5 Mcgregor Street, Waikouaiti
View on mapAkarangi | 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 Big Steps Educare Inc are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
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Ngā Akatoro Domains |
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Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Big Steps Educare Inc. is a semi-rural service governed by a parent committee. A long-standing centre manager oversees day to day operations and leads a team of mostly qualified staff. Almost a quarter of the children attending are of Māori heritage. Areas of non-compliance from the August 2022 ERO report have been addressed.
Children learn within an inclusive, play-based curriculum. They make choices in their play and learning, both indoors and outdoors. Teachers support children’s developing social competence and emotional wellbeing. Children with additional learning needs are well supported with individual learning plans developed in close liaison with whānau and external agencies.
Children have some opportunities to hear te reo Māori spoken. Aspects of tikanga and te ao Māori are reflected in the documentation and within the curriculum. Currently there is limited evidence of how the curriculum acknowledges and responds to the identity, languages and cultures of all children.
Infants and toddlers play and learn within a responsive curriculum. Teachers extend their interests, support their development and interact with them in meaningful ways. They respectfully respond to children’s verbal and non-verbal cues and enhance their sense of mana.
Assessment information shows children’s developing capabilities and learning progress over time. The agreed learning priorities are reflected in practice and documentation of learning. Curriculum design is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Teachers show an increased focus on the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki. These are yet to be consistently used to show children’s learning and developing capabilities.
Leaders and teachers are collaborative, and improvement focused. There are useful systems for review and evaluation that result in improved conditions and experiences for children and whānau. Internal evaluation practices now require strengthening to show the difference improvement actions have made for identified individuals and groups of children.
Teachers and leaders have well established partnerships with parents and whānau. There are regular opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to, and review, the valued learning priorities. However, it is now timely that these are again reviewed in consultation with whānau and wider learning community.
Those responsible for governance and management are well informed about curriculum and regulatory standards.
Big Steps Educare Inc will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Increase the range of opportunities for children’s cultures, languages and identity to be seen and heard in meaningful learning contexts and in documentation.
With parents and whānau, explore the Te Whāriki learning outcomes and use these to inform the review of the service’s learning priorities.
Within internal evaluation and other practices such as professional growth cycles, monitor and evaluate improvement actions to know what is and is not working well, and for whom, in relation to outcomes for learners.
Before the review, the staff and management of Big Steps Educare Inc completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
26 October 2023
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Big Steps Educare Inc |
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Profile Number |
83016 |
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Location |
Waikouaiti |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
52 |
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Review team on site |
August 2023 |
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Date of this report |
26 October 2023 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, August 2022 |
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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Not meeting |
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Governance, management, and administration |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
Big Steps Educare Inc is a rural early childhood service near Dunedin. A long serving centre manager leads a team of mostly qualified teachers. Centre priorities value relationships, sense of community and an ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The curriculum reflects the centre philosophy and provides children with a range of experiences based on their needs and interests. Teachers engage in meaningful, respectful, and positive interactions. Children under two have a separate play area with opportunities for mixed-aged play. Assessment, planning and evaluation of learning is informed by whānau aspirations. Children’s cultures and languages are integrated into the curriculum alongside bicultural practices.
The premises supports the provision of different kinds of indoor and outdoor experiences. Governance and management are yet to fully implement some human resource practices. Consistent implementation and monitoring of health and safety practices is required to ensure the service meets the Regulatory Standards.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
consistently maintaining complete records of children’s sleep
ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked daily for hazards to children and the hazard checks include all those specified in the Licensing Criteria
ensuring documentation for regular excursions includes parent permission, assessment and management of risk, method of travel, and signature of the person responsible
ensuring all children’s workers are safety checked in accordance with the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 and records of all safety checks and the results are complete.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008; HS9, HS12, HS17, GMA7A.
Since the onsite visit the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
evaluation of emergency drills and evidence of how this has informed the annual review of the emergency plan [HS8]
the licensing criteria being prominently displayed [GMA1]
making the most recent ERO report available or providing written documentation letting parents know how to access [GMA2].
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
22 August 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Big Steps Educare Inc |
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Profile Number |
83016 |
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Location |
Waikouaiti |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
65 |
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Review team on site |
July 2022 |
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Date of this report |
22 August 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, August 2019; Education Review, June 2016 |
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.
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.
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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Big Steps Educare Inc is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Big Steps Educare Inc is a rural, early childhood service that provides education and care for up to 35 children, including 10 aged up to two years. It is located in Waikouaiti and operates from 6.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The service's valued outcomes focus on children to be curious, respectful, and interdependent and explorers of their world. The philosophy values the importance of close, respectful relationships between the service, tamariki and their whānau and connections with the wider community.
The day-to-day operations of the centre are managed by the centre manager. Staffing has remained unchanged since ERO's 2016 review. The service has responded well in addressing the recommendations from its last ERO review in 2016.
Children benefit from an inclusive learning environment which supports their sense of belonging and makes their families feel welcome. The mixed-age setting supports children to develop friendships through cooperative and independent play. They are settled and engaged in their learning.
Positive relationships are evident between children and adults. Their interests, needs and preferences are well known by teachers. Teachers use this knowledge to plan activities and routines, and to adapt the learning environment to support children's learning and development.
The curriculum is broad and offers children a range of interesting and meaningful learning experiences. Early literacy is well supported by teachers, with a strong focus on building oral-language skills for children. The physical environment offers challenge and appropriate risk for children to explore and become fully involved in a wide variety of activities. Daily care routines are well managed and understood by children.
Children under three years old benefit from strong attachments with key contact teachers. High levels of care and respect support infants and toddlers to learn and develop in a safe, calm and settled environment.
A useful planning and assessment system is in place to ensure all children are planned for over time. Parent's aspirations and children’s language, culture and identity are meaningfully included. Further refinement of this will strengthen the quality and consistency of assessment for children's learning.
Teachers maintain open and ongoing communication with parents in order to know about children's changing needs. The contributions of parents and whānau are valued, sought by teachers, and regularly used for planning children's learning.
Leaders and teachers respond appropriately to the interests, strengths, and capabilities of diverse groups of children. Teachers use te reo me ona tikanga Māori in ways that value and recognise New Zealand's bicultural society. They participate in professional learning to further develop bicultural practices in the centre.
The service has well established connections within the wider community. Partnerships with whānau Māori have continued to strengthen over time. This has positively contributed to the development of a working relationship with the local runanga and marae.
The centre and their families have strong reciprocal links with the local school. Children benefit from well planned and positive transitions into, through and beyond the centre. Teachers foster children's friendships to enhance their security and confidence at settling in and transition times.
The centre manager provides ongoing professional and collegial support to all staff. Teachers benefit from a shared leadership approach which supports professional practice and grows their capability. Professional learning is identified and prioritised by the centre manager and staff.
The parent committee has experienced membership changes following the recent annual general meeting. The outgoing committee have implemented a succession plan that will assist the new committee to develop capability and support ongoing sustainability.
Big Steps Educare Inc, and ERO agree, that the key next steps to improve outcomes for children are to continue to:
develop and build on assessment, planning and evaluation to strengthen the quality and consistency of assessment for children's learning
build on current bicultural practices to strengthen ongoing partnerships with whānau Māori and links with local runaka
strengthen internal evaluation practices to build evaluative thinking and reasoning which will help guide assessment and planning for children's learning
develop and build on the appraisal system to ensure a more cohesive and consistent approach is used for all staff.
Before the review, the staff and management of Big Steps Educare Inc 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:
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
28 August 2019
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.
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Location |
Waikouaiti |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
83016 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
69 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 37, Boys 32 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2019 |
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Date of this report |
28 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO reports
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Education Review |
June 2016 |
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Education Review |
March 2013 |
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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.
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.
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.