Little Kiwi's Corner

1 Evaluation of Little Kiwi's Corner 

How well placed is Little Kiwi's Corner to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Little Kiwi's Corner is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Little Kiwi's Corner is a privately owned centre located in Otorohanga. It provides full-day education and care for children from birth to school age in two rooms. It is licensed for 35 children, including 14 up to the age of two years. The current roll of 53 includes 18 children of Māori descent and seven children from other ethnicities. One of the centre owners is early childhood qualified. She provides professional leadership and guidance to the onsite centre supervisor, who manages the day-to-day running of the centre and supports the teaching team.

The centre's philosophy is 'to nurture the growth of our newest generation through respectful and positively responsive relationships within a respectful and positive environment'. It focuses on children being free to explore, grow, contribute and learn through engaging experiences, where they can extend their own interests. The individual heritage of each child and their family is acknowledged and valued.

Since the last ERO review in 2016 centre ownership has remained consistent. The team leader has taken on the newly developed centre supervisor role. The teaching team is all new. There has been roll growth over time. The centre has achieved a bronze healthy heart award and has responded well to the areas identified in the previous ERO report.

The Review Findings

The curriculum responds well to children’s interests and needs. Learning opportunities are enriched through a variety of experiences and excursions into the local community. Children are encouraged to explore and revisit learning to support understanding. Bicultural perspectives acknowledge the unique place of Māori and affirm children’s sense of identity and belonging. Children with additional learning and behavioural needs are well identified and supported through personalised planning and external support. An individualised approach to assessment, planning and evaluation enables greater levels of children’s engagement in learning.

Positive and respectful relationships are evident among teachers, children and their families. Diversity is valued and parents are encouraged to share their cultural practices and languages. There is an on-going focus on teaching children skills for managing themselves and relating well to others in a range of contexts. Children up to the age of two benefit from sensitive and responsive interactions. Children’s identities and sense of belonging are affirmed in calm and caring environments.

Leadership is collaborative and fosters a positive culture for learning. Open communication enables high levels of relational trust amongst staff and builds respectful relationships with parents and whānau. The centre supervisor provides strong coaching and mentoring to teachers and encourages shared decision making and responsibilities. Children and families are well supported in an inclusive culture where children are valued, celebrated and affirmed.

The owners are providing effective governance to the centre. A shared philosophy promotes a commitment to the cultural identities of families and whānau. Strong systems and processes guide all operations including policy, financial, and health and safety management. Formal appraisal and the provision of professional learning is building teacher and leadership capability. Internal evaluation is becoming more focused on informing changes to teaching practice and improving outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

The key next steps for the centre are to continue to build teacher capability to:

• further strengthen intentional teaching to ensure greater consistency of practice and enable more challenge and complexity in older children's learning

• develop greater confidence and use of te reo Māori in interactions with children, and in planning and assessment.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Kiwi's Corner 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.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

28 May 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

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.

Review Coverage

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.