Glen Eden Playcentre - 30/10/2015

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Glen Eden Playcentre
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

1 Evaluation of Glen Eden Playcentre

How well placed is Glen Eden Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Glen Eden Playcentre is a family cooperative and is licensed for 30 children, including 15 up to the age of two years. It is a spacious purpose-built centre in a residential setting. The Playcentre philosophy of whānau and children learning together guides centre operations. Centre whānau value the way that Playcentre promotes social opportunities for children and families.

The centre is part of Te Akoranga Playcentre Association, which provides Playcentre’s adult education programme, frameworks of policies and procedures, and support personnel. The centre’s representatives at Association level support and guide the centre’s bicultural practices. Currently the national Playcentre organisation is in the process of a comprehensive restructure. This is likely to change the current structure of Te Akoranga Playcentre Association.

The centre offers three-hour, parent-led sessions four days a week. The centre is used for adult education sessions attended by trainees from centres in the Association. It hosts two SPACE (Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education) sessions for first time parents, run by the Association.

Since the 2012 ERO report progress has been made to improve policy reviews and programme planning. Centre members need to address other areas identified in ERO’s 2012 report. These include self-review, bicultural practices and responding to cultural diversity.

This review was part of a cluster of five playcentre reviews in the Te Akoranga Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

Children enjoy playing in mixed aged groups and with their siblings. They are busy and engaged in activities, and role play home experiences in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. They benefit from play opportunities that include creativity, messy play, music and art. The Association is supporting adults to interact and play more with their children and focus on their learning.

The environment has been upgraded and it supports children’s exploration and their learning through play. Good storage areas provide easy access to resources for adults and children. Displays support parents to extend children’s individual and group learning. Children’s comments about their learning and their work are valued and displayed.

Parents/whānau are well informed through the centre’s focus on planning, assessing and evaluating children’s learning. Parents, grandparents and great grandparents enjoy being involved in children’s play. Parents/whānau are well supported by resources that guide planning for their children’s learning. They enjoy learning from each other and sharing ideas, forming a strong community of learners. Whānau could consider ways for the curriculum to reflect and respond to families’ diverse cultures and languages.

Programmes identify and support children’s interests and strengths. Parents/whānau are knowledgeable about Kei Tua o Te Pae assessment processes. They evaluate the programme after each session and build on this information in the next sessions. Term planning appropriately focuses on individual child’s learning. Trips are planned to extend children’s learning.

There are some good systems for managing the centre. Leadership from the Association continues to support centre processes and systems. Centre members have identified the need to clarify leadership roles and responsibilities in the centre.

Key Next Steps

The Association leaders and centre members agree that key next steps include:

• continuing to strengthen effective leadership
• reviewing the centre’s vision and establishing a strategic plan that documents this centre’s strategic priorities as a guide for future centre members.
• continuing to build centre members’ knowledge about Auckland’s diverse cultures and increase their capacity to respond to this diversity
• further developing the quality of self-review processes and documentation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Glen Eden Playcentre 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Glen Eden Playcentre will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

30 October 2015

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.