Gems Miro Limited

1 Evaluation of Gem's Educational Childcare

How well placed is Gem's Educational Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Gem's Educational Childcare is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Gem's Educational Childcare (Lake Hayes) is one of two privately-owned centres in the Queenstown area. The centres share governance and management systems. It is licensed for 70 children, including up to 25 under two years. However, the centre chooses to have no more than 16 infants and toddlers enrolled at any time. Children from around the world attend and some are English language learners.

The owner/director and a curriculum leader oversee both centres. A manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the centre. There are ongoing staff changes and several overseas-trained teachers. Almost all teachers are qualified and registered.

Infants and toddlers play and learn in an area that includes several rooms and an outdoor area. Older children play and learn in spacious indoor and outdoor areas. The centre design is intentionally homelike. Older children attend a Farm School programme each week.

The philosophy and practices are strongly influenced by Pikler and Reggio Emilio approaches. The philosophy states that children will lead their learning in a play-based programme and well-resourced, natural environments. It also states that children will be respected as individuals, supported to be independent thinkers, curious and imaginative. The values and learning priorities are expressed in the words: 'natural; respectful; supportive; nurturing; and relationships'.

Leaders have made good progress against most of the recommendations in ERO's January 2017 report.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from an inclusive learning environment that supports their sense of belonging and develops their social competence and self-management. They are supported to develop friendships through cooperative play. Children are very settled and show high levels of sustained engagement in their play and learning.

Interactions are respectful, caring and responsive. Children's interests, needs and preferences are well known by teachers. Teachers use this knowledge to plan activities and adapt the learning environment to best support children's learning and development. Daily care routines are well managed, flexible and understood by children.

The curriculum is broad and responsive. It offers children interesting and meaningful learning experiences. The centre environment is interesting, natural and spacious. Learning areas are intentionally set-up with purposeful activities. Some teachers confidently include te ao and te reo Māori in day-to-day learning. Staff have recently identified core values/learning priorities for this centre. These now need to be more intentionally integrated into the curriculum and philosophy.

A useful planning and assessment system is in place. Best examples of planning and assessment show how parents' aspirations and children’s cultures have been responded to and make explicit how teachers support children's learning. Embedding these practices across the centre will strengthen the quality of assessment of and planning for children's learning.

High levels of care and respect support the learning and development of children aged under two. Close relationships exist between infants, toddlers and their primary carers. Teachers provide a calm and settled environment that supports an unhurried pace of learning. Children with additional learning needs are well supported to learn and succeed.

Children benefit from well-planned and positive transitions into, through and beyond the centre. There are strong reciprocal links with the local school. Teachers foster children's friendships to help them settle and be confident in new settings.

Internal evaluation is used effectively by leaders and teachers to identify what is, or is not supporting, children's learning and wellbeing. They follow a useful framework for reviewing their practices and make well-informed changes.

Leaders are reflective and improvement focused in the management of the centre. They provide ongoing professional and collegial support to all staff. Teachers benefit from a shared leadership approach which supports professional practice and grows their capability.

Key Next Steps

Leaders have identified, and ERO's evaluation confirms, that the key next steps to improve practices are to:

• review the philosophy and the curriculum to better align with the recently developed learning priorities and core values

• continue to strengthen aspects of te reo and te ao Māori in the daily programme, including a stronger visibility in children's learning stories and the centre environment

• continue to strengthen individual assessment, planning and evaluation practices.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Gem's Educational Childcare 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.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

21 November 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 Early Childhood 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 ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

1 Evaluation of Gem's Educational Childcare

How well placed is Gem's Educational Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Gem's Educational Childcare provides education and care for children aged three months to school age. There are two learning areas. One is designed for children aged three months to two years (The Nest) and the other for children aged two years to five years (The Hive). The service also offers a one-day-a-fortnight `farm school' experience for older children through a partnership with a local farm.

The service is licensed for up to 70 children (including up to 25 under two year olds). Children attending the service come from diverse cultural backgrounds reflecting the multicultural nature of the local community.

The service's philosophy states that it aims to support children to develop independence, initiative, imagination, curiosity and a sense of belonging.

The service, which opened in 2012, is privately owned. It has been recently rebranded and was formerly known as Little Rockets. There has been stable leadership in the service since the last ERO review in 2013. The owners (directors) lead the strategic direction and oversee the financial and business side of the service. Professional practice and day-to-day operations are led by a curriculum and operations coordinator and centre coordinator. Due to significant growth in the population of the region, the centre has a very large waiting list. In response, the owners are currently in the process of setting up a second centre nearby. Most staff are fully qualified early learning teachers.

The service works closely with the nearby primary school in order to facilitate smooth transitions for children.

The Review Findings

Children experience a rich curriculum which is purposefully designed to respond to and extend their interests, strengths and developing abilities. Excellent use is made of the centre's well-designed indoor and outdoor environments to provide children with choice and challenge and to encourage their initiative, independence and creativity.

Teachers' interactions with children are highly respectful and responsive. They effectively model and promote positive social skills and self-management.

Children are well supported to feel confident and secure in the centre. Transitions into, through and on from the centre are carefully planned and managed. Children each have a teacher who takes primary responsibility for their care and learning. Close relationships are formed between these teachers, children and parents. This supports effective ongoing communication about the child's needs and learning and about families' values, expectations and priorities.

The primary caregiving approach is particularly evident in 'The Nest' where children aged under two years benefit from stable, nurturing relationships with their teachers. ERO saw teachers in `The Nest' respond calmly and sensitively to the needs and cues of children in their care.

Teachers carefully plan meaningful and rich learning experiences which support children's holistic development and early learning in literacy, numeracy, science and philosophy. New Zealand's bicultural heritage is thoughtfully integrated into the centre's environment and learning programmes. The service's focus on `learning-to learn' dispositions are well aligned with practices at the nearby school.

Leaders and teachers are continually reflecting on their learning programmes and teaching and learning practices. They are developing useful shared understandings about what is most important for promoting positive outcomes for children. They regularly share their learning and understandings with families.

Leaders have well-defined roles and work constructively together to:

• develop the leadership capability of staff

• make good use of teachers' strengths

• mentor and develop the capability of all teachers

• lead and participate in professional development

• model and develop evaluative practices focused on ongoing improvement.

They have recently strengthened guidelines for the appraisal of teachers to support improvement and comply with requirements for registration. These will place more emphasis on teachers' own investigations into the effectiveness of their practice.

The directors have done significant work on identifying the vision and values of the service and building a service-wide culture based on respectful relationships. They have in place:

• appropriate governance structures

• a well-developed policy and procedure framework

• effective systems for supporting the smooth operation of the service.

They are committed to supporting the professional development of all staff.

The service has made good progress since ERO's 2013 review on developing internal evaluation practices. Multiple forms of internal evaluation inform planning and improvement at all levels of the service. These regularly draw on the perspectives of families, teachers and children.

Key Next Steps

To continue to improve outcomes for children, the service and ERO agree the key next steps are to:

• ensure planning for individual children identifies what is important learning and the strategies teachers will use to support this

• ensure shared understandings about effective teaching and learning in this service are well documented

• continue to develop the use of te reo Māori across the service

• continue to build the understandings of and capability for internal evaluation across the service

• ensure internal evaluation is manageable, purposeful and linked to valued outcomes

• further refine the service's strategic plan to better reflect strategic priorities.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Gem's Educational Childcare 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.

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.

ERO discussed with this service strengthening its emergency contingency planning for local and special excursions.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Gem's Educational Childcare will be in three years. 

Dr Lesley Patterson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Te Waipounamu Southern

25 January 2017

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 Early Childhood 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 ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

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.