34 Geddes Road, Koutu-Rotorua, Rotorua
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Garden of Life are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning Conditions
|
Whakaū Embedding |
The kaupapa of this small service promotes a whānau-based approach to education and care, as most tamariki enrolled are Māori. The centre owner and manager share leadership of a small group of kaiako with a range of experience. Clear progress has been made following ERO’s 2022 Akanuku | Assurance Review.
The identity, culture, and language of tamariki Māori are celebrated and meaningfully reflected in the curriculum. Tuakana-teina and whanaungatanga guide learning and development for tamariki in the mixed-age setting. Communal care is promoted. The small number of Pacific learners experience elements of their cultures and identity, through strong bicultural practices. All tamariki experience a curriculum rich in te reo Māori, with tikanga Māori woven through daily centre life.
Natural, open-ended resources allow for complexity of play and sustained engagement for tamariki. Kaiako intentionally use the environment to reflect the centre’s commitment to sustainable practices. Whānau are encouraged to be part of the centre alongside tamariki. Transitions in and out of centre are unhurried and responsive to individual needs.
The outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are well integrated into individual’s planning and assessment. Priorities for learning reflect whānau aspirations and the centre’s core values. Leaders have established a cycle of planning to grow consistency of assessment of learning and dispositions for tamariki. This ensures tamariki are reflected as individuals.
Leaders prioritise the centre kaupapa, with tamariki and whānau being the key considerations in their decisions. The traditional Māori maramataka calendar guides centre operations. The wellbeing of whānau, tamariki and kaiako is upheld by a centre culture that grows capability through ako and distributed leadership.
Internal evaluation and strategic planning for improvement are well established. However, leaders are yet to fully understand the impact of actions taken on individuals and groups of tamariki to enable them to use effective strategies in other ways.
Garden of Life will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Deepen the response to the dispositions of tamariki and the reflection of their individual progress in learning over longer periods of time through assessment, planning and evaluation.
Further develop the processes of internal evaluation and strategic planning to ensure a clear focus on tamariki at the initial stage, and an understanding of what worked, why and for who as a result of shifts in practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Garden of Life 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)
14 August 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Garden of Life |
|
Profile Number |
47622 |
|
Location |
Koutu, Rotorua |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
37 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers (delete if not applicable) |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
39 |
|
Review team on site |
June 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
14 August 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, May 2022; Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2021 |
ERO’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 |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Garden of Life is a privately owned service. Children from birth to school-age play and learn in a homely, mixed-age setting. An acting centre manager leads the teaching team of five qualified teachers. A full licence for all-day education and care was issued in January 2022.
Tamariki are responded to as confident and competent learners. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning. Kaiako providing education and care engage in whakawhanaungatanga with whānau and tamariki to enhance learning and reciprocal relationships.
Kaiako provide a language rich environment to enhance and extend learning and development for tamariki.
Assessment, planning, and evaluation demonstrates an understanding of learning and interests of tamariki. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by whānau for their tamariki.
The enacted centre kaupapa/philosophy reflects the values, beliefs and attitudes of the service and guides operations.
Next steps include:
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
25 May 2022
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Garden of Life |
|
Profile Number |
47622 |
|
Location |
Rotorua |
|
Number licensed for |
37 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
37 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 21, NZ European/Pākehā 7, Other ethnic groups 9 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
25 May 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2021 |
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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: