Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre

Education institution number:
83007
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
113
Telephone:
Address:

Hanover Street, Dunedin Central, Dunedin

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Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood 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 Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre is one of two services providing education and care for children of hospital employees. The centre manager provides day-to-day management. Children are grouped in two rooms led by head teachers. The service roll is diverse. This includes several Māori and Indian children and a small number of Pacific. Since the 2018 ERO review, some progress has been made on the key next steps identified in the report.

3 Summary of findings

Children experience a play-based curriculum where they have authentic opportunities to develop independence and curiosity through kaitiakitanga (guardianship), exploration and the creative arts. Teachers intentionally support children’s developing social and emotional competence. A language-rich environment contributes to the development of critical thinking skills. Infants experience a calm environment with teachers who engage in positive reciprocal interactions that build trust and security.  

Aspects of tikanga Māori are visible in the learning environment. There are opportunities for children to hear te reo Māori. Some teachers’ use kupu Māori in interactions with learners. Children would benefit from increased opportunities to hear and use te reo Māori throughout the day.

Assessment documentation makes children’s learning visible, and links are made to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers are beginning to show children’s’ progress in relation to these outcomes. There is variance in the gathering and inclusion of parents’ aspirations for their child’s learning. There is work still to be done to better recognise children’s identities, languages, and cultures in curriculum design.

Internal evaluation is well lead. The gathering and collaborative sense making is robust and informs ongoing improvements to practice. Leaders are yet to develop a shared understanding in the team of the internal evaluation process.

Governance and management are improvement focused. They have regular meetings on management and administrative matters. Leaders share informative reports with governance focused on the curriculum and the day-to-day running of the service. Human resource systems and practices require strengthening to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework.

4 Improvement actions

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are:

  • increase the opportunities for children to hear and use te reo Māori in meaningful ways on a daily basis

  • seek and include parent, whānau, and iwi aspirations for children’s learning that better respond to their languages, cultures, and identities

  • develop the teaching team’s collective capability to do and use internal evaluation for improvement

  • for governance and management to evaluate systems, processes, and practices to ensure compliance with all regulatory standards.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre 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.

6 Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:

  • all children’s workers must be safety checked every three years, and outcomes of the risk assessment are recorded.

Licensing criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, GMA7a. 

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

4 October 2022

7 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Name

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre

Profile Number

83007

Location

Dunedin

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

93 children, including up to 35 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

170

Review team on site

July 2022

Date of this report

4 October 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, December 2019;
Education Review, October 2016

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre - 12/12/2019

1 Evaluation of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre

How well placed is Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre is a community-based, all-day centre located in the public hospital complex. The centre is licensed for 93 children, including 35 children under two years of age. It caters for families who are hospital employees and it is governed by a parent committee. The centre manager provides the day-to-day leadership. Children are grouped in two rooms according to their age. Each room is led by a head teacher.

The centre's philosophy shows a commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki. This includes having respectful relationships with the children and their whānau, celebrating the values and beliefs of families, and instilling a love of learning in all children.

Since the last ERO review in 2016:

  • a new headteacher has been appointed

  • the centre has changed from providing a five-day service to a seven-day service

  • improvements have been made to the indoor and outdoor environments

  • the centre is more flexibly responding to parents' work schedules

  • good progress has been made in addressing the next steps identified in the ERO report.

The Review Findings

Leaders' and teachers' strong focus on children learning through play and leading their own learning, on-going improvement and an openness to change are key aspects of this service that are promoting positive outcomes for children.

Children experience a broad and rich curriculum. Teachers set the environments up to promote curiosity, exploration and foster independence. ERO observed children engaged in independent experiences and co-operative play for sustained periods of time. Teachers make effective use of the local environment, resources and amenities. They ensure that children's learning experiences are authentic and meaningful. There were respectful and nurturing interactions between teachers and children.

Children with additional learning needs are well supported, including appropriate resourcing as required. Children show a strong sense of belonging to their centre that promotes children's learning and wellbeing.

Infants and toddlers learn, play and are cared for in two appropriately resourced rooms. One of the rooms is specifically for those infants under one year of age. Teachers have a strong commitment to following the rhythms and patterns parents want for their children. The teacher to child ratio is kept low. Good communication between the teachers ensure the infants' and toddlers' needs are well met and routines followed.

Teachers know the children and their families well through the useful partnerships they establish with parents. They are responsive to the wishes of parents. All children have extended opportunities to learn about aspects of te ao Māori. Children's diverse cultures are valued and celebrated. Stories, songs and language from their cultural backgrounds are part of the centre's programmes.

