Kindercare Learning Centres - Spreydon

Kindercare Learning Centres - Strickland (207) - 11/06/2020 - 11 Jun 2020

1 Evaluation of Kindercare Learning Centres - Strickland (207)

How well placed is Kindercare Learning Centres - Strickland (207) to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Kindercare Learning Centres - Strickland (207) is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Kindercare Learning Centre Strickland Street is located in Christchurch. It is open five days a week for full-day sessions and is licensed for 50 children, including up to 16 under two years of age. The centre is divided into three learning areas to cater for the specific needs of infants, toddlers and children. Most teachers are fully qualified early childhood educators. The centre has a culturally diverse learning community.

The service operates under Kindercare Learning Centres Limited vision, values, philosophy and strategic goals. Together these form the philosophy on which each centre and the organisation base their practices. An area manager works in partnership with centre leaders to support the operation of the centre.

The service’s philosophy, underpinned by Te Whāriki (2017) the Early Childhood Curriculum, states that the service will provide ' early childhood care and education that values, appreciates and respects each child and focuses on developing their full potential, in an environment of love'. There are eight core values which fall under the descriptors of 'Safe, Loved and Learning'.

The June 2017 ERO report identified areas requiring further development. These included continuing to strengthen; bicultural perspectives, self review, and the new assessment, planning and evaluation processes. Progress is ongoing in all these areas.

The centre has remodelled the entrance, parent areas, staff room and office spaces.

This review is part of a cluster of six Kindercare Learning Centre reviews in the Christchurch area.

The Review Findings

Children learn in a peaceful setting that encourages wondering, exploration and creativity. Resourcing levels and environments support children to choose from a range of activities, experiences and revisit their learning. Routines foster children's self-help skills and independence. Transitions from room to room are managed well.

Children’s language, culture and identity are celebrated, creating a sense of belonging in the centre. They benefit from a focus on positive relationships throughout all aspects of the centre's operation. Children work together well in small groups and interact positively with teachers and each other.

Children under two experience an unhurried and calm environment. Teachers deliberately encourage appropriate levels of independence for toddlers and emphasise language development and sensory experiences. They read the cues of children well and understand their ways of communicating.

The curriculum is responsive to children’s interests and needs. Individual learning goals are developed for each child and their efforts and progress are celebrated in a range of ways. The curriculum is localised and includes a bicultural focus that encompasses te ao Māori, te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. Teachers use a range of observational techniques to gather information about children's learning which informs planning decisions. Assessment and planning practices are linked to Te Whāriki (2017), the Early Childhood Curriculum. The centre's curriculum design supports intentional teaching and considers the children’s wellbeing and holistic development. Teaching practices extend children’s thinking and value their contributions to learning.

Leaders and teachers are focussed on improving the quality of education and care throughout the centre. Leaders demonstrate a collective commitment to increasing children's awareness of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Centre leaders have established positive relationships with parents and whānau, based on genuine partnership and respect. Leadership amongst teachers is encouraged and developed through appropriate professional learning and mentorship.

The Kindercare organisation provides support for centre leaders and families through regular visits by area managers, effective processes for ensuring that children have safe and healthy learning environments, appraisal, mentoring and well-targeted professional development opportunities.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders and ERO agree that the key next steps to further develop the conditions for promoting positive outcomes for children include:

• developing centre specific strategic priorities so that progress can be systematically monitored and evaluated to confirm how learning outcomes for children have been improved
• provision by the centre manager of clear guidelines for staff to support a consistent approach to centre expectations, including implementation of policies and procedures
• strengthening all aspects of bicultural practice to support the ongoing development of a localised curriculum, and to promote positive learning outcomes for all children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kindercare Learning Centres - Strickland (207) 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:

• 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; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)

• evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)

Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

11 June 2020

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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:

Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children

Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children

Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children

Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

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 ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed

• Well placed

• Requires further development

• Not well placed

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.