Little Poppy's Preschool

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 Little Poppy’s Preschool are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Little Poppy’s Preschool, previously known as Apples Childcare & Learning Centre is privately owned and operated. The centre manager, a registered qualified teacher, oversees the daily operation with the support from the owner. They lead a team of 11 qualified teachers and six unqualified staff.

3 Summary of findings

Children are familiar with routines. They are confident in themselves and with others through reciprocal relationships. Children have a positive attitude towards self-help skills and independence. They can sustain their play through provocations in the environment. Older children have opportunities to build early literacy and numeracy skills through learning experiences.

Infants and toddlers experience a calm and unhurried approach from teachers that promotes children’s empowerment and decision making. There is a strong focus of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in the toddlers’ room. Approaches to transitions within the service cater for individuals’ needs and whānau requests. Children with additional needs are supported to access the curriculum through leaders’ and teachers’ engagement with different support agencies.

Teachers continue to develop a shared understanding of planning and assessment processes and practices. The service is beginning to explore the learning outcomes for children in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Assessment documentation does not yet make visible teachers’ responses to children’s interests, dispositions and parent aspirations. There are some opportunities for parents to participate in assessment and curriculum planning processes. The local curriculum has not yet been unpacked.

Useful quality improvement systems, processes and practices have been established. Teachers have access to professional learning. Review and internal evaluation processes reflect multiple voices from teachers and parents. Research and data gathering are used to develop teachers’ understanding of good practice. Leaders and teachers continue to use internal evaluation to identify how well the programme impacts on all learners and informs quality improvement planning.

A positive working environment facilitates a low turnover of staff and relational trust amongst teachers.  Leaders have well-established systems and processes in place to maintain regulatory requirements. Alignment between strategic direction, annual plan and internal evaluation is visible.

4 Improvement actions

Little Poppy’s Preschool will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning. Leaders and teachers to:

• identify and embed a localised curriculum, in partnership with parents and whānau.

• increase the visibility of how teachers respond to children’s interests, dispositions, and parents’ aspirations in assessment and planning for learning

• regularly evaluate to determine how effectively the service is providing for the strengths, interests and needs of all children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Poppy’s Preschool 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

16 November 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service