Leaders have developed processes to build the collective capacity of the teaching teams. These include:

  • effective internal evaluation procedures that lead to centre-wide improvements

  • well-resourced professional learning and development

  • valuable staff appraisal developments and implementation

  • a clear line of sight between strategic priorities, long and short-term planning, professional learning and development and internal evaluation.

Key Next Steps

The next steps for leaders are to:

  • use Te Whāriki (2017), along with parents' wishes for their children's learning and teachers' perspectives, to establish priorities for children's learning

  • make the priorities for children's learning more explicit in key processes, such as planning for and evaluating children's learning, internal evaluation and strategic planning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre 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

12 December 2019

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

Location

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

83007

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

93 children, including up to 35 aged under 2

Service roll

147

Gender composition

Boys 52%, Girls 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Samoan
Asian
Other

5%
81%
2%
7%
5%

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

October 2019

Date of this report

12 December 2019

Most recent ERO reports

 

Education Review

October 2016

Education Review

June 2012

Education Review

November 2008

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.

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre - 20/10/2016

1 Evaluation of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre

How well placed is Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre, based at Dunedin Hospital, is a community service providing education and care for infants through to school-aged children. A parent committee has responsibility for the centre. A centre manager and two head teachers run the daily programme. The priority for the service is to have low child-to-teacher ratios, and to employ fully qualified teachers to provide the programme.

The centre is divided into three rooms, Te Ruma Koru for older children, and Te Pepe and Te Pakupaku rooms for the infants and toddlers.

The manager and head teachers have worked with teachers to address the recommendations in the 2012 ERO report. Progress includes developments with internal evaluation processes, bicultural and multicultural practice and planning for children’s learning.

The Review Findings

Teachers support children well to become capable, confident, independent learners within a caring and respectful learning environment and programme. Teachers ensure this through effective team work, getting to know the children and their families well, and providing a supportive environment and resources to enable learning.

The environments are well resourced both indoors and out and provide many opportunities for children to develop physical and social skills safely. The centre routines are used as an opportunity for children’s learning and a time for building relationships and learning to care for one another.

Teachers understand the importance of identity and culture in the lives of children and families. They sensitively respond to children's learning and care needs. Children’s learning is well supported and extended through the good quality interactions they have with teachers. These build and extend the children’s language knowledge and use.

Children are settled and engaged in their learning. Programmes are well planned to promote exploration and curiosity and develop confident learners. Children's learning benefits from the wide range of experiences including excursions into the community and a bush-exploration programme.

Te Ao Māori is valued and teachers purposefully include Māori perspectives, te reo, waiata, and mihi as a regular part of the centre programme.

Teachers in the infant and toddler rooms are very responsive to children’s verbal and non-verbal cues. Children are well cared for and teachers are attuned to children’s individual wants and preferences. The teachers work with parents to ensure that what happens at the centre is closely linked to the children’s home routines.

There are effective systems in place to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the centre. Learning stories show teachers' intentions for children’s learning and the progress children are making. They show how teachers support progress and achievement and what they will do next to further the child’s learning.

The capable leaders effectively support the teachers and value their strengths, abilities and commitment to their role.

The planned and spontaneous self reviews have led to the development and improvement of aspects of centre practice.

The manager and head teachers write useful reports to the governing committee. These cover organisational matters and keep the committee up-to-date with the centre programmes and important events or issues as they arise.

The strategic plan would be more useful if it was based on the centre community’s agreed vision and goals for the future. The annual plan needs to link to this to show the steps the centre will take over time to reach the goals agreed on by the community. Leaders need to include the progress being made implementing the centre's strategic goals in their reports to the governing committee. The parent committee may find that some training in governance roles and responsibilities, and strategic planning both interesting and useful.

Leaders and teachers are likely to benefit from greater clarity about how they share best practice ideas and make decisions about centre-wide systems and processes.

Leaders need to strengthen the evaluative aspect of self review and develop a more complete schedule for planned reviews ensuring coverage of all aspects of the centre over time.

Next Steps

ERO had identified that the centre leaders need to:

  • strengthen strategic planning and internal evaluation
  • develop written procedures for appraisal.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Dunedin Hospital Early Childhood Centre will be in three years.

Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

20 October 2016

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

Location

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

83007

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 35 aged under 2

Service roll

125

Gender composition

Girls: 67

Boys: 58

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Other

Indian

Asian

Cook Island

7%

77%

8%

6%

1%

1%

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:7

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2016

Date of this report

20 October 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

June 2012

Education Review

November 2008

Education Review

March 2005

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 and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.