Glow Kids

Education institution number:
10190
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Early Intervention EC service
Total roll:
12
Telephone:
Address:

13 Coyle Street, Sandringham, Auckland

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Glow Kids

ERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.

ERO’s Judgement

Regulatory standards

ERO’s judgement

Curriculum

Meeting

Premises and facilities

Meeting

Health and safety

Not meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.

Background

Glow Kids is a not-for-profit service operated by a charitable trust. The service provides specialist education and care for young children with additional sensory, physical and health needs. A long-standing manager is supported by a newly appointed head teacher. They lead a multi-disciplinary team. At the time of ERO’s review, children enrolled are from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Summary of Review Findings

The service’s curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of individual children’s learning, their interests and life contexts. Children engage in meaningful positive interactions with adults which enhance their learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Adults providing education and care demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning and knowledge of the relevant theories and practices needed to respond to the wide range of diverse needs.

Information and guidance is sought from a range of external agencies and services. This enables leaders and teachers to effectively work with children and their parents. Positive steps are taken to respect and acknowledge the aspirations held by parents and whānau for their children.

Consistent monitoring is required by those in governance and management to ensure that the service maintains compliance with regulatory standards.

Action for Compliance

ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:

  • having a written emergency plan that contains all the documentation requirements and is reviewed on at least an annual basis.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS7]

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • Ensuring the outdoor activity space is accessible to children and is fully enclosed with fences and gates to ensure children are not able to leave the premises without the knowledge of adults providing education and care (PF13).

  • Ensuring a tempering valve or other accurate means of limiting hot water is installed (PF24).

  • Undertaking daily hazard checks that contains all considerations required to meet this criterion, as well as specific hazards at this service (HS12).

  • Monitoring that the temperature of warm water delivered from the taps accessible to children is no higher than 40°C (HS13).

  • Monitoring that water stored in the hot water cylinder is kept at aa temperature of at least 60°C  (HS14).

  • Having a child protection policy that includes provision for the identification of abuse and neglect (HS31).

  • Ensuring the Education Regulations and Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education are prominently displayed at the service for parents and visitors (GMA1).

  • Providing written information to parents letting them know how they can access the amount and details of expenditure of Ministry of Education funding and planned reviews and consultations (GMA3).

  • Having evidence of opportunities provided to parents and adults providing education and care to contribute to the development and review of the service’s operational documents (GMA4).

  • Having a written definition of serious misconduct (GMA7).

  • Having a written process for safety checking all workers that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act, as well as a record of all safety checks and their results (GMA7A).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that the non-compliance identified in this report is addressed promptly.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

22 March 2023

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Glow Kids

Profile Number

10190

Location

Sandringham, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

25 children, over 2 years of age

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

20

Review team on site

February 2023

Date of this report

22 March 2023

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, April 2019; Education Review, October 2015

General Information about Assurance Reviews

All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.

Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

  • having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation

  • previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’

  • that has moved from a provisional to a full licence

  • that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership

  • where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)

  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:

  • discussions with those involved in the service

  • consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems

  • observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.

Glow Kids - 18/04/2019

1 Evaluation of Glow Kids

How well placed is Glow Kids to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Glow Kids is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Glow Kids provides specialist education and care for children with sensory and physical disabilities. It is a Ministry of Health contracted provider and a licensed early childhood education (ECE) service. It operates as a not-for-profit charitable trust. The service is governed by the Glow Kids Trust board, which includes parent representatives and external professionals with commercial, financial and business management expertise.

Glow Kids is licensed for 25 children over the age of two years. It operates a 'Conductive Education Kindy' and a 'Sensory Kindy' in two different rooms. Children who attend have a variety of diagnoses such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Genetic Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Autism, Vision and Hearing challenges, and Global Development Delays. Specialist classes offer all-day sessions for three days per week, allowing children time to also access their local ECE centres.

The centre's philosophy is strongly aligned to the Glow Kids Trust vision of providing a place where every child has the opportunity to reach their greatest potential. Professionals blend the Conductive Education principles and practices with the goals of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The centre's experienced and dedicated staff includes Hungarian trained 'conductors', an occupational therapist, a speech language therapist, an early interventionist teacher, a registered social worker, and early childhood trained and registered teachers. Parent, family and caregiver involvement is essential to the effective implementation of the programme.

Managers and teachers have responded positively to the 2015 ERO review. Teaching practices continue to be intensely scrutinised and personalised. Management and governance practices continue to be strengthened.

The Review Findings

Children and families receive high quality care and support. They are inclusively welcomed into the centre. Children's milestones, iterative successes and cultural backgrounds are celebrated by the whole team of professionals and carers. Leaders and teachers develop respectful and caring relationships with children and families.

The team of professionals work in close partnership and collaboration with parents and whānau, supporting and advocating for them, and empowering them in their child's development. Parents comment on the positive partnerships and clear communications they have with staff. They are encouraged by managers', professionals' and teachers' responsiveness and forward thinking attitudes and actions. Parents feel a sense of belonging and gain strength from the strong bonds that are formed.

Programmes are designed to respond to children's health and education needs and address the needs of the 'whole child'. They are delivered in consultation with a team of education and health professionals, ensuring optimum service is provided for each child, recognising their individual needs. Programme tasks are designed to strengthen children's physical capabilities and support the development of their language and thinking skills. Leaders and teachers set up the environment as everyday living spaces. They tailor it to allow children to be as independent as possible to support their day-to-day functioning.

