129 Pages Road, Aranui, Christchurch
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Just Kids House are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
|
(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Learning Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Organisational Conditions |
Whakaū Embedding |
Just Kids House is a mixed age service and is one of three early learning services governed by the Families for Life Trust. Since the 2019 ERO review, there have been changes to the management structure. A newly appointed curriculum leader and a professional leader have been appointed from within the organisation to work alongside the manager, across the three services to provide curriculum support. Progress is evident since the last ERO review report.
Children play and learn in a well-resourced learning environment. Kaiako work alongside children supporting and extending their learning. Promoting oral language is a feature of this service and kaiako maximise opportunities to engage in conversations with children about things that are important to them.
Kaiako integrate te reo Māori and me ngā tikanga Māori, and other languages and cultures into the curriculum. A culturally responsive teaching plan encourages children to maintain connections to their own, and to learn about other cultures. Kaiako are still building their confidence and knowledge in the use of children’s home languages.
Well established learning partnerships are evident between kaiako and whānau. Kaiako actively seek input from whānau about their child’s learning and aspirations. They have yet to fully embed and use assessment information to evaluate how well their curriculum is helping them to achieve their priorities for learning.
The leadership team work well together and are improvement focused. They promote a shared understanding of the service vision, values, and priorities for children's learning.
A systematic and collaborative process guides internal evaluation, that is aligned to service priorities. Leaders have identified that the monitoring of internal evaluation requires improvement. Kaiako understanding and use of effective internal evaluation is becoming embedded in practice.
Strategic governance and leadership within the organisation are contributing to growing leaders and kaiako professional knowledge and capability. Sustained professional learning has led to improved processes for assessment for learning and internal evaluation.
Trustees are highly responsive to the needs of the community of each service. Resourcing and decision-making help to reduce barriers to participation and support family wellbeing.
Just Kids House will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. These are to:
build teacher capability to use te reo Māori and children’s home languages in meaningful ways in daily conversations with children
embed assessment, planning and evaluation processes and use assessment information to know how well all children are progressing in relation to the learning priorities and the extent to which the curriculum is supporting them to achieve these priorities
consolidate and embed teacher capability to engage systematically and effectively in each stage of the internal evaluation process.
Before the review, the staff and management of Just Kids House 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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
5 September 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Just Kids House |
|
Profile Number |
70358 |
|
Location |
Christchurch |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
21 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
26 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 15, NZ European/Pākehā 7, other ethnic groups 4 |
|
Review team on site |
May 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
5 September 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, May 2019; Education Review, October 2015 |
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Just Kids House is very well placed to promote learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Just Kids House is one of three early childhood education and care services managed by the Families for Life Trust. The centre is licensed to provide full day education and care across mixed ages for up to 21 children, including up to four children under the age of two. The centre states that it is committed to providing low cost, quality accessible care for children and their families within the local community, including a free transport service.
Centre programmes and practices are guided by a shared vision and philosophy which emphasise respectful relationships, open communication, and learning as a lifelong journey. The preschool's core values support children's learning through the belief that 'a small learning environment provides a programme that supports children to contribute, participate, explore and experiment in their own learning and each other's.'
The centre manager and senior head teacher provide educational leadership of the three centres. A head teacher leads the teaching and learning team. Most of the teaching staff are qualified and registered early childhood teachers.
The 2015 ERO review identified a number of significant next steps for development. Leaders have used internal and external expertise to address the areas for improvement identified in that report.
The centre participates in the Ōtākaro Kāhui Ako Community of Learning. It is also part of the leadership team of the the Aranui Community of Practice, a network with early childhood and school leaders in the Aranui/Wainoni area.
This review was part of a cluster of three reviews in the Families for Life Trust which is part of a community complex that supports families.
Children are engaged in the learning programme and are well supported by their teachers to be confident and competent learners. Teachers are responsive to children through intentional teaching approaches. They listen to children's ideas and provide resources and equipment which encourage children to investigate, explore and extend their interests.
The environments are calm and thoughtfully presented. The organisation of the indoor and outdoor areas allow children to have easy access to all areas to play and learn for sustained periods of time. Children engage positively with others and tuakana-teina is evident in the play and learning between older and younger children.
Children have opportunities to explore the local community such as the local library and gymnasium. Literacy is well supported and teachers use community experiences to extend children's awareness of the wider world.
