Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson

Education institution number:
45851
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
98
Telephone:
Address:

212 Universal Drive, Henderson, Auckland

View on map

Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson - 13/03/2020

1 Evaluation of Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson

How well placed is Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson is licensed to provide education and care for 125 children, including up to 50 aged under two years. Children are grouped according to age in five separate rooms and a community room with mixed ages from birth to five years. Children enrolled are mainly from Māori, Pacific or NZ European backgrounds.

Living & Learning is governed by a charitable trust established by the directors of Kindercare Learning Services. It is a not-for-profit centre that provides a range of support services for families in the local community. Kindercare Learning Services manage the centre and provide support personnel to mentor centre leaders and help guide centre operations.

The teaching philosophy of Living & Learning Family Centres is underpinned by the values of faith, hope and love. The aim is to support the development of body, mind and spirit to empower children and adults to reach their full potential. Teaching teams have age group specific philosophy statements that support the overarching philosophy of the organisation.

The centre is led by a director, an assistant director and three team leaders. They lead a team of 11 other qualified teachers and three teachers in training.

The 2016 ERO report encouraged leaders and teachers to further develop programme planning and teachers' appraisal processes. There has been progress in both areas.

The Review Findings

Children access a wide range of resources and settle into play of their choosing. They confidently farewell their caregivers and follow their interests and curiosities, moving between indoor and outdoor play spaces. Children have a sense of belonging in the centre, are settled and engaged in their play.

Infants and toddlers benefit from having consistency in teaching teams and teachers who provide nurturing, individualised care. Teachers know and understand the communication styles of these young children. They skilfully use language to engage them in play and to model interactions with others. Children have developed secure attachments to adults who provide their day-to-day care.

Leaders and teachers promote the use of te reo Māori and Pacific languages in interactions with children and their families, and increasingly in centre documentation. Their goal is to work in partnerships with Māori and Pacific whānau, seeking knowledge of their culture and beliefs to establish responsive and relevant learning outcomes for their children. The service is inclusive of all children and supports those with diverse learning needs and their families very well.

Whānau are invited to centre celebrations and parent evenings, which provide opportunities to talk with teachers about their child's learning. Leaders and teachers could now formalise this process to include parent aspirations into programme plans.

Children confidently approach adults to share their ideas and discoveries. Teachers' interactions with them are respectful and positive. They understand children's life contexts and celebrate their achievements and learning with them. Teachers model questioning and wait time strategies promoting children's contributions to conversations and supporting the verbal language development of older children.

Teaching teams plan responsive programmes for groups of children based on observations of their interests. Key teachers ensure programmes are planned for individual children. Children's portfolios of learning are individual to each child. Evaluation is part of the planning cycle and now needs to more strongly focus on the impact of teaching strategies on children's learning. Teachers could evaluate the impact of centre routines on the learning of older children.

The centre is well led. There are carefully considered plans in place through the Living & Learning organisation to develop future leaders. A sound framework has been established for internal evaluation, and shared understandings of the purpose and process are developing across the team. A very detailed organisational strategic plan is in place. Leaders could now consider how this could be more centre specific to guide this centre's future direction.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps include:

  • working in partnership with whānau to develop a programme more strongly inclusive of the cultures and languages of Māori and Pacific learners

  • formally gathering and responding to parent aspirations to support partnerships with whānau based on children's learning

  • continuing to review learning resources and refine programme planning processes to develop children's more complex thinking

  • focusing internal evaluation of the impact of teaching practice to ensure continued reflection and improvement.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson 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.

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:

  • information is provided to parents about the amount and details of the expenditure of any Ministry of Education funding received by the service

  • furniture and items intended for children's sleep are securely covered with or made of a non-porous material.

Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2008, GMA3, PF30.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

13 March 2020

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

Henderson, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

45851

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

125 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 years

Service roll

118

Gender composition

Boys 59% Girls 41%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Niuean
Samoan
Tongan
other ethnic groups

23%
51%
4%
4%
4%
14%

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

February 2020

Date of this report

13 March 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

November 2016

Education Review

September 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.

Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson - 21/11/2016

1 Evaluation of Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson

How well placed is Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson 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

Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson is a non-profit community based early childhood service that provides a range of support services for families from the local community. These services inform young families about the importance of their children's development prior to attendance at school.

The centre provides full day education and care for the children of a culturally diverse community. Staff also come from diverse cultural backgrounds. The centre director manages a large group of staff who are mostly registered teachers. An assistant director has a major role in promoting the implementation of a curriculum based on the Pikler and RIE foundations for learning and Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.

The centre's governing organisation, the Living and Learning Foundation, was established in 2009 by a group of experienced early childhood owners to provide an accessible and affordable service for the community. The foundation's intention is to empower leaders and staff to manage all areas of centre operations capably and independently. The centre's philosophy has a strong focus on the affirmation of families' ethnic backgrounds and the holistic development of the child.

The service provides for up to 125 children from birth to five years of age in five age-related learning areas, and a community room that caters for children between birth and five years of age. Teenage parents can attend programmes provided by the service while their children attend centre sessions. Specialist support is provided to help parents better understand their children's development, and also to work with children who need specific help.

The 2013 ERO report encouraged managers to further develop strategic planning to include the regular review of progress towards strategic goals, strengthen programme planning and provide opportunities for complex thinking and problem solving. Centre leaders need to continue developing teaching philosophies to support children's transition between rooms.

The Review Findings

Children are supported in their learning in culturally relevant ways. Authentic bicultural practices are based on tikanga and te reo Māori. Teachers use the home languages of children with diverse cultural backgrounds to help reassure them and foster their sense of belonging in the centre.

Younger children are well supported in their developmental learning and are able to explore the learning environment. Children understand centre routines and comply with teachers' expectations of their behaviour. High teacher to child ratios could be used to advantage to support children more consistently as individuals. Positive learning outcomes should be recorded more frequently in children's assessment portfolios.

The curriculum is closely referenced to Te Whāriki. Teaching approaches are strongly influenced by the Pikler and RIE foundations for learning. Examples of Pikler beliefs about respect for people, places and things are strongly evident in the programme. Newly implemented online portfolios have enabled more interactive communication between the teachers and parents. A next step would be to more frequently record conversations between children, parents and teachers in learning stories.

Coaching, mentoring and reflective teaching practices are being developed to raise the quality of planning and to strengthen teacher expertise. The teacher appraisal process has been designed to encourage staff to question and challenge professional thinking and knowledge. Teachers are also encouraged to clarify the reasons for decisions and changes. This approach is resulting in teachers contributing to a more collaborative culture of knowledge sharing and having a positive input into each other's practice.

Leadership opportunities are gradually being promoted amongst staff. Teachers' skills and talents have recently been used to encourage a stronger team approach and provide a more interesting programme for children.

The centre has an appropriate range of systems, policies and procedures to underpin governance and management. It