EDEN Home Based Childcare

1 Evaluation of EDEN Home Based Childcare

How well placed is EDEN Home Based Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

EDEN Home Based Childcare is a standard network that is licensed to provide for 80 children at any one time. There are currently 39 children enrolled. The roll includes small numbers of Māori and other diverse ethnicities.

This network was established in 2016, with its head office in Warkworth. Educators are located in Warkworth, Whangaparoa and in Auckland from the North Shore to Point Chevalier. Educators care for up to four children at a time in their homes. The visiting teachers are registered early childhood teachers and have varied background teaching experiences.

The service's philosophy focuses on play-based learning and learning through nature. The fundamental principles that underpin the service's philosophy are responsive and respectful relationships, the natural environment, holistic development, and community connections.

This is the first ERO evaluation for this network.

The Review Findings

Aspects of the service's philosophy are evident in the home visit reports, emails from educators and parents, and in learning stories. Documentation shows that infants and toddlers are served well through the philosophy of respect and promoting care in educators’ homes.

Children benefit from opportunities to explore and engage in nature play in a variety of outdoor environments. They engage in social interactions, physical exploration, imaginative play and positive relationships with educators. The focus is on an unhurried approach to children's play and learning at their own pace.

Educators appreciate the support they have from visiting teachers. Records indicate that visiting teachers establish positive relationships with children, educators and families. Visiting teachers provide detailed reports and responsive feedback that build educators' and families' capability to contribute to children's learning. Their fortnightly updates include suggestions and professional readings to support educators in providing programmes for children. Newsletters give information about playgroups and community events in the Warkworth and Auckland areas.

Visiting teachers could help educators to more explicitly build on children’s interests. They should also be more specific in following up actions for their next visits to inform educators’ programme planning and evaluation. Visiting teachers are aware of the need to ensure children make a smooth transition to school. They have begun working with educators to deliberately focus on self-help and group skills to assist children with this transition.

There is a collaborative approach to leadership, and a sense of respect and trust between the service provider, visiting teachers, and educators. It may be helpful now to be more explicit about the roles and responsibilities of a service provider, visiting teacher and educator.

Good systems are in place to identify and monitor provisions for the health and safety of adults and children in homes. Appropriate policies guide practice and are reviewed annually to ensure currency with legal requirements.

Key Next Steps

The owners have identified relevant next steps, including:

• using Ministry of Education resources to promote bicultural practices
• developing strategic and annual plans, aligned to the philosophy, vision and mission statement
• implementing an appraisal system
• developing a shared understanding about using internal evaluation to guide improvement in all areas of service operations.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that the owners continue to seek purposeful professional learning to improve the service's operations, and for visiting teachers and educators according to their specific professional practice needs.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of EDEN Home Based Childcare 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified an area of non-compliance. To meet requirements, the service needs to notify a specified agency and the Ministry of Education, where there is a serious injury or illness or incident involving a child while at the service.

Licensing criteria for home-based ECE services, 2008, HS33

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of EDEN Home Based Childcare will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

28 March 2018

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

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 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.