Children enjoy warm, nurturing relationships with their teachers, make independent choices and have access to a range of resources. Teachers are responsive to younger children's non-verbal cues and respond well to their needs and interests. They communicate with parents regularly to promote continuity between the centre and home. This helps children's sense of wellbeing and belonging.
Programme planning includes aspects of Māori culture and contributes to building children's awareness of Aotearoa New Zealand's bicultural heritage. Teachers have a strong commitment to building their knowledge and understanding of tikanga and te reo Māori.
Leaders and teachers have used internal and external professional development to improve assessment, planning and evaluation. Te Whāriki (2017), the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum, is well documented in assessment, planning and learning outcomes.
Children with additional learning needs are well supported by their teachers. Leaders and teachers consult with outside agencies and the centre's education support workers, to ensure that these children can fully participate in the programme.
Transitions into and out of the centre are flexible and individualised and consider the child and their family's preferences. Teachers engage with parents and whānau and seek their aspirations for their child.
Leaders and teachers meet regularly to collaboratively evaluate the learning programmes, and reflect on the impact of new initiatives.
Leaders and teachers have used internal and external expertise to improve internal evaluation processes, and are building a culture of reflection for continuous improvement. Strategic planning and goals are linked to teacher practice, appraisal and professional development. Strong leadership and a collaborative approach are supporting staff to continue to develop their professional capability and leadership capacity.
Centre leaders and ERO agree that the next steps are to build on existing good practices by:
Before the review, the staff and management of Just Kids House 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:
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.
Alan Wynyard
Director Review and Improvement Services
Southern Region
6 May 2019
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 |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70358 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
21 children, including up to 4 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
24 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 12, Girls 12 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
12 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2019 |
||
|
Date of this report |
6 May 2019 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
October 2015 |
|
|
Supplementary Review |
June 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
April 2010 |
||
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.
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.
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 |
Gabriel House Kindergarten is well placed to provide positive outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Gabriel House Kindergarten is a small, homely centre. It provides for a maximum of 14 children per day aged from birth to five years old. It was purchased by the ‘Families for Life Trust’ in March 2015. The Trust is part of a community complex in Wainoni that also manages another early childhood education and care service.
A new management structure for Gabriel House Kindergarten has been established, along with a new teaching team. Most staff are qualified and registered teachers. They provide for the needs of infants, toddlers and young children within a mixed-age whānau group.
Centre leaders are part of the local community cluster of primary schools, and early childhood centres. The cluster promotes professional networks to support teaching and learning across the sectors.
Since the change in ownership, centre leaders and teachers have focused on fostering positive relationships, and a sense of belonging for children and families, to help support them during a time of significant change.
Children play well together within a small-group setting that provides good opportunities for older and younger children to support and learn from one another. The low numbers of children each day allow for regular and rich interactions between children and their teachers.
Babies and toddlers are confident to initiate interactions with adults and explore the environment. Nurturing and caring interactions support children’s sense of wellbeing.
The philosophy provides a foundation of shared beliefs and values on which to build the teaching and learning programme.
Centre leaders and teachers have undertaken a significant review and redevelopment of the centre philosophy to better reflect their priorities and those of the parent community.
Leaders are beginning to involve parents more in decisions about aspects of the centre management, routines and planning for their children’s learning. Initial systems for planning and assessment are based on children’s learning dispositions and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Centre leaders provide a clear governance structure and good management systems to help support the new head teacher and teaching team. Useful action plans focus on future priorities while retaining the individual character of the centre. Centre leaders are making good use of external professional learning to support the ongoing development of the centre processes and practices.
The collective impact of a supportive team approach, that includes trustees, leaders and teachers, provides increasing opportunities for children to experience positive learning outcomes.
Trustees and centre leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that the key next steps are to:
Trustees and leaders have also identified that they are now ready to undertake a comprehensive review of the curriculum to align it to the new centre’s philosophy statement. Priority should be given to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Gabriel House Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they select ‘have’ or ‘have not’ 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.
The next ERO review of Gabriel House Kindergarten will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
29 October 2015
|
Location |
Christchurch |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
70358 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
14 children, including up to 4 aged under two |
||
|
Service roll |
22 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 12; Boys 10 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Samoan Japanese |
4 12 3 3 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
September 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
29 October 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO reports |
Supplementary Review |
June 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
April 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2007 |
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:
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.
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.