- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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Regulatory standards |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Castor Bay Infant Care Centre offers all-day care for up to 20 infants and toddlers. The centre has operated on the ground floor of a residential property for over 25 years. New owners purchased the centre in 2018.
Good practices noted in the 2016 ERO report have been sustained.
Teachers plan and implement a programme that is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and responds to the interests, strengths and capabilities of enrolled children. Children’s learning is supported by positive interactions with teachers in a language rich environment that includes a wide range of learning experiences. Children have opportunities to gain an understanding of Māori as tangata whenua.
Leaders and teachers regularly communicate with parents to share information about children’s learning and encourage their involvement in decision-making. An ongoing process of review keeps the service focused on improvement in outcomes for children at the centre.
Since ERO’s on-site visit the service provider has provided ERO with further evidence to show that all policies and procedures meet requirements. Steps have been taken to ensure that fences around the licensed premises are secure, and that all glass meets appropriate safety standards. A dishwasher has been installed.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
16 August 2019
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Castor Bay Infant Care Centre |
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Profile Number |
45222 |
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Location |
Castor Bay, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
20 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 years |
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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 regulatory standards |
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Over 2 |
1:4 - Better than regulatory standards |
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Service roll |
18 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 11 Girls 7 |
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Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 10 other ethnic groups 8 |
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Review team on site |
July 2019 |
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Date of this report |
16 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review March 2016 |
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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
the Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008
the Licensing Criteria for Hospital-based 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 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 Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated 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; police vetting; teacher certification; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
As part of an 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.