12 Locket Road, Glenfield, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Educare Childcare and Preschool is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Educare Childcare and Preschool is a well-established owner-operated centre in Glenfield. It provides education and care for up to 40 children over two years of age. The centre serves a culturally diverse community.
The owner works in the centre and has recently appointed a new centre manager. Together they lead a teaching team of three qualified teachers.
The centre philosophy is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and focuses on creating a family atmosphere for children, and supporting and developing each child's unique strengths and interests.
The centre has a positive ERO reporting history and has responded well to ERO's 2016 report. The team has reviewed routines and programmes to provide children with increased periods of uninterrupted play.
A caring and respectful culture is evident. Well managed arrival routines help children freely access play equipment and activities and settle quickly into self-directed play. Children are happy, settled and engaged. They have fun and play well alongside each other.
Children are encouraged to be confident and articulate. Teachers respect and acknowledge children's capabilities and prior knowledge. Teachers' conversations foster children's vocabulary and language development very well. They use open-ended questions to add complexity to children's knowledge and deepen their interest in topics.
Children benefit from the calm, unhurried pace and unobtrusive routines. They engage well with their teachers and with the responsive, child-centred programme. Children experience extended periods of uninterrupted play that enable them to sustain their interest in activities and learning. Children with additional learning needs are well supported to experience the play-based curriculum.
Teachers use te reo Māori phrases and waiata during the day. Many children are comfortable with sharing their mihi and using their home languages. The teaching team has a strong commitment to continually building and using their tikanga and te reo Māori knowledge.
Teachers know the children, families and the local community very well. They have good opportunities to engage with children and to build learning partnerships with their parent community.
Teachers collaboratively plan learning activities to support and develop children's strengths, interests, skills and dispositions. Children's learning is documented in group and individual learning stories in portfolios. These stories give parents an understanding of how their children's interests are developed over time.
Learning programmes are aligned to the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Literacy, mathematics and science are integrated into activities throughout the day. Outdoor areas provide space and resources for messy and creative play, and support children's curiosity and science investigations of the living world.
The centre is led well by the owner and centre manager. They have a strong focus on building a cohesive teaching team and further developing teaching practice. Well-considered leadership opportunities, inquiry and mentoring programmes have recently been introduced. These are starting to be embedded in teaching practice. Relevant professional learning programmes for teachers are now impacting positively on children's learning.
Internal evaluation processes have been strengthened. A useful evaluation framework has been used to guide internal reviews and support continuous improvement. Outcomes a of recent review regarding transition to school have enhanced teaching practice and children's learning programmes. Leaders now plan to strengthen evaluation processes by taking a bicultural approach to internal evaluation.
ERO endorses centre leaders identified next steps to enhance teaching and learning programmes. These include:
embedding new leadership and mentoring initiatives
continuing to embed teacher inquiry and intentional teaching to continually enhance children's learning opportunities
evaluating how well the centre's goals and new initiatives are impacting on children's learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Educare Childcare and Preschool 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
4 June 2020
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.
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Location |
Glenfield, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20046 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children over 2 years of age |
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Service roll |
32 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 16 Girls 16 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2020 |
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Date of this report |
4 June 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2016 |
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|
Education Review |
May 2013 |
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Education Review |
March 2010 |
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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.
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.
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 |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Educare Childcare and Preschool is licensed to provide all day care and education for up to 40 children aged over 2 years old. The centre caters for an increasingly diverse cultural community.
The centre has been under new ownership since November 2013. The new owner brings her experience in management of an early childhood education service. The newly appointed centre manager brings experience in curriculum design to the leadership team. They lead a team of three qualified teachers and one teacher in training.
The philosophy of the service is underpinned by the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The aims are to work in partnership with families to create a family atmosphere and to provide an effective learning programme that supports each child's unique interests. Inclusion of all children is important to the team.
The 2012 ERO report noted the effective management which supported a culture of improvement, and the development of a responsive programme. Skilful teachers guided children's learning and children were described as confident and collaborative. The 2012 ERO report indicated that the teacher appraisal process, strategic planning, self review, and aspects of the curriculum were areas for further development. The new centre owner has responded positively to these suggested areas for review.
Children are confident and friendships are well established. They have fun and enjoy exploring their environment. They are imaginative and lead their play. The warm relationships between teachers and parents support children's sense of well being and belonging.
Children enjoy supportive relationships with their teachers. They are conversational and some are multilingual. The cultural diversity of the community is reflected in the teaching team. This provides children with opportunities to converse in home languages with their friends and with their teachers.
Children are grouped according to age in two separate rooms for part of the daily routine. All children share the same outdoor play space. Consistent routines provide children with a sense of security in being able to predict what will happen next. The teaching team continues to review the daily routine and its impact on the centre's curriculum.
Teachers provide a wide range of experiences for children to engage in, which are linked to a chosen topic arising from a group interest. Newsletters provide ideas for parents about how they might support the current focus in the home setting. Portfolios of learning record children's participation in the programme. Teachers could now consider how the curriculum could be more responsive to the interests, strengths and abilities of all children. In addition assessment records could be strengthened to show continuity and complexity over time.
The service is welcoming to all children and their families. Parents who spoke with ERO appreciated the welcoming environment and effective communications between home and the centre. They noted that they enjoyed the way that their children shared their developing knowledge of te reo Māori and waiata with them. The team plans to strengthen teachers' cultural competence and bicultural practice through the use of resources such as Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.
The service is well managed by the centre owner and the centre manager. An up to date policy framework guides practice. The focus is on capacity building for the future. This is appropriate with three new teaching appointments, including that of the centre manager. An effective process for self review has been established. A stronger emphasis on developing an evaluative focus question would strengthen this process.
Strategic and annual plans guide centre direction and link to the philosophy statement and self review. The teacher appraisal process has been reviewed and appraisal is now guiding teachers to be more reflective about their practice and improve outcomes for children's learning.
Centre leaders agree that key next steps for development include:
continued strengthening of teacher appraisal processes to ensure they align with the requirements of the Education Council
continued strengthening of programme planning to ensure it is responsive to the interests, strengths and abilities of all children
strengthening teachers' questioning of children to promote more complex thinking.
Before the review, the staff and management of Educare Childcare and Preschool 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 Educare Childcare and Preschool will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
27 June 2016
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 |
Glenfield, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20046 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
39 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 13 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Japanese Filipino Indian Chinese Sri Lankan other |
12 7 7 4 4 5 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
May 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
27 June 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
May 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2007 |
||
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.
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.