Little Ones Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
65131
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
27
Telephone:
Address:

39 Ferry Rd, Edendale

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Little Ones Early Learning Centre - 18/07/2019

1 Evaluation of Little Ones Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Little Ones Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Little Ones Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Little Ones Early Learning Centre is a small privately-owned centre in Edendale, Southland. The owner is also the manager and a qualified early childhood teacher. She has a second centre in Invercargill. Most of the staff are registered teachers. Two teachers are not qualified but have had long experience in early childhood education. There has been little change in staffing over time.

Children from birth-to-school age attend the centre. Infants and toddlers play and learn in a separate building from the children at the preschool. Both groups share a large outdoor area. Mixed-age interactions are encouraged. The centre provides food for the children.

The centre's philosophy states that it will provide a home away from home, where children experience loving, respectful, caring |manaakitanga relationships. It also states that children will learn through meaningful, open-ended play and be seen as capable and confident. Taking responsibility and independence will be encouraged.

Most of the recommendations from the 2016 ERO report have been addressed.

The Review Findings

Children play and learn in a calm, unhurried and home-like environment. Teachers are respectful and caring in their interactions with them. Children settle quickly on arrival and show a strong sense of belonging to their centre. They show sustained interest in activities and play well independently, alongside and with others. Centre routines are adapted to be responsive to individual children's needs and wishes.

The curriculum fosters open-ended, child-led play. Core Māori values, such as manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tuakana-teina relationships are very evident. There is also a strong focus on building children's social and emotional competence, independence, sense of responsibility and having choice. Children have good opportunities for dramatic play, learning about aspects of te ao Māori, and exploration of the natural world.

Aspects of planning and assessment contribute well to learning. Teachers collectively discuss individual children and identify relevant learning goals. The best learning story examples link back to a child's goal, show progress against it and explain how teachers have supported that learning. Teachers regularly talk with parents about their children's wellbeing, play and learning.

Children with particular needs, such as infants, toddlers and children transitioning into and through the centre and then on to school, are very well supported. This support includes additional resourcing, deliberate teaching strategies and close communication with parents. Infants and toddlers benefit from very close, nurturing relationships with their key teachers who know them and their families very well.

The manager provides good support for staff professional learning and wellbeing. Teachers have access to relevant professional development and their strengths and interests are valued. They work in collegial ways to best support the children. Findings from robust planned internal evaluations are used to make informed changes.

Key Next Steps

Aspects of individual and group planning need strengthening. Presently, individual goals and group-plan learning outcomes are not clear to all staff and parents. Plans also need more detail about the strategies that teachers will use to support children's learning. Clarity about learning goals or outcomes and teaching strategies should enable teachers to better evaluate the effectiveness of their work in supporting the intended learning. There is also variability in the quality of individual learning stories.

Some aspects of curriculum could be strengthened. It is timely for leaders and teachers to review:

  • how well children's oral language, early literacy and mathematics learning are supported
  • resourcing for older children throughout the centre
  • opportunities for children to revisit prior learning.

Some areas in the centre need to be upgraded and maintenance matters need addressing.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Ones Early 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:

  • 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.

Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

18 July 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

Location

Edendale

Ministry of Education profile number

65131

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

41

Gender composition

Boys 25, Girls 16

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Other ethnicities

5
30
6

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

May 2019

Date of this report

18 July 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review

April 2016

Education Review

June 2014

Education Review

January 2013

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.

Little Ones Early Learning Centre - 19/04/2016

1 Evaluation of Little Ones Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Little Ones Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Little Ones Early Learning Centre is licensed for 45 children including up to 15 children under the age of two. The centre serves a wide rural community, is privately owned and one of two services managed by the owner. The service operates from two buildings on the one site. Infants and toddlers have a separate area and are able to mix with siblings and older children through a shared outdoor area.

The centre owner/manager recently appointed a team leader and she is being mentored to take over responsibility for the day-to-day programme.

Improvements have been made on most of the recommendations from the 2013 ERO report. The owner has identified that some aspects continue to be a work in progress.

The Review Findings

Parents and children are warmly welcomed and feel comfortable at the centre. Teachers have a primary focus on establishing warm and trusting relationships with the children and their families and getting to know them well. There is a sense of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga evident across the service.

The children settle well with the support from a key teacher/kaitiaki, when they arrive at the centre. Children work and play confidently alone and with others. They are familiar with the well-established daily routines and the teachers' expectations for their behaviour.

Teachers support the children to be independent and take responsibility for themselves and others. Children access a range of useful resources and interesting activities that promote learning. They have opportunities for gardening and connecting with the natural world through the use of a spacious outdoor area. Teachers support children's physical development through an active-play programme. Healthy meals are provided.

The teachers in the infants and toddlers room respectfully interpret the children's subtle verbal and non-verbal cues. They value the input from parents to guide their response to children’s individual needs and preferences. Infants and toddlers have plenty of room indoors and outdoors to play and learn independently or alongside their peers and/or the teachers. Teachers have created an environment that is calm and unhurried to enhance children’s wellbeing. They support children to deal with and communicate their feelings and deliberately build children's oral language.

Teachers follow a useful process to assess, plan and evaluate the daily programme. There are systems in place for teachers to share their knowledge about children’s interests and learning. Leaders have developed a comprehensive policy and procedures to guide curriculum delivery. These guidelines could be useful as indicators when reviewing practices.

Other features of the service that impact positively on children include:

  • the teachers' commitment to furthering their and the children's knowledge and confidence with things Māori such as tikanga and te reo

  • processes to support children when they move into the centre, between the rooms and when they leave the service and/or go to school

  • regular opportunities for leaders and teachers to participate in professional development to build and improve their practice

  • useful processes to collaborate with parents and gather their wishes for their children's learning.

The leaders have implemented systems to ensure teachers regularly reflect on their work and meet often to discuss and monitor aspects of teaching practices. They have implemented a collaborative approach to planning and self review. They have completed the first cycle of the new appraisal system. There is now a strategic plan that includes how they will grow the owner's and the team leader's leadership skills which includes ongoing external support.

The leaders see that internal evaluation/self review is key to understanding what is working well and what needs further improvement. They have reviewed the centre philosophy and how it translates into action within the centre. The next step is to consider if the philosophy adequately reflects the centre's beliefs about learning and makes it clear what they see as key learning for children.

The owner recognises the need to continue to build self-review practices including the use of data and best-practice evaluation indicators. She has identified the need to:

  • review how well the strategies teachers use to support, promote and extend learning are working to achieve the intended learning outcomes

  • evaluate the impact of any changes made after a review

  • have a review schedule to ensure the things that impact most on children's learning are reviewed regularly.

Key Next Steps

ERO and the centre leaders agree that the key next steps are to develop ways to build and sustain:

  • bicultural practices

  • internal evaluation practices and the effective use of indicators when reviewing.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Ones Early 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:

  • 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Little Ones Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Chris Rowe

Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)

19 April 2016

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

Location

Edendale

Ministry of Education profile number

65131

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

45 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

42

Gender composition

Boys: 24

Girls: 18

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

South East Asian

Chinese

Other

7

27

2

1

5

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

March 2016

Date of this report

19 April 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

June 2014

Education Review

January 2013

Education Review

February 2009

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 and Next Review

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:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

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.