Divine Foundation Home Base

Education institution number:
47176
Service type:
Homebased Network
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
18
Address:

22 Station Road, Otahuhu, Auckland

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Divine Foundation Home Base - 22/03/2019

1 Evaluation of Divine Foundation Home Base

How well placed is Divine Foundation Home Base to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Divine Foundation Home Base is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Divine Foundation Home Base is licensed to provide home based education and care for up to 50 children, including 22 children aged under two years. There are currently 43 children enrolled in this network, and most children are Tongan with small numbers of other Pacific, Māori and Pākehā ethnicities. The licensee and staff communicate with and provide information for families in Tongan, Samoan and English languages. This is the first ERO evaluation of the service.

The service has been operating since October 2017, and is led by the owner/licensee. A manager oversees the operation of the service. A qualified and registered coordinator works alongside seven educators. The coordinator is supported by a qualified and registered relieving coordinator. Together with the manager they provide support and guidance for the educators working in their homes. They hold regular monthly meetings, targeted workshops and planned special events to support educators.

The owner, manager and coordinator have established a well-defined vision 'Children are our treasures - Ko e fānau ko e mata'ikoloa'. This vision sits at the heart of all service systems and processes. The philosophy of the service encompasses valuing the child, parents, families and communities, and believing that every child has the potential for greatness. The philosophy shows commitment to providing every child an opportunity to have fun, play and learn within a high quality home environment is a focus. The service agrees that the philosophy needs further refinement.

The Review Findings

Educators have a good knowledge of children and their whānau. This is reflected in children's records of learning where their home languages and cultures are honoured. Educators are beginning to document the learning that is taking place during the day for each child. The coordinator has begun to introduce the educators to the importance of different types of play. She recognises the need to work closely with educators to develop their understanding around the fundamentals of early childhood education.

The manager and coordinator provide opportunities for educators, children and whānau to come together to take part in special social and cultural events. They see this as one way of developing meaningful relationships and providing collaborative experiences for all involved. The manager and coordinator should now develop further channels of communication between the service and whānau.

The service is committed to promoting bicultural awareness and practices across all systems. Matariki celebrations and Māori Language Week enhance children's understanding of te ao Māori. Educators attend workshops on making Māori resources, and how to develop an understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

There are well-managed transitions into educators' homes. The service supports parents to transition their children to school. The service acknowledges the need to strengthen educators' understanding of how to prepare children for this transition, through the daily programme. The coordinator aims to use Te Whāriki, the revised early childhood curriculum, with educators to develop their understanding.

The service has developed a strategic plan in collaboration with management and educators. This plan is often referred to during regular meetings and workshops, contributing to transparent communication. A policy framework and budget guide service operations. The service has processes for internal evaluation and teacher appraisal, which management agrees both need reviewing and strengthening.

Key Next Steps

The service recognises the urgent priority to develop an action plan to develop:

  • an appraisal process that leads to improved evidence-based practice, builds leadership and meets Teaching Council requirements

  • an organisational culture that supports ongoing improvement through relevant professional learning and development

  • and strengthen internal evaluation across all systems by evaluating the impact on children's outcomes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Divine Foundation Home Base completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

22 March 2019

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 Home-based Education and Care Service

Location

Otahuhu, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

47176

Institution type

Homebased Network

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 22 aged under 2

Service roll

43

Standard or Quality Funded

Standard

Gender composition

Boys 22 Girls 21

Ethnic composition

Māori
Tongan
other ethnic groups

2
37
4

Number of qualified coordinators in the network

2

Required ratios of staff educators to children

Under 2

1:2

Over 2

1:4

Review team on site

January 2019

Date of this report

22 March 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

No previous ERO reports

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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed
  • Well placed
  • Requires further development
  • Not well placed

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.