29a Purdy Street, Kaikohe
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 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 Kowhai Corner Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whakaū Embedding Whāngai Establishing |
Kowhai Corner Learning Centre was established as part of a Ministry of Education initiative to provide secondary education for young parents in the local area. It caters for tamariki of whānau attending the nearby teen parent unit. It operates in conjunction with an established adjoining centre. The service provider maintains the operations across both centres. There is a shared leadership structure. All tamariki attending the service are of Māori heritage.
Kaiako maintain a calm, unhurried pace where infants and toddlers have space and time to lead their learning. Responsive caregiving supports young tamariki to build trusting relationships and experience smooth transitions into the service.
Kaiako intentionally promote an environment that is inclusive and accepting for all tamariki and their whānau. They know the tamariki well and provide additional support when required.
Kaiako support oral language by role modelling new words, reading stories and waiata both in English and te reo Māori. Kaiako understand tamariki and respond to their non-verbal cues. This has enhanced their sense of belonging.
Tamariki learning and development are supported culturally by leaders and kaiako. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are valued as integral parts of teaching and learning within the service. Kaupapa Māori concepts are fundamental to curriculum decisions.
Engagement with whānau is valued, and kaiako know their community well. They regularly talk with whānau and make links between what is happening for their tamariki in the centre, at home, and in the wider community.
Leaders and kaiako are reflective and are working collaboratively to build teaching and leadership capability. Teaching practices are guided by ongoing mentoring and meaningful professional development that supports their professional knowledge and leadership capabilities.
Leaders have a clear vision that sets the direction for the service. They seek to realise the potential of all tamariki and their whānau. They have established a strong partnership with the teen parenting unit which provides a supportive wrap around service for young parents and their tamariki.
Kowhai Corner Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kowhai Corner Learning Centre completed an ERO 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
19 December 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kowhai Corner Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 47488 |
| Location | Kaikohe |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 20 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 2 |
| Review team on site | September 2023 |
| Date of this report | 19 December 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, June 2019 |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Kowhai Corner Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kowhai Corner Learning Centre provides education and care for up to 20 children under 2 years of age. All of the children enrolled are Māori. This is the first ERO report for this centre, which opened in May 2018.
The centre was established as part of a Ministry of Education initiative to provide targeted secondary education for young parents in the local area. It caters for the children of parents attending the nearby Teen Parent Unit (TPU), as well as offering a limited number of places for infants and toddlers from the wider community. The partnership between the centre and the TPU continues to be developed.
The centre operates in conjunction with an established, adjoining centre that is licensed for children up to school age. The service provider maintains operating systems and processes across the two centres. There is a shared leadership structure.
Children settle quickly, and are supported where needed, by caring interactions with kaiako. Toddlers confidently explore the well-resourced learning spaces. Children play well alongside each other in a peaceful, unhurried environment.
Kaiako engage in rituals of care that are respectful and promote each child's emotional and physical wellbeing. They foster children's independence and developing self-help skills. Kaiako are responsive to children's non-verbal cues and know these young children very well.
Kaiako skilfully integrate te reo me ōna tikanga Māori and spontaneous waiata and music into the programme. They provide an appropriate range of outdoor play equipment to support children to challenge and develop their physical skills. Infants and toddlers enjoy seeing and hearing what is happening in the adjacent playground for older children. They benefit from these social interactions with siblings and whānau.
Centre leaders make good use of professional learning opportunities to increase their understanding of best practice. Their learning about brain development is having a significant impact on curriculum provision and the positive ways that kaiako interact with children. New processes for assessment and planning, internal evaluation, and teacher appraisal have been introduced. It is now time for leaders to prioritise and plan how kaiako will embed these new processes to promote consistent teaching practices.
The owners have a clear focus on improving and building staff capability. The establishment of this centre, and its careful integration with the adjoining Kowhai Corner service, has helped to establish sound foundations for future development. The service provider has identified that reviewing the centre's philosophy, policies and procedures is a priority.
Key next steps include consolidating and embedding:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kowhai Corner Learning Centre 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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The service provider must ensure that all adults working with children have been police vetted.
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, GMA7,7A; Children's Act 2014.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
20 June 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 | Kaikohe | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 45488 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 20 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 10 | ||
| Gender composition | Boys 8 Girls 2 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori | 10 | |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:4 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Review team on site | April 2019 | ||
| Date of this report | 20 June 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:
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:
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.