- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
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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.
Annie’s Childcare Centre is located in Otorohanga and is licensed to provide all-day education and care for 39 children, including up to 10 children from birth to two years of age. It is a privately owned centre, and a centre manager and head teacher oversee the management of the service. Currently, the centre has 80 % qualified staffing of whom most were involved in the previous review. The centre operates a mixed age family-like programme for children. The current roll of 35 includes 21 Māori children, most of whom have whakapapa links to Ngāti Maniapoto.
The 2013 ERO review signalled a return visit within two years. Areas identified for review and development included:
A number of actions relating to compliance were also identified.
Since the 2013 ERO review the centre has worked closely with the Ministry of Education and external professional development providers to address the identified issues including, the matters of non-compliance. This review by ERO acknowledges the significant progress made by the service in all areas.
The centre director, manager and head teacher have established clearly defined roles and responsibilities for their positions and are providing effective leadership for the centre. They have developed and documented job descriptions, appraisal processes, rosters and expectations for themselves and staff. These documents are effectively guiding centre operations, communication between management and staff, and have led to improvements in curriculum implementation and teaching practices.
An extensive strategic plan has been written to guide centre development through to 2016. The plan covers centre operations including premises and regulations, staffing, management and governance, administration and financial management, parents and whānau involvement and curriculum and resourcing. Responsibilities are defined, a financial budget, and an action plan detailing how the goals will be implemented are included in this strategic document.
Centre staff have undertaken extensive, relevant and ongoing professional development since the 2013 ERO review. A priority for this learning has been on:
It is important that this focus on professional learning and development continues in order to sustain the improvements made, and further raise the quality of education and care children experience.
Significant improvements have been made to the indoor and outdoor learning environment. In addition, the increased range of opportunities teachers provide has enabled children to access a good range of equipment and resources for play and exploration. Physical changes to the indoor environment have resulted in more effective, attractive and spacious play spaces. ERO observed children happily playing with and alongside one another and engaged for sustained periods of time at play of their choosing.
The centre philosophy is reflected in a broad curriculum that is responsive to the needs and aspiration of children and their families. Teachers provide a play-based programme that gives children a wide range of choices, activities and experiences. The programme is developed through a family grouping model where older children play alongside younger toddlers. This contributes to natural flow and transitions. Important priorities for the programme include a focus on the inclusion of Ngāti Maniapoto tikanga and te reo Maori, science, literacy and numeracy.
Children are highly engaged in caring, warm and welcoming interactions with teachers and their families. Teachers have established close relationships with children who are happy, settled and confident in the centre environment. Children’s sense of belonging and well being is nurtured.
Areas for ongoing development include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Annie's Childcare 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:
curriculumpremises and facilitieshealth and safety practicesgovernance, 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:
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 Annie's Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
23 June 2015
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 |
Otorohanga, Waikato |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
30024 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
39 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
35 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 23 Girls 12 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Other |
21 9 5 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:6 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
May 2015 |
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Date of this report |
23 June 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2013 |
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Education Review |
June 2010 |
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Education Review |
April 2009 |
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.