32 Church Street, Feilding
View on mapERO’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 | Not meeting |
| Governance, management and administration | Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
A Place to Grow is one of two networks under the same ownership. Two qualified and registered owners work alongside a third visiting teacher. They support educators to provide education and care in each educator’s home. A small number of children enrolled are Māori.
The service’s curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It is informed by assessment that demonstrates an understanding of children’s interests, learning, whānau and life contexts.
Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning. They are viewed as capable and confident learners, and involved in choosing their learning experiences. Adults providing education and care engage in positive and nurturing interactions to enhance children’s learning. Children have opportunities to understand their own cultures.
Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to meet and maintain all aspects of regulatory compliance.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008, HS14.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
20 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | A Place to Grow |
| Profile Number | 50106 |
| Location | Feilding |
| Service type | Home-based service |
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 |
| Service roll | 9 |
| Review team on site | December 2023 |
| Date of this report | 20 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akarangi | Quality Evaluation, November 2022; Education Review, November 2018 |
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 regulatory 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:
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 A Place to Grow are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
A Place to Grow is one of two networks. A fifth of enrolled children are Māori, and a small number are of Pacific heritage. Two qualified and registered owners work alongside a third visiting teacher. They support ten educarers to provide education and care in their own homes.
Respectful and responsive relationships underpin all aspects of operation, in line with the service philosophy. Leaders take an intentional approach to children’s transition into the service, fostering secure attachments with educators. Children’s sense of belonging is affirmed, and their social and emotional wellbeing is well supported.
Inclusive practices successfully promote children’s sustained engagement in play. The learning goals of children with additional learning needs, are progressed in collaboration with families and external agencies. Developmentally responsive approaches support the learning and care needs of children, including infants and toddlers.
Visiting teachers provide appropriate guidance for educarers to identify what learning is happening for children. They are beginning to explore children’s learning progress in relation to the outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Assessment documentation highlights children’s interests and access to a range of experiences at home and in the community.
Building the capability of visiting teachers to foster a bicultural curriculum that responds to children’s cultures, languages and identities, remains a priority. Some integration of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori is evident in daily practices. Leaders appreciate the cultural expertise of educarers and families. A shared understanding of what Māori whānau value for their children continues to be established.
A clear vision and strategic plan guide operation, however these are in the early stages of implementation. Leaders are yet to inquire into the effectiveness of practices to identify what is working well and for which groups of children. They have identified that more consistent monitoring of systems is required for accountability purposes.
A Place to Grow will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of A Place to Grow 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During the review ERO identified the following non-compliance:
[Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, 28 (2)(c)]
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure non-compliances identified in this report are addressed.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
14 November 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | A Place to Grow |
| Profile Number | 50106 |
| Location | Feilding |
| Service type | Home-based service |
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 |
| Service roll | 22 |
| Review team on site | August 2022 |
| Date of this report | 14 November 2022 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, November 2016; Education Review, March 2013 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
A Place to Grow is a privately owned home-based education and care service operating in Feilding. It is licensed for 80 children, including 80 aged up to two years. At the time of this ERO review, 18 educators provide education and care for 63 children and 24 identify as Māori.
The two managers of the service also undertake the roles of visiting teachers, supporting in-home educators to provide care and learning programmes for children. Both are qualified and registered teachers. They established a Licensed Quality Network, A Place to Grow 2, in 2017, employing another registered teacher.
The philosophy emphasises the importance of children developing and learning in safe, inclusive and nurturing environments. The vision is promoted through providing free-play learning opportunities.
A Place to Grow has sustained and continued to build its performance management, educator capability and positive learning outcomes for children, since the March 2016 ERO report. Managers and educators are focused on ensuring equity for all children through their provision of learning opportunities. A professional, improvement-focused culture, characterised by support and care is evident.
Children have settled environments that develop and promote their confidence, communication, participation and wellbeing. Organised events for children offer a range of learning experiences in educators’ homes and in the local community. A Place to Grow playgroups and regular planned outings to the gymnasium and football sessions provide ongoing learning, different challenges and social opportunities.
Infants and toddlers are well supported in developing positive interactions with other children and adults. Educators, in individual children's daily records and journals, document information, progress and areas for development for each child. These are shared with children, families and whānau.
An inclusive approach focuses on removing barriers to the participation of children with additional learning in the service. They are welcomed and well supported. Leaders and educators work relentlessly to support children and their families. Support from external agencies assists educators to meet the needs of those children with additional needs.
The curriculum is responsive to children's interests, strengths and preferences. The use of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, supports educators in their understanding about assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning. Visiting teachers' conversations and documented observations of educators and children contribute to individual learning stories.
Literacy, mathematics, arts, science and physical play are highlighted through children's assessment narratives. Educators record their dispositions, progress, strengths and interests and areas for development. They draw from service exemplars to guide their analysis and response to children's learning and information about the values of play. Visiting teachers provide educators with robust feedback to support children's learning experiences and outcomes.
A bicultural curriculum is evident. The managers have sourced Māori expertise to develop and build their Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based practice. The service has identified that te ao Māori knowledge, understandings and connections to this place are areas to continue to build. ERO's evaluation affirms this development need.
A considered approach supports the placement of children to ensure families and educators are matched to support children's wellbeing. A Place to Grow strives to include parents’ aspirations, input, participation and feedback. This continues to be an appropriate ongoing focus to build stronger relationships between educators, families and whānau.
Opportunities for educators to develop their knowledge are promoted. Suitable guidelines support: consistent understanding of expectations for roles and responsibilities at visiting teacher and educator levels; and educator engagement in respectful and responsive relationships with children and families.
Visiting teachers provide ongoing guidance to improve practice including an effective induction process and regular involvement in professional learning. Leaders have promoted development in Te Whāriki to build and strengthen educator knowledge, understanding and implementation. Monthly visits to children and educators ensure targeted input and support from the visiting teachers.
Managers have clearly documented and consistent systems to monitor the quality of children’s education, care, safety and wellbeing. Health and safety processes are sound and are in place to assist daily operation. At regular weekly management meetings, leaders include professional teaching and learning practices and outcomes for children.
Self review for accountability and improvement is in place. Service leaders should continue to build knowledge and understanding of internal evaluation to guide improvement. The review framework should highlight: focus questions; indicators; analysis and evaluation. The service identifies developing internal evaluation as a next step, confirmed by ERO's findings.
A sound framework supports inquiry within appraisal and leads to positive change and improvement for teaching and learning. Managers should review and refine the current documentation gathered to continue to support educators to promote positive practices for children.
ERO and leaders agree that the service needs to continue to strengthen:
te ao Māori knowledge and understandings, and connections to this place
internal evaluation, to effectively review the quality of teaching practice and programmes and the impact of actions on outcomes for children
appraisal, reviewing and refining the current system to ensure the focus is on improved practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of A Place to Grow 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of A Place to Grow will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
23 November 2018
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
|
Location |
Feilding |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
50106 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
63 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 27, Boys 36 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
24 |
|
|
Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
2 |
||
|
Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
October 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 November 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2016 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2013 |
||
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.