City Heights Childcare

Education institution number:
83040
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Telephone:
Address:

254 York Place, Dunedin Central, Dunedin

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City Heights Childcare - 22/07/2016

1 Evaluation of City Heights Childcare

How well placed is City Heights Childcare 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

City Heights Childcare is one of three centres on the same site in central Dunedin. It provides full-day care and education for up to 15 children under two years. Children from this centre transition into a centre for toddlers in the same building. The service provides nutritious meals and has recently achieved the Gold Healthy Heart Award.

There have been some staff changes within the childcare and the City Heights services since the 2013 ERO review. This includes a new manager for the three centres. The new manager has established leadership roles within the service, including two head teachers to oversee educational programmes in the three centres. Currently there is one head teacher in this role.

The manager has led significant developments and made very good progress on the key next steps and actions in the previous ERO report. She has:

  • extensively consulted with staff and families to redevelop the City Heights vision and philosophy

  • developed long and short-term plans to guide the direction of the service and inform decision making

  • introduced systems for monitoring goals

  • made ongoing improvements to children's play areas.

This review was part of a cluster review of the three centres in the City Heights service.

The Review Findings

The small group size in City Heights Childcare enables teachers to know children and families well. Teachers regularly talk with parents about their wishes for their children's learning and their children's day-to-day care. Teachers have nurturing, respectful relationships with the infants and toddlers. They carefully plan for infants' and toddlers' smooth transition into the childcare and on to the adjacent Montessori centre. Infants' and toddlers' care routines are integrated into the learning programme.

Teachers provide a range of experiences and activities suitable for infants' and toddlers' learning and development. These include:

  • art and messy play

  • outings in the local community

  • music and movement

  • heuristic play.

Since the 2013 ERO report, a separate space has been created for very young infants. This provides a comfortable space for children who are not yet mobile or able to sit by themselves.

The new manager has helped the team recognise the importance of supporting infants' and toddlers' communication and exploration skills. She has introduced an online tool to support planning for individual children. The head teacher provides ongoing feedback and guidance to teachers as they develop their planning practices.

The manager has a strong commitment to including Māori perspectives within the service. This is reflected in long and short-term planning, professional learning for leaders and teachers, involvement in community events and in the development of a centre mihi.

The manager has high expectations for teacher practice and is building this through a new appraisal process and regular professional discussions. She is assisted in her role by the head teacher. With the appointment of a second head teacher, it is time to review the head teacher role to ensure the key focus is on supporting and improving learning programmes and the quality of teaching in the centre.  

The philosophy gives good guidance about what is valued and what is important learning for children at City Heights. Leaders and teachers across the service should use the philosophy to guide curriculum priorities. These desired outcomes for children’s learning need to be more evident in planning and in intentional teaching. The manager has plans to further improve centre environments and should use the philosophy and vision to guide decisions around this.

Staff turnover and limited uninterrupted time for teacher planning have impacted on the progress of improvements to curriculum design, teaching and learning. The manager and head teachers need to develop assessment, planning and evaluation guidelines to help them and the teachers in their work and support consistency of practice.

Assessment, planning and evaluation processes require further development across the service. Teachers and leaders need to:

  • continue to find ways to consistently gather parents’ wishes for their children’s learning and development, and show how they respond to children’s language, culture and identity

  • plan strategies and experiences to extend learning

  • evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and experiences in supporting children's learning

  • show children’s progress over time.

Group planning needs to consistently show intended priorities for learning and the experiences and intentional teaching to achieve these priorities. Evaluations should show the difference teachers have made to children's learning.

The manager and some staff have undertaken professional learning and development to improve self-review practices. Whilst this PLD gives a framework for improvement, self review is still a work in progress. To further develop self-review practices, the manager, head teachers and teachers need to:

  • ensure the focus of the review is guided by an evaluative question

  • develop indicators that guide the review and ensure they match the focus of the review

  • consistently use the indicators throughout the process

  • ensure that policies and procedures give very clear guidance to staff.

The manager has developed useful systems and processes for the management and leadership of the service. However, she agrees that it is now time to update the policy framework to reflect the service's vision and current practices.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps for the manager, with the support of the leaders are to:

  • redefine the head teacher roles to have greater emphasis on curriculum leadership

  • use the philosophy to guide all aspects of the centre operations, including curriculum priorities

  • ensure teams have regular, scheduled and uninterrupted time for planning, assessment and evaluation

  • further develop planning, assessment and evaluation practices, including guidelines of best practice

  • refine self-review practices and review the policy framework.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of City Heights Childcare 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 City Heights Childcare will be in three years.

Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern

22 July 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

83040

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

15 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

15

Gender composition

Girls: 9

Boys: 6

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Other

13

2

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

June 2016

Date of this report

22 July 2016

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

June 2013

Supplementary Review

February 2010

Education Review

January 2009

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.

