Little Troopers Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
47519
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
25
Telephone:
Address:

320 Malfroy Road, Rotorua

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Little Troopers Early Learning Centre

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

Little Troopers Early Learning Centre, previously known as Kids Count Rotorua, changed ownership in September 2021. A director works alongside a fully qualified teaching team, providing education and care for children from infants to school age. Almost half the roll identifies as Māori or Pacific, with several other ethnicities represented.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Children are given opportunities to develop an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

A range of experiences and opportunities is provided to children to enhance and extend their learning and development – both indoors and outdoors. The programme is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning. Their developing social competence is supported.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

  • continuing to increase the range of opportunities children and families have to share aspects of their culture

  • strengthening the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their language, culture, and identity

  • strengthening the use of the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki in relation to the priorities of the service through assessment, planning and evaluation.

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
14 December 2022 

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Little Troopers Early Learning Centre

Profile Number

47519

Location

Rotorua

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

100%

Service roll

31

Review team on site

October 2022

Date of this report

14 December 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2020

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.

Kids Count Rotorua - 29/10/2020

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

Not meeting

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

Background

This is the first ERO review of Kids Count Rotorua that opened in August 2018. It is part of the Kids Count organisation, a family-run business. The recently appointed and fully qualified centre manager and head teacher, lead a team of three qualified and two unqualified teachers.

Summary of Review Findings

Children experience meaningful and positive relationships with their teachers, enhancing their learning and nurturing reciprocal relationships. Their social competence is supported within a language-rich environment. Children are seen as capable and competent, and their choices are respected. The curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children’s interests and needs. The unique place of Māori as tangata whenua is evident in the programme and children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of both parties of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Regulatory standards are not being fully met.

Actions for Compliance

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

  • staff are familiar with, carry out and evaluate relevant emergency drills with children on an at least three-monthly basis
  • recording evidence that parents have been informed of injuries and incidents
  • recording parental acknowledgement that medicine has been administered and collected for category (ii) medication
  • a record of training for the administering of medications is developed and maintained
  • providing parents with information about how they can be involved in the service and evidence of their contribution to reviews of operational documents
  • an annual plan to guide centre operation.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS8, HS27, HS28, HS29, GMA4, GMA8]

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

  • evidence of an installed tempering valve (PF24)
  • evidence that all first aid kits comply with the requirement of Appendix 1 PF28
  • evidence of the annual review of the emergency plan and implementation of improved practices (HS7)
  • evidence of water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius (HS14).

Recommendation to Ministry of Education

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

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review of Kids Count Rotorua will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

29 October 2020

Information About the Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Kids Count Rotorua

Profile Number

47519

Location

Rotorua

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2.

Percentage of qualified teachers

80%+

Service roll

26

Gender composition

Male 16, Female 10

Ethnic composition

Māori 15
NZ European/Pākehā 5
Pacific 6

Review team on site

October 2020

Date of this report

29 October 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

First ERO review of the service.

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 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.