Gumboots & Grasshoppers Childcare & Learning Centre

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 Gumboots & Grasshoppers Childcare & Learning Centre are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

This service is one of two under the same ownership. Two owners provided governance support. A centre manager oversees daily operations and leads the curriculum. There are three rooms for different age groups of children. Of the children enrolled, a small number are Māori or have Pacific heritages.

3 Summary of findings

Children engage in a responsive curriculum that fosters their ongoing learning. They have good opportunities to explore the natural world and to grow their physical skills when accessing the large outdoor space. Children show a sense of belonging and demonstrate social skills in their interactions with others.

Infants experience a calm and responsive environment. Children with additional needs are included, with external support sought to promote their active participation in the curriculum. During play-based experiences, teachers facilitate children’s learning of aspects of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language. Children benefit from some parents sharing their home cultures as part of the curriculum. Cultural events such as Matariki, Chinese New Year, Holli and Diwali are celebrated.

Individual and group curriculum planning is evident. Seeking and responding to the aspirations of whānau for their children’s learning is yet to be embedded to inform assessment and planning practices. Leaders have identified that consistent inclusion of children’s cultures and languages in the environment and in assessment documentation is an area for development.

Children and their whānau benefit from the sound organisational conditions that have been built. Relational trust and professional learning opportunities help leaders and teachers to collaborate and adapt their practice. Internal evaluation processes are leading to positive improvements. Owners are committed to supporting staff wellbeing, lower teacher to child ratios and smaller group sizes. These conditions are contributing to ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for children at this service.

4 Improvement actions

Gumboots & Grasshoppers Childcare & Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• For leaders to grow their pedagogy and knowledge to build teachers’ shared understanding of the valued learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

• To recognise and celebrate all children's home languages, cultures and identity in the environment and through curriculum documentation.

• To consistently gather and respond to parents’ aspirations for their child’s learning in assessment and planning practices.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Gumboots & Grasshoppers Childcare & Learning Centre 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)

30 October 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service