Level 3 125 Queen Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland
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 Cosmo Kids are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
Cosmo Kids operates from a high rise building in Auckland’s CBD. The service provides education and care for children whose parents live or work in the inner city. The owner/manager is a certificated teacher and is responsible for the daily operations of the service. She leads a team of four qualified teachers, a teacher in training, one unqualified teacher and a cook.
The thoughtfully designed and well-resourced learning environment encourages children to engage in play of their own choosing. Teachers have developed nurturing and responsive relationships with children and are aware of their preferences and interests. Infants and toddlers receive individualised care. As a result, children are settled and display a sense of belonging in the environment.
The service provides opportunities for children and their families to learn about te ao Māori. Waiata, karakia and tikanga practices are included in centre routines. Some teachers use te reo Māori as they work with children. Leaders acknowledge the need to continually to strengthen this aspect of teaching practice.
The service curriculum includes many opportunities for families to be involved in the celebration of cultural and social events. These events are well supported. Information about the learning of each child is shared through an online platform and hard copy portfolios. Leaders and teachers could now work more collaboratively with families to establish learning-focused partnerships and to set learning outcomes inclusive of their identity, language, and culture.
An external support person provides coaching, mentoring and professional development to the teaching team. Service leaders acknowledge the need to draw on a wide range of research and current theories of practice to build their inquiry and evaluation practices. Measurable indicators which support the service to monitor shifts in practice and the impact on outcomes for learners have not yet been introduced.
Cosmo Kids will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Cosmo Kids 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:
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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
29 January 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Cosmo Kids |
| Profile Number | 47329 |
| Location | Queen Street, Auckland CBD. |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 23 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 22 |
| Review team on site | December 2023 |
| Date of this report | 29 January 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2022; Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2019 |
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 |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
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.
Cosmo Kids is an inner-city service located in a high-rise building. It provides for children whose parents live or work in the Auckland CBD. There are four qualified teachers, including the owner/manager. The service also employs two teachers who are in training, and a cook.
The layout of the premises includes quiet space, areas for physically active play, and space for a range of individual and group learning experiences appropriate to the number of children attending. Adults providing education and care promote meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture, and it encourages children to understand and respect other cultures. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children. Ongoing monitoring is required to meet and maintain health and safety and governance and management regulatory standards.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Checking equipment, premises, and facilities daily for hazards to the children and considering all hazards required (HS12).
Having a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service, that includes evidence of parental acknowledgement (HS28).
Information is provided to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service and any planned reviews and consultation (GMA3).
Parents of children attending the service, and adults providing education and care, are provided with opportunities to contribute to the development and review of the service's operational documents (GMA4).
A process for reviewing and evaluating the service's operation that includes a schedule showing timelines for planned review and recorded outcomes from the review process (GMA6).
Documenting in full the risk assessment process so that all children’s workers who have access to children are safety checked in accordance with the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A).
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
20 June 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Cosmo Kids |
|
Profile Number |
47329 |
|
Location |
Auckland CBD, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 19 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
30 |
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā 9, Chinese 7, Southeast Asian 7, other Asian 5, other ethnic groups 2 |
|
Review team on site |
February 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
20 June 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2019 |
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 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 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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Cosmo Kids is licensed for 50 children, including 19 under two years of age. There are seven qualified teachers, including the owner and centre manager. The centre also employs three teachers who are in training, and a cook. It caters for children whose parents live or work in the Auckland CBD. This is the first ERO review of the service.
Children’s learning is supported by positive, meaningful interactions with teachers in a language rich environment. Teachers plan and implement a programme that includes a wide range of learning experiences. The curriculum is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and informed by assessment, planning and evaluation. Children have opportunities to gain an understanding of Māori as tangata whenua.
The service is effectively governed and managed, with systems to ensure parents are informed and able to be involved. The design and layout support the provision of different indoor and outdoor experiences and children’s easy access to resources. An ongoing process of review keeps the service focused on improvement for children at the centre.
Key next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Education Review.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
23 October 2019
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Cosmo Kids |
|
Profile Number |
47329 |
|
Location |
Auckland CBD |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including 19 aged under 2 years |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Reported ratio of staff to children under 2 |
1:3 - Better than regulatory standards |
|
Reported ratio of staff to children over 2 |
1:6 - Better than regulatory standards |
|
Service roll |
41 |
|
Gender composition |
Girls 25 Boys 16 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 1 |
|
Review team on site |
September 2019 |
|
Date of this report |
23 October 2019 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service. |
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.
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:
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:
As part of an Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: