Unit 1, 363 East Tamaki Road, East Tamaki, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kids Create Limited 5 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Create Limited 5 is a privately owned home-based service established in 2015. It is licensed to provide an early childhood education and care service for up to 60 children from infancy to school age. Educators provide programmes in their homes for up to four children at a time. The service is part of the Kids Create Limited Home-Based network.
Kids Create Limited has undergone a period of significant change. Over the past year the owners appointed an acting manager and three programme coordinators. They now plan to appoint a permanent manager.
The network has revised its operations, and strategic and annual plans to reflect changes to the philosophy. The philosophy celebrates the diversity of culture, ideas and ways of working, with a focus on developing children as self-directed, self-motivated learners.
The acting manager has implemented new self-assurance processes to meet the licensing criteria for homebased education and care services. Policies and procedures have been updated and are now comprehensive and provide guidance for educators.
The principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum underpin children's learning. The acting manager and programme coordinators evaluated the programme, which has led to a stronger focus on education-based learning through play.
Programme coordinators have engaged in professional development to build their role as leaders of learning. They work collaboratively to use and build their individual and collective strengths. Continuing to develop this leadership should help programme coordinators to mentor and coach educators working with children.
At the time of this review, Kids Create Limited 5 had one programme coordinator and one educator. This review is part of a cluster of four reviews in the Kids Create Limited Home-Based network.
Kids Create Limited 5 is welcoming to all children, their parents and whānau. The programme coordinator ensures that interactions with parents and communities are culturally responsive.
The service's philosophy and strategic and annual plans recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Staff are increasingly using te reo Māori to build their bicultural practices.
Parent consultation is valued, and the service is seeking ways to strengthen communication and relationships with parents and whānau. The reintroduction of playgroups provides additional learning experiences for children and opportunities for families and staff to connect.
The programme coordinator regularly visits the educator to plan learning programmes and provide feedback to build professional capability. The educator understands and appreciates the value of children learning through play. Programme planning is responsive to individual children's interests and needs, and learning dispositions. An agreed next step is to further promote children's cultural identity within the learning programmes.
Children’s wellbeing and safety are regularly monitored. Strategies to manage finances, resources, health and safety have been implemented.
The network leaders agree that next steps include continuing to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Create Limited 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
19 March 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 |
East Tamaki Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46679 |
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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 |
60 children, including up to 30 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
8 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Ethnic composition |
Indian |
8 |
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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 |
January 2021 |
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Date of this report |
19 March 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
January 2019 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Create Limited 5 is one of four networks owned by the Kids Create Limited organisation. This home-based education and care network was established in late 2015 and gained its full licence early 2018. It is licensed for 60 children from birth to school age.
A programme coordinator oversees the delivery of the curriculum. She collaborates with educators to provide education and care for up to four children in each session in homes. Most educators are family members and some are the children's grandparents. Most children and educators are of Tongan or Samoan cultural backgrounds. Other cultural groups include Māori and Indian.
The service's philosophy promotes education, collaboration and empowerment for all children. It is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and promotes learning through play. The philosophy acknowledges the Treaty of Waitangi obligations and embraces the diverse cultures of the families engaged with the network.
Kids Create Limited 5 is governed by directors who also make up the management board. They have recently appointed a general manager to oversee operations. The board employs four programme coordinators across the networks who work collaboratively, under the leadership of the head programme coordinator, to support educators.
This is the first ERO report for this network.
Children's individual portfolios show that they are developing a strong sense of their identity, language and culture. They show that educators communicate with parents and children using their lea faka Tonga or gagana Samoa. The mainly Tongan and Samoan children enjoy experiences that enhance their identity, language and culture. Children participate in celebrating occasions such as Tongan and Samoan language weeks, involvement in leading lotu and active participation in learning songs and cultural dances.
Children engage in a curriculum that provides a wide variety of learning experiences. Educators share their own cultural knowledge and often document children's learning activities in lea faka Tonga or gagana Samoan. Children's oral language skills, positive relationships with others and confidence in being part of group situations is evident. Good opportunities are provided for children to develop their social competencies such as sharing, co-operating and turn taking.
Good systems are established for planning, assessment and evaluation, and educators are provided with tailored support that guides and builds their capability in these areas. Together with the programme co-ordinator, educators design learning programmes that identify and build on children's individual strengths and interests. Assessment information shows good levels of engagement and some children initiating play. Educators keep good records of each child’s day and activities that children participated in and enjoyed. Children have fun as they learn through play, through everyday experiences, and through planned activities such as literacy, mathematics and science.
The programme co-ordinator knows the educators well and personalises their communication and support needs. Well documented monthly visits to educators monitor health and safety practices in the home and build on educators' knowledge of Te Whāriki and effective teaching practices. The programme co-ordinator promotes inclusive practices and effective ways of working with infants and toddlers. Programme co-ordinators are encouraging educators to increase their understanding and use of te reo and tikanga Māori. They could also help educators to strengthen their understanding of and respond to children's individual learning dispositions.
Parents and families have opportunities to contribute to their children's learning. Managers have identified that they could explore further ways for parents to strengthen their contribution to the operation of the service.
The service is committed to realising its vision, goals and strategic direction. Management plans clearly identify priorities and document strategies to be implemented to achieve their goals. Directors and managers have a commitment to providing quality early childhood education within a culturally rich home-based setting. The programme co-ordinator's good record keeping, professional discussion and a framework of policies and procedures guide practices. Internal evaluation could be further developed so that managers and the programme co-ordinator gain shared understandings to further improve strategic, regular and spontaneous evaluation for continuous improvement.
Sound management practices underpin service operations. There are good recruitment processes and clearly defined expectations for co-ordinators and educators. A sound induction programme and ongoing support build the knowledge, capabilities and skills of all educators and staff, and improve practices across the service. This contributes to consistent and sustainable practices. Managers have improved the appraisal system. They could now strengthen processes to promote teachers as reflective practitioners. Managers are investigating ways they could assist educators to gain a Level 4 NZQA qualification.
Health and safety systems provide assurance to the directors that requirements are met. The programme co-ordinator's monthly reports keep service leaders informed of the physical and emotional wellbeing of children and of any issues to be addressed. Managers are in the process of strengthening quality assurance practices.
The service has made a good start in building educators' awareness to acknowledge the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. Educators are encouraged to use te reo Māori and acknowledge the importance of bicultural practices. Management has identified that more needs to be done to build educators' understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori.
Service leaders agree that key next steps for the service are to strengthen:
internal evaluation practices and documentation at management level
teacher reflection and inquiry
partnership with parents and whānau.
Service leaders agree that key next steps for programme coordinators are to continue to build educator capability in:
developing planning that builds on children's individual dispositions
using te reo and tikanga Māori in the daily programme
engaging in regular professional learning opportunities.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Create Limited 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 Create Limited 5 will be in three years.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
18 January 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 |
Otahuhu, Auckland |
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|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46679 |
||
|
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 |
22 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 13 Girls 9 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
|
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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 |
September 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
18 January 2019 |
||
|
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:
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.