are considered through planning. Individual assessment provides children with feedback that acknowledges their efforts, challenges and successes. The teaching team is beginning to build a shared understanding of how learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, should be used in planning, assessment and evaluation practices.

Systems and processes to enable improvement are being established. Regular self-review is contributing to changes in practice. Leaders and teachers are developing their understanding of effective internal evaluation for improvement.

4 Improvement actions

Just Kidz Flatbush will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Develop learning-focused partnerships with whānau Māori to better reflect culturally valued knowledge within the curriculum.

• Build capability and consistency in using the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki in planning, assessment and evaluation practices.

• Strengthen shared understanding and use of evaluation to identify how well teaching, and improvement actions, promote positive outcomes for individuals and groups of children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Just Kidz Flatbush 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.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

2 November 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service