Teachers are proficient in their specialised areas of practice. They demonstrate multi-levelled, personalised and skilled teaching practices. Teachers and managers know children and their whānau as individuals and as learners, who are at the centre of their thinking. Teachers regularly develop individual education plans with parents and professionals, detailing their intentions and strategies. They are continuing to develop their bicultural practices.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps for centre development include teachers and managers:

  • developing the teacher appraisal system and goals to better align with Teaching Council requirements and with the trust's strategic goals and internal evaluation

  • developing an annual action plan from the service's strategic goals, and regularly reporting to the board about progress towards these goals

  • continuing to provide opportunities for staff to engage in professional learning and dialogue so that current theories and best practices are discussed, reflected upon and sustained.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Glow Kids 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

18 April 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

Location

Sandringham, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10190

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children aged over 2 years

Service roll

13

Gender composition

Boys 7 Girls 6

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
other ethnic groups

1
7
5

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

February 2019

Date of this report

18 April 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

October 2015

Education Review

March 2011

Education Review

January 2008

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.

Glow Kids - 09/10/2015

1 Evaluation of Glow Kids

How well placed is Glow Kids to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Glow Kids provides specialist education and care for children with multiple and complex disabilities. Children who attend the centre participate in tasks designed to strengthen their physical capabilities and support the development of their language and thinking skills.

The centre is licensed for 25 children and currently has six children on its roll. It offers full day and sessional options for families. The centre has a high adult-to-child ratio to support children’s physical and learning development. The outdoor environment is due to be upgraded and will include a sensory exploration area.

The centre’s philosophy is strongly aligned to the Glow Kids vision of providing a place where every child has the opportunity to reach their greatest potential. A significant undertaking since the 2011 ERO report has been the blending of the Conductive Education principles and practices with the goals of with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The centre’s experienced and dedicated staff are a blend of Hungarian trained conductors, an occupational therapist and an early childhood trained teacher. Currently one staff member holds both Conductive and New Zealand qualifications and has full teacher registration with the Education Council. Parent, family and caregiver involvement is essential to the effective implementation of the programme.

Glow Kids is part of the New Zealand Foundation of Conductive Education. There have been changes in ownership and in the centre management structures since ERO’s 2011 review. The service currently operates under the GlowKids Trust: a charitable organisation, led by parents. The centre was previously known as IRIS Conduction Education. Managers and staff have responded positively to recommendations in the 2011 ERO report.

The Review Findings

Children receive high quality care and are settled and happy. They are warmly welcomed by staff. Children’s emotional wellbeing is nurtured and their successes are celebrated. Whānau highly value the respectful relationships their children experience with staff. Positive partnerships and clear communications between families and caregivers continue to be a strong feature of the centre.

Children are familiar with routines. Staff have clear expectations for children and work collaboratively to provide consistency in teaching practice. Staff and caregiver interactions are calm and purposeful. They provide positive guidance that allows children to be successful in their learning.

Teachers encourage children to explore their surroundings and are responsive to their interests. To personalise learning, teachers assess each child and build from what they know about the child’s interests and abilities. Parents' and carers' aspirations are used to inform children’s learning and development programmes. This teacher and parent collaboration supports the complex learning needs of each child.

Children are given leadership opportunities and are encouraged to interact with each other. The diverse activities and equipment available are designed to broaden their experiences and provide challenges.

Staff successfully promote biculturalism as a teaching focus through resources, displays, group time activities and festive celebrations. Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are successfully integrated into the programme in meaningful ways to encourage children’s understanding.

The indoor learning areas have purpose-built rooms which support the programme well. Children’s health is supported through maintaining a high degree of cleanliness. Teaching children to self manage their own personal care needs is an integral part of the daily programme.

Very good systems are in place so that teachers can monitor each child’s progress towards clearly outlined goals. Children’s learning plans and assessment records show their individual progress and include information about their next learning and developmental steps. Attractive portfolios capture children’s learning experiences in the centre, and are useful for discussions between teachers and families about learning progress.

Staff provide good support for families and children during transition to school. Meetings with whānau, school leaders, specialist support personnel and staff from the centre are carefully planned over a period of time to help children settle into school.

Staff work well to support each other. Professional development for all staff helps to improve outcomes for children. The centre promotes shared leadership among the staff.

The centre manager has established good systems for operating the centre. The manager and staff use self review as an effective tool to improve all aspects of the service. The centre is currently reviewing teacher appraisal systems to align with other nationwide Conductive Education Centres’ processes.

The centre manager and head teacher are seeking ways to sustain the centre by building roll numbers and increasing public of awareness the centre’s specialist service. They are also exploring ways to retain Conductive Educators in order to maintain the distinctive philosophy and character of the centre.

Key Next Steps

The centre manager and head teacher agree that the next steps for the centre are to:

  • document outcomes against the annual plan and evaluate progress towards strategic goals
  • evaluate the effectiveness of teaching plans and how they impact on the achievement of children’s learning outcomes.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Glow Kids 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 Glow Kids will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

9 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

Location

Sandringham, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10190

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

25 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

6

Gender composition

Boys 3

Girls 3

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

5

1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%

Based on funding rates

50-79%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:2

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2015

Date of this report

9 October 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Previously reviewed as:

Iris Conductive Education

 

Education Review

March 2011

 

Education Review

January 2008

 

Education Review

September 2004

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.