57A Spring Street, Tauranga Central, Tauranga
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kids at Home The Bay 5 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids at Home the Bay 5 is a standard funded home-based education and care centre licensed for up to 50 children. At the time of this review the roll is 34 of which 11 are Māori.
The network became part of the national Edubase organisation in September 2018. It is one of 4 networks in the Kids at Home Bay of Plenty region. Educators work in their own homes, with up to four children at any one time. A qualified visiting teacher supports educators to deliver Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
A teaching and learning manager work closely with the visiting teacher and reports to the Edubase senior leadership team.
The philosophy highlights the importance of respectful partnerships and holistic learning in the home and community.
The June 2017 ERO report identified areas requiring strengthening in relation to visiting teachers' appraisal, strategic planning, the service philosophy and organisational systems and practices. These have been satisfactorily addressed.
This review was part of a cluster of seven reviews in the Edubase Limited organisation.
Children actively participate in a wide range of learning opportunities within educators’ homes and in the community. Organized playgroups, gym, music and community excursions enrich the programme.
Positive and caring relationships between educators, children, families and visiting teachers upholds wellbeing. Parent's responses affirm the value of educators' positive interactions with their children.
Infants and toddlers are guided and encouraged in their relationships with other children. Assessments celebrate their progress in communication and exploration.
Visiting teachers are focused on improving the quality of education and care for children. They demonstrate good practice and collaborate to share strategies and resources supportive of curriculum delivery.
Well-developed, comprehensive health and safety practices promote children's health and well-being. A centrally based quality management framework effectively monitors daily operations.
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, is woven through planning and learning experiences. Learning experiences promote literacy, numeracy, art, outdoor exploration, science, te ao Māori and social competencies.
A service-wide focus on inclusive practice assists educators to support children's individual needs. Te reo Māori and Māori values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are fostered.
Educators appropriately support children in transitioning to school. Assessment records show increased focus on promoting their self-management skills and independence.
Relationships and learning partnerships with parents and whānau are continuing to develop. The service has identified that re-establishing the parent survey is a key priority.
Policy development and implementation has been a key focus for the new owners. Senior leaders know there is still work needed to refine and strengthen the documents that guide service operation.
The service vision seeks to realise the potential of Māori children and their whānau. Leaders should continue to encourage consistency across the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taupō networks.
Appraisal meets the requirements of the Teaching Council and purposefully builds teaching capability. Sourcing a new appraiser for the teaching and learning manager requires immediate attention.
Professional learning and development for visiting teachers and educators is readily available and responsive to appraisal and service priorities. Internal evaluation supports the operation of the service and ongoing improvement.
The service provider’s priorities and goals are documented and appropriately linked to positive learning outcomes for children. Leaders promote a shared understanding and sense of direction for the service with clear expectations for staff and educators.
The Kids at Home philosophy is evident across all levels of the organisation.
ERO and leaders agree that next steps are to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids at Home The Bay 5 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
22 January 2021
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.
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Location |
Bay of Plenty |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45685 |
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Institution type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
34 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
11 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
1 |
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Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
October 2020 |
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Date of this report |
22 January 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2017 |
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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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids at Home The Bay 5 previously known as Junior Explorers operates under the umbrella of Best Start Educare Limited. This is a standard network with educators located in the Taupo and Rotorua areas. There are currently 18 educators working in the network. There are 79 children enrolled from a diverse range of ethnicities.
One experienced visiting teacher oversees the programme provided in each child's homes or the educators' home. She is supported by the network manager who regularly visits children and educators. This is the service's first ERO review as Kids at Home.
Kids at Home The Bay 5 is well placed to promote positive outcomes for children. Visiting teachers, educators and parents report close and positive relationships are established with one another. Visiting teacher information shows that educators are very focused on ensuring that children have positive experiences during their time with them. Infants and toddlers are well supported to engage with other children during their time with educators. Each child's specific needs and preferred routines are developed and discussed with parents.
Assessment documentation and visiting teachers reports show that children engage in many activities in the home and with larger groups of children outside the home, including children from Kids at Home playgroup. Many educators develop community networks and attend events that enhance their knowledge and skills, and complement what happens in the smaller group.
The 'home-based' curriculum is effectively supporting children to engage in meaningful play and to follow their interests. The visiting teacher models good practice for educators. This includes recording children's learning and sharing this with families and whānau and offering new ideas and prompts for educators to extend children's learning. The inclusion of photographs and links made to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, guide educators in understanding about assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning.
The visiting teacher works positively alongside educators to support them to use assessment practices that identify children's learning, next steps and progress. Educators can see how they influence children's achievement. The educator manual supports their understanding of children's learning. Parents access their children's learning stories electronically. Their comments are valued to enhance their child's experiences at the educator's home. The visiting teacher continues to build educators' confidence to use digital tools to record children's learning.
The network manager and visiting teacher are providing well-informed leadership, support and guidance for educators. High levels of collaboration among the network manager, visiting teachers, educators and administrators has resulted in effective quality assurance that are well established. The visiting teacher regularly reviews and assesses health and safety for children. The first four visits with educators focus on ensuring that they are familiar with expectations and understand their obligations to take all reasonable steps to make and keep their homes safe for children.
The Kids at Home The Bay team continues to build leadership capability. Across the five home-based networks most team members are experienced with long serving connections to the organisation. They have established useful strategies and systems to monitor and evaluate practice. Internal evaluation is informing practice and has been particularly effective in supporting, guiding and coaching educators to promote positive outcomes for children.
The key next steps for Kids at Home are to develop a strategic plan for that provides and documents the direction for this home-based care organisation. This review needs to include:
redefining roles and responsibilities for effective governance and management
strategies and approaches to strengthen the effectiveness of the home-based care curriculum, assessment practice, teaching and learning
the provision of professional support, learning and development for teachers and educators including appraisals
strengthening the integration of Māori language, identity and culture throughout the network.
Attention to these aspects of strategic planning is necessary to provide a sound basis for internal evaluation, continual improvement and alignment with the home-based- care methodology and contexts.
ERO recommend that the service undertake the intended internal review of Kids at Home to develop a relevant and aligned strategic plan.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids at Home The Bay 5 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Kids at Home The Bay 5 will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
7 March 2017
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.
|
Location |
Tauranga |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
4568560 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
60 children, including up to 60 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
79 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 42 Girls 37 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
18 51 10 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
1 |
||
|
Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
January 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
7 March 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
No previous ERO reports |
||
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.