Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd

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

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Elite Early Childhood Centre Ltd’s philosophy values teachers supporting children’s social and emotional competence. There are two aged-based rooms. A third of the current roll are Māori learners and there are a small number of learners from other cultures. The center leader leads a team of six.

Summary of Review Findings

Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions with children to nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour. It is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.

The curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning and interests. The service curriculum acknowledges the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.

An ongoing process of policy review and internal evaluation helps the centre improve the quality of its education and care.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• Teachers increasing the range of learning opportunities for children under two years of age to support their exploration.

• Strengthening the extent to which the centre curriculum and assessment practices reflect all children’s culture and language.

Actions for Compliance

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following
non-compliance:

• documenting the results of safety checking for all children’s workers.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008: GMA7A]

Next ERO Review

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

29 March 2023

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 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 centre-based 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 Akanuku | 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 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.

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:

• 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 certification; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

As part of an Akanuku | 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

• observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.