1519 Moutere Highway, Upper Moutere
View on mapERO’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 |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
Country Kids Childcare Centre is located in a rural setting and run by an established, parent-led board. The centre manager, curriculum leader and most teachers are long serving. Three separate classrooms cater for the age and needs of children attending. A small number of children who attend are Māori.
The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to extend their interests and needs. A language-rich environment is provided to support children’s learning. Adults providing education and care engage in positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Premises support the provision of different kinds of indoor and outdoor play, and a range of learning experiences.
A better understanding of the regulatory standards and licensing criteria, and consistent implementation and monitoring of health and safety practices are required to meet all aspects of regulatory compliance.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
having evidence that the evaluation of drills is used to inform the annual review of the emergency plan
having a sleep procedure and practices that ensure children are checked for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing every 5 to 10 minutes, and maintaining a consistent record of time each child sleeps and checks are made
ensuring daily hazard checks are consistently undertaken, and any hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised; hazards must also include vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials, windows and other areas of glass
ensuring children are seated and supervised while eating.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008, HS8, HS9, HS12, HS22].
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
Ensuring the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, and the Licensing Criteria are prominently displayed (GMA1).
Since the onsite visit, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
Having an updated procedure for the hygienic laundering of linen used by children or adults (HS2).
Ensuring fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
Ensuring documentation of regular excursions consistently includes names of adults and children involved, method of travel, adult:child ratios, assessment and management of risk undertaken for each excursion, and the signature of the person responsible giving approval (HS17).
Ensuring parents are advised how to access information concerning their child (GMA2).
Implementing suitable human resource management practices which include regularly reviewed job/role descriptions (GMA7).
Having an annual plan that shows how key tasks will have regard to the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) (GMA8).
Consistently maintaining an attendance record that meets the requirements outlined in the Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook for children currently attending (GMA11).
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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
11 September 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Country Kids Childcare Centre |
|
Profile Number |
65406 |
|
Location |
Upper Moutere, Tasman |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 9 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
58 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
11 September 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2019; Education Review August 2015 |
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Country Kids Childcare Centre is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Country Kids Childcare Centre is a not for profit, community-owned and operated centre in rural Nelson. It is licenced for a maximum of 50 children, including up to nine under two-year olds. It is governed by a parent/community board. There is a centre manager, curriculum leader and financial officer, all providing leadership. All teachers have early learning education qualifications. Centre staffing is stable and experienced. The centre operates full-day sessions from Monday to Friday. Children from a wide geographical area attend the centre. Recent enrolments have increased the cultural diversity at the centre.
The centre is divided into three areas according to age, under two-year olds, two-to-four year olds, and four-to-five year olds. Transitions from room to room are flexible and depend on children's readiness for change.
The centre philosophy incorporates the following:
cooperative play
provision of a rich curriculum that fosters curiosity and inquiry
the importance of building meaningful relationships based on trust, respect and honesty
caring for children's mana, respect for people and the environment
respecting and celebrating the Treaty of Waitangi.
The centre has successfully addressed the recommendations from the 2015 ERO report. Some recommendations are still in progress. These include making centre priorities more manageable over time in the strategic plan, and continuing to build greater consistency across the team in assessment practices.
The centre is welcoming to children, their parents/whānau and provides equitable opportunities for all to attend the centre. Relationships at all levels are very respectful, nurturing and warm and recognised as important foundations for learning. The collegial and collaborative nature of the staff contributes to best outcomes for children.
The expansive indoor and outside areas are a stimulus for a rich, broad curriculum. Teachers enhance this environment by providing activities that promote intellectual and physical challenge. The practices and desired outcomes outlined in the philosophy are highly evident in the programmes, interactions and environment. Leaders and teachers make very good use of outside agencies, expertise and community events to enrich children's learning and engage families.
Te ao Māori is authentically integrated and interwoven throughout the programme. There is regular use of te reo Māori in all rooms and children are gaining an awareness of New Zealand's bicultural heritage. This is helping Māori children achieve success as Māori in an environment where their language, culture and identity are valued.
Children under two years of age benefit from having a primary carer who provides:
positive, responsive interactions leading to strong attachments and a sense of security
for their changing routines and preferences, and uses these as opportunities for learning
interesting resources and experiences to stimulate their engagement and learning.
The board and leaders very effectively govern and manage the day-to-day and long-term operations of the centre. Careful financial management has ensured the centre's viability and sustainability. There is strong alignment of systems and processes that shows a shared purpose and direction.
The manager keeps the board well informed about the curriculum focus, centre events, the appraisal process and ongoing staff development. Leaders consistently model a caring, collaborative approach that promotes trusting relationships and upholds staff wellbeing. They support teachers to reflect on their practice and contribute to internal evaluation in a strong culture of ongoing improvement.
To strengthen the good practice already in action the leaders and ERO agree that the next important steps are to:
refine the strategic plan to better reflect the centre's priorities
extend leaders' and teachers' understanding of evaluation and refine the process so that it is manageable
build consistency in assessment practices across the teaching team to better show how teachers are extending children's learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Country Kids Childcare Centre 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.
The next ERO review of Country Kids Childcare Centre will be in four years.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
26 February 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.
|
Location |
Upper Moutere, Nelson |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65406 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 9 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
56 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys: 31 Girls: 25 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
December 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
26 February 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports
|
Education Review |
August 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Country Kids Childcare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Country Kids Childcare Centre is a well-established community-based education and care service that caters for children from birth to five years of age. The centre’s philosophy focuses on providing children with meaningful experiences in a safe and fun learning environment.
The centre has three rooms to provide age-appropriate activities and care. However, programme flexibility enables children to move between rooms and socialise with younger or older children.
Centre management and staff have built close ties with the local community. Teachers recently joined a learning cluster that strengthens professional relationships and support children’s positive transition to school.
The board of trustees which is made up of elected parent and community representatives works closely with the centre management team to support children and staff.
The centre has maintained the strengths outlined in the 2012 ERO report. Staff have made good progress in addressing the areas recommended for development including improvements to self review, teacher appraisal and assessment.
Children play and learn in a positive and caring environment. They are encouraged to help and care for each other. Infants and toddlers are well supported to become independent and confident learners. Older children are appropriately challenged by new experiences and questions that enhance their problem solving skills.
Literacy, mathematics and art are well-integrated into the centre programmes. Teachers readily respond to children’s needs, abilities and interests. They value and use many of the ideas shared by children to enhance the centre programme. Children have many opportunities to learn beyond the centre environment.
Teachers respectfully use children’s prior knowledge to enrich the learning of others. Learning stories are well written and acknowledge the child as a capable learner. The stories clearly show the wide range of interesting learning experiences teachers provide for children.
Children experience positive and caring relationships in a welcoming environment. Teachers value children’s cultural backgrounds and place great importance on inclusive practices. They are aware of the steps to take to meet the specific learning needs of any child who may enrol at the centre.
There is a strong focus on incorporating bicultural perspectives into the programme. Children are able to hear and use te reo Māori often throughout the programme.
The centre is well-led and managed. The management team is very well supported by an external advisor from another early childhood organisation. The team works collaboratively with staff to meet the needs of the children.
Staff benefit from selected professional development targeted to meet their needs. They have a shared understanding of self review which they use to make ongoing improvements to their practice and to the centre programme.
The managers and ERO agree that the next steps to improve learning outcomes for children include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Country Kids Childcare Centre 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 Country Kids Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
25 August 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.
|
Location |
Upper Moutere, Tasman |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
65406 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 9 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
55 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 28; Girls 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other ethnicities |
3 51 1 |
|
|
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 |
|
Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
July 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
25 August 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
April 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
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.