Tiny Nation Taranaki Whanganui

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.

ERO’s Judgement

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Tiny Nation Taranaki Whanganui is a newly licensed home-based education and care service owned and operated by Tiny Nation (NZ) Ltd. The professional leader and visiting teacher provide professional guidance and support to seven educators, 40 children and their families from the Taranaki Whanganui region.

Summary of Review Findings

The service philosophy and implementation is underpinned by Te Whāriki, Early Childhood Curriculum.

The curriculum is responsive to children’s preferences and interests. A range of indoor and outdoor experiences and opportunities is provided to enhance their learning and development. The service curriculum is responsive to children as confident and competent learners within positive learning environments. It supports children to be confident in their own culture.

Partnerships with parents and whānau inform curriculum experiences that include the aspirations they hold for their child. Management and leaders implement ongoing self-review that helps the service maintain and improve the quality of education and care.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• continue to strengthen the children’s perspectives and reflections in assessment, planning and evaluation
• strengthen opportunities parents and whanau have to actively contribute to their children’s learning goals, drawing on the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki.

Next ERO Review

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

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

18 October 2021

Information about the service 

General Information about Assurance Reviews  

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 home-based 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.  

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any service: 

• having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation 
• previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’ 
• that has moved from a provisional to a full licence 
• that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership 
• where an Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements 

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 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: 

• curriculum 
• premises and facilities 
• health and safety practices 
• governance, management and administration.  

As part of an 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: 

• 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 certification; ratios) 
• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.  

As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: 

• discussions with those involved in the service 
• consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems 
• visits to educator homes, selected by ERO.