City Heights Childcare - 17/06/2013

1 Evaluation of the Service

How well placed is the service to promote positive outcomes for children?

City Heights Childcare teachers show a strong commitment to providing the best for the infants and toddlers in their care. Some governance and management practices need to improve to ensure children’s ongoing learning and wellbeing. City Heights Childcare is developing its capacity to promote positive outcomes for children.

Context

City Heights Childcare is one of three centres located on the same site. It provides full-day care and education for up to 15 children under two years.

In 2012 there were major building redevelopments within the City Heights facilities including improvements to the older children’s playground and a new reception/administration block. The infants’ and toddlers’ indoor and outdoor environments were not upgraded.

Since the February 2010 ERO review, the teachers have made some progress in improving the records of learning. However, self-review practices require further development.

There has been a number of staff changes across the organisation. This includes staff leaving, new staff arriving and staff moving between the three centres.

Review Findings

Infants and toddlers benefit from nurturing and responsive relationships with their teachers. The teachers are affectionate with the infants and toddlers and know them and their families well. Parents are made to feel welcome on arrival and are comfortable to stay and settle their children. The teachers make time to talk with them about their child’s daily requirements.

Teachers’ interactions with the infants and toddlers are respectful. They give the infants and toddlers time to anticipate changes to routines, such as going to bed or meal times. The teachers effectively share information with each other about the infants’ and toddlers’ routines and care needs. They have effective systems to ensure children’s care needs are met.

Teachers respond to infants’ and toddlers’ interests and seek to extend and support these. ERO found that the indoor and outdoor environments do not sufficiently provide for infants’ and toddlers’ physical and intellectual stimulation. The environment is not well resourced and provides limited opportunities for exploration.

The teachers regularly reflect on how they can improve aspects of their programme and practices. Recently they have been using indicators of best practice for infant care and education as a starting point for reflection. The licensee provides very good support for ongoing professional development and training for teachers.

Key Next Steps

The licensee and managers need to develop a framework to guide effective decision making within the services. Many decisions are made in response to needs as they arise and some of the useful systems that have been developed have not yet been fully implemented.

Management acknowledges and ERO agrees that the next step for the service is to develop their overarching strategic direction. This includes:

  • clarifying the City Heights vision and philosophy
  • long and short-term planning that clearly identifies the service’s priorities and how it will achieve the vision
  • goals that are supported by appropriate actions and resources to enable them to be achieved
  • systematic monitoring of progress towards the goals
  • gathering evidence to demonstrate the achievement of the goals (linked to the services’ vision)
  • planning to improve the infants’ and toddlers’ indoor and outdoor environments.

When this occurs, the licensee and managers will have a more useful framework to support the systems that are in place. In addition, the decisions they make that affect children’s learning and wellbeing will be more considered and enduring.

The managers and teachers need to further develop their knowledge of self-review processes. The managers should ensure that the self-review schedule that has been developed is implemented. They then need to use the findings from self review to make improvements to the overall service. Reviews should include looking at all aspects of the effectiveness of the service’s processes and practices over time. The licensee and managers should review:

  • roles and responsibilities within the service
  • leadership development and succession planning
  • how adequately time is allocated for teachers to assess and plan for children’s learning and discuss and review their programmes.
  • how effectively they involve parents, staff and children in the decision making of the service.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the licensee and managers develop an action plan to ensure that the next key steps are addressed. ERO has offered to support this process.

2 Legal Requirements

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the management of City Heights Childcare 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:

  • administration
  • health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial and property management.

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.

ERO identified an area of non-compliance. To address this centre managers must:

  • ensure that regular evacuation drills are carried out. Education (ECC) Regulations 1998 R.24(3)

3 Next Review

When is ERO likely to review the early childhood service again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Graham Randell

National Manager Review Services Southern Region

17 June 2013

Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Dunedin

Ministry of Education profile number

83040

Licence type

Education and Care Service - All Day

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998

Number licensed for

15 children aged under 2

Service roll

10

Gender composition

Boys: 8 Girls: 2

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Asian

Other

7

1

2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Exceeds minimum requirements

 

Over 2

N/A

N/A

Review team on site

February 2012

Date of this report

17 June 2013

Most recent ERO report(s)

Supplementary Review

Education Review

Education Review

February 2010

January 2009

August 2005

General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

About ERO Reviews

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand government department that reviews schools and early childhood services throughout New Zealand.

Review focus

ERO's education reviews in early childhood services focus on the factors that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. ERO evaluates how well placed the service is to make and sustain improvements for the benefit of all children at the service. To reach these findings ERO considers:

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 self review and partnerships with parents and whānau.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of service performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.