Island Bay Childcare

1 Evaluation of Island Bay Childcare

How well placed is Island Bay Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Island Bay Childcare provides all-day education and care for children aged six months to five years, in three separate rooms. It is licensed for 106 children, including 21 up to the age of two. Of the 121 children currently enrolled, five are Māori and over 21 ethnicities are represented.

The centre mission statement is to 'prepare children for life by empowering them to grow as individuals and develop a love of life and learning'. The philosophy promotes a holistic approach to learning within a stimulating and challenging environment in partnership with families.

The centre is privately owned and is part of the Wellington Childcare group. The licensee and a centre director oversee the service, with day-to-day operation delegated to a centre manager. Room leaders have responsibility for the curriculum. At the time of this review, changes within the leadership team are underway. Most teachers are fully qualified, with many working towards full certification.

The November 2015 ERO report identified many areas for continued development to improve outcomes for children. These included: identifying the role of the teacher in extending learning; defining expectations of quality interactions; strengthening assessment and planning; building evaluation capacity; and improving the appraisal process. Progress has been made in all of these areas.

The Review Findings

Children over the age of two are highly engaged in a mixture of teacher and child-led activities. The well-resourced environment encourages exploration and challenge. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging in the centre.

Infants and toddlers are cared for within their own dedicated space, by respectful teachers. Their independence and self-care skills are fostered. Teachers should reflect on how the environment and resources could be better used to promote these children's exploration and engagement.

The bicultural curriculum is developing. Leaders have identified that strengthening the use of meaningful te reo Māori is an area for further improvement. Additional consideration should be given to how visible te ao Māori is within the environment and documentation.

Teachers know children well and work at their level. Some teachers use a range of strategies to extend children's thinking. Staff continue to explore what high quality interactions look like within the context of their service. This should promote increased consistency across the teaching team.

Teachers are committed to establishing connections to each child's culture, language and identity. They work collaboratively to create an inclusive environment. This is supported through strong relationships with parents, who contribute to the curriculum and regularly share aspirations for their children. Teachers should continue to seek ways to ensure all children's cultural connections are visible within their learning.

Understanding of strategies that promote success for Māori children as Māori are developing. Furthering the relationship with local iwi should enable strengthening of a curriculum connected to the area. A next step is to foster a deeper understanding of te ao Māori knowledge and concepts within the context of the centre to support the curriculum.

Leaders have identified the need to investigate and use strategies that build educational success for Pacific children.

Assessment and planning for individual children effectively progresses their learning over time. Parents' aspirations inform goal setting and teachers plan how these can be met. Profile books document children's interests, strengths and progress towards their goals. Group planning provides a room-wide focus. A key next step is to strengthen evaluation to see how well planned teaching strategies contribute to intended outcomes.

Teachers are very well supported to grow their practice. Newly qualified teachers are effectively mentored towards full registration. Recent changes to the appraisal system provide an increased focus on developing practice to improve outcomes for children. Appropriate professional learning opportunities and ongoing collegial discussions progress centre goals.

Centre leaders are improvement focused and committed to promoting emerging leadership amongst the team. Strengthened organisational systems and processes support the ongoing operation and viability of the centre. Collaborative self review leads to well informed changes in practice. Building teacher capacity to evaluate how these actions improve outcomes for children, against indicators of high quality practice, is a next step.

Key Next Steps

ERO has identified that the key next steps are to continue to:

• promote infants' and toddlers' exploration and engagement through the learning environment

• strengthen the bicultural curriculum and its visibility within the service

• develop and implement strategies that promote educational success for Māori and for Pacific children

• build a shared understanding of evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Island Bay 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.

In order to improve current practice the service provider should ensure that sleep room layout and practice ensures adequate supervision of sleeping children.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Island Bay Childcare will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

24 October 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 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.

1 Evaluation of Island Bay Childcare

How well placed is Island Bay Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Island Bay Childcare is a privately-owned centre. It is licensed to provide all-day education and care for 56 children, including 21 up to the age of two years. Of the 71 enrolled, one child identifies as Māori. The centre is purpose built with separate playrooms for infants and toddlers and the older children.

The leadership team comprises of the centre manager, two team leaders and an external consultant. Some staffing changes have occurred since ERO's October 2013 review.

The October 2013 ERO report identified that significant improvement was needed, particularly in relation to developing shared expectations of effective early childhood teaching and learning. Key next steps included: improving the quality of teaching and respectful interactions; responding to children’s culture, language and identity; strengthening the appraisal process; and reviewing the transition to school programme.

Leaders, with regular Ministry of Education monitoring, have worked with centre staff to address the areas in need of improvement. A wide range of professional development has been accessed to address these areas of concern.

The Review Findings

Leaders and the teaching team have made good progress in developing shared expectations for high quality early childhood practice. They have participated in a range of professional learning and development to further their understanding of teaching and learning, children’s culture, language and identity and the appraisal process.

The philosophy promotes a child-centred focus in the curriculum, partnerships with parents and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This approach is evident in practice. Leaders have developed indicators that make clear the quality teaching practices that enable the philosophy to be realised. Further work is required to include a stronger focus on the role of the teacher in adding complexity to children’s learning. This would strengthen these indicators.

Teachers know children well. They are warm and welcoming to them and their families. They work alongside children, engaging in their conversations and offering choices in their learning and help children relate to others in positive ways. Although some progress is evident in the quality of interactions teachers use with children, continued development is required. A key next step for leaders, in partnership with teachers, is to define what quality interactions are, so that expectations for practice are clear. These can then be used more successfully to target observations of teachers' practice for appraisal and self review.

Leaders have been responsive to building bicultural practice in the centre. A bicultural perspective is evident through the environment and aspects of the curriculum. Teachers integrate te reo me ngā tikānga Māori throughout the programme. Tataiako: Cultural competences for teachers of Māori learners has been explored in-depth in relation to teachers’ professional practice. Children’s culture, language and identity is affirmed and celebrated through the centre curriculum and assessment information.

Children’s profiles highlight their involvement in centre activities. Partnership with parents is actively promoted through regular communication and involvement in their child’s programme. Assessment documentation requires development to clearly identify the learning and show how teachers add complexity, extend learning and show progress over time.

Group planning provides a shared focus for the programme. Clearer learning outcomes should assist teachers to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on children’s learning.

Self review and internal evaluation have resulted in improvements to practice. A clear and well-analysed process is in place. To strengthen internal evaluation capability, leaders should support teachers to shift from reviewing what they do, to evaluating how well practices support children's learning.

Transition to school has been a recent self-review focus. Leaders and teachers reflected on current research and have sought multiple perspectives through this process. Improvements have been made to practice to better support children's preparation for school.

Regular appraisals are undertaken. Although some progress is evident, further work is required to strengthen the quality of the documentation. This includes:

• developing a clear appraisal procedure
• use of formal observations to inform professional practice conversations
• teachers identifying clear, specific and measurable goals
• reflecting the additional responsibilities of the designated role through the appraisal.

Key Next Steps

Centre management and leaders should continue to focus on strengthening practice to improve outcomes for children. Next steps include:

• identifying the role of the teacher in adding complexity to children’s learning and reflect this through the philosophy
• making explicit centre expectations regarding quality interactions between teachers and children
• strengthening the analysis of children’s learning and planning accordingly
• building the evaluation capacity of teachers
• establishing a clear appraisal procedure and improving documentation of the process.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Island Bay 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Island Bay Childcare will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

25 November 2015

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.