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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bright Babes Limited's philosophy is based on the Magna Gerber approach, which places the child at the centre of learning. The service aims to promote babies, toddlers and young children to develop their learning within a nurturing environment based on warm, caring relationships. Babies, toddlers and young children have many opportunities to initiate play, extend their own interests, and become confident and independent learners.
The centre is privately owned and provides early childhood education and care for children from birth to school age from Monday to Friday. There are two separate buildings, which cater for babies/toddlers and pre-school children. These facilities are open from 7.30am to 5.45pm. A third building was added as a kindergarten in 2011 to cater for young children who attend from 8.45am to 2.45pm.
The licensee-owner takes an active role in the centre's administration and has a strong commitment to the education and wellbeing of young children. She has set high expectations for teaching and learning.
The centre manager is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the centre and provides effective professional support and guidance for staff. She is an experienced and capable leader with a strong focus on positive outcomes for children based on the centre’s philosophy. There are three teams of teachers who work together to plan specific programmes of learning for babies, toddlers and young children areas.
Respectful and collaborative relationships exist among children, parents and staff. Parents appreciate that teachers provide their children with a learning environment that is safe, enjoyable, friendly and inclusive. They are grateful for the centre’s flexibility about children’s hours of attendance and also value the proximity of the centre to a primary school and their employment.
Babies settle quickly in a warm, welcoming and homelike environment. They explore and make sense of the world around them as they experiment with movement, language, and a variety of resources. Babies enjoy many opportunities to interact and build strong attachments with teachers, particularly those who are their primary carers. Babies also enjoy supervised interactions with children from the toddlers’ area.
Teachers have a very good understanding of babies' developmental needs and deliberately plan to build and extend their emotional, physical and intellectual growth. They are very astute and skilfully recognise babies’ early attempts to move and respond to sounds. Teachers use a range of strategies to respond to babies changing needs and preferences.
Frequent conversations with parents about how babies move into the toddler area provide them with vital information on how they can support their babies' in the transition process.
Toddlers are highly engaged in an environment that provides a wide range of activities that stimulate and challenge them. They have easy access to both inside and outside resources. Toddlers are free to safely use equipment as and where they wish. This supports and extends their understandings, about the world around them.
Teachers interact with toddlers to promote their confidence and independence as they explore the environment. Teachers notice what children are interested in and follow up with meaningful activities that contribute to their learning. They model new language for toddlers and give them time to respond and converse. Teachers recognise toddlers’ readiness to move into the pre-school area and smoothly facilitate this process. Parents are well-informed and contribute to the transition process.
Young children in the pre-school area and the kindergarten are engaged in an environment that provides a range of resources, which stimulates and challenges their interests. They explore and experiment with equipment, use language and enjoy many opportunities to interact with each other and their teachers. Children have easy access to both inside and outside areas. They are independent learners, lead their own learning, develop friendships, and decide when they are ready to move into different areas of play.
Teachers skilfully recognise children’s emerging interests and use a variety of strategies that complement children’s learning. They have a very good understanding of children’s developmental needs and deliberately plan to build and extend their emotional, physical and intellectual growth. Teachers work alongside children, give them time to converse and respond, and encourage them to explore different ways of learning.
A process for monitoring children’s progress and learning assists teachers to evaluate children’s development. Recorded observations about children’s learning assists teachers to effectively plan and provide purposeful resources. Term evaluation reports are shared with parents in children’s portfolios. Teachers frequently review strategies to ensure the learning programme is relevant and visible to children and families.
Managers and teachers have a shared understanding about the centre’s philosophy. They ensure that a te reo and tikanga Māori programme is implemented by teachers in all areas of the centre.
ERO and centre leaders agree that to improve their self review the following areas need to be further developed and aligned:
Attention to these areas should assist centre managers and teachers to more effectively review centre practices and focus on continued improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Babes Limited 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:
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 Bright Babes Limited will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
2 March 2015
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 |
Hamilton |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
34070 |
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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 |
99 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
121 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 66 Boys 55 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Latin American Samoan Cook Island Chinese Tongan Niue Other |
35 65 5 5 3 2 2 1 3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
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 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2015 |
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Date of this report |
2 March 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2012 |
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Education Review |
March 2009 |
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Supplementary Review (as Te Whare A Huhana) |
December 2005 |
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 ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
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.