Liberty Montessori

Education institution number:
40334
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
57
Telephone:
Address:

176 Fifteenth Ave, Tauranga

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Mamma Bear Childcare

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

Meeting

Governance, management and administration

Meeting

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Mamma Bear Childcare in Tauranga is a privately owned and operated education and care service, previously known as Juni Uni. The newly appointed and experienced centre manager leads a team of four qualified and registered teachers and one teacher in training. This is the centre’s first ERO review as Mamma Bear Childcare.

Summary of Review Findings

Children are seen as competent and confident learners in a responsive and inclusive learning environment. They are encouraged to make choices and learning is planned around their interests. Children’s relationships and interactions with their teachers are positive and respectful, leading to meaningful learning opportunities. Free flow between indoors and outdoors supports children’s decision making and developmental learning. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning. Policy review is consistent with regulations and supports centre-wide improvement. A strategic and annual plan guide daily centre operation. Health and safety procedures are monitored, and changes made when required. Careful resourcing that provides for the learning and abilities of children has been considered.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • strengthening bicultural practice to support children’s understanding of the dual heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand
  • ensuring children’s cultures are more visible in their learning and throughout the centre.

Next ERO Review

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

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
11 March 2021 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name Mamma Bear Childcare
Profile Number 40334
Location Tauranga

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

14

Ethnic composition

Māori 7, Asian 3, Other ethnic groups 4.

Review team on site

October 2020

Date of this report

11 March 2021

Most recent ERO report(s) Education Review February 2016, Education Review March 2013

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 (PDF 1MB).  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 regulated 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; police vetting; teacher certification; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

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.

Juni Uni Ltd - 02/03/2016

1 Evaluation of Juni Uni Ltd

How well placed is Juni Uni Ltd 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

Juni Uni Ltd is a privately owned early education and care service located in Tauranga. It is licensed for up to 75 children from two years to school age and open from 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. The current roll of 75 includes 16 children of Māori descent, 15 Indian children, and three Tongan children.

The Juni Uni philosophy is based on helping children to develop a strong sense of self awareness, the confidence to believe in themselves, and the behaviours necessary to reach their full potential.

Since the 2013 ERO review a new centre manager has been appointed and the majority of teachers are also newly appointed. All have a recognised early childhood education qualification and are enthusiastic about working towards full teacher registration. The teaching team has undertaken external professional development about children’s social competence, and self review.

The areas identified for development in the 2013 ERO report have seen some positive progress and developments. These include the areas of self-review processes and practices and teacher appraisal. Aspects of teachers understanding about how children learn and how they respond and evaluate still require strengthening.

The Review Findings

Children and parents are warmly welcomed into the centre by teachers. Families demonstrate high levels of support for teachers.

Children experience a wide range of sensitive and respectful interactions with teachers and strategies to support their wellbeing and development. Children are confident to approach teachers to support and extend their learning and ideas. The daily programme enables teachers to plan and set the scene for learning.

Children are encouraged to make decisions, work and play independently, either with a peer or as part of a wider group. Their literacy and mathematical learning opportunities are integrated throughout each day during child-initiated learning and through play. Regular baking activities also effectively reinforce measurement, counting and comparing skills. Children use computers both independently and with support from teachers.

Centre routines are well managed and planned to minimise disruptions to children’s learning. Meal times are used to promote social and cooperative skills, reading and mathematical learning. Childrens language, culture and identities are celebrated at the centre. Parents and whānau share food and activities with children to celebrate festival days of the various cultures. Te reo Māori is heard and used by teachers and children through karakia, mihimihi, and waiata.

Teachers keep records of children’s involvement with learning in individual child portfolios. These documents are attractive and available for children to read during the day and to share with parents.

The programme includes a balance of child initiated and teacher directed opportunities undertaken during specific ‘focus’ times, which teachers plan for short periods of time each day. There are many opportunities within the programme for children to make decisions and choose their area of interest and play. Teachers are in the process of exploring the way they develop and deepen children’s interests during daily teaching interactions.

The centre owner and centre manager have a good understanding of the importance of continuous review and ongoing improvements to the quality of the service for children and families. There is a useful framework for documented self review; however aspects of this require strengthening. A suitable range of policies and procedural guidelines contribute to a safe and healthy environment for children.

The centre manager is developing positive working relationships with teachers, parents and their children. She is in the process of working with the new team to build and support teacher practice and establish an organisational culture that supports ongoing improvement. All teachers are active participants in the centre appraisal processes. Their knowledge and skills are recognised and opportunities are provided to build emergent leadership. Collaborative ways of working are evident among teachers, who recognise and utilise each other’s skills and expertise well. They articulate a commitment to the centre philosophy and support for centre leadership.

Key Next Steps

Self review and strategic planning: A more strategic approach to self review is needed. This should include:

  • a stronger priority on developments in curriculum review and teaching practice
  • strong alignment of professional development priorities and teacher appraisal goals
  • planned review cycle for policies and procedures
  • clarity of alignment between the centre strategic direction, teacher professional learning and teacher appraisal.

This approach to strategic planning should provide a sound foundation for more systematic self review and developments and cover all aspects of the service over time.

Intentional teaching: Teachers and leaders should work together and plan to develop a way to add complexity to children's learning and ideas through specific intervention and discussion during their daily interactions with children.

Programme assessment and planning: Learning stories currently include a range of attractively presented photographs and narratives. The next step for the service is to work collaboratively to review current practice to ensure that these learning stories more clearly show:

  • the learning that is occurring for individual children
  • the teaching and learning that is occurring in response to each child’s ideas and interest
  • how children are progressing with an interest, skill or disposition over time.

These developments are necessary to strengthen teachers’ understanding about programme planning and assessment in an emergent curriculum.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that leaders and teachers access appropriate professional development to address the key next steps in this report.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Juni Uni Ltd 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 Juni Uni Ltd will be in three years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

2 March 2016

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

Tauranga

Ministry of Education profile number

40334

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

75 children, including up to 0 aged under 2

Service roll

75

Gender composition

Girls 42 Boys 33

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Brazilian

Chinese

Filipino

Tongan

Australian

Nepalese

14

37

14

2

2

2

2

1

1

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2016

Date of this report

2 March 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

February 2013

 

Education Review

March 2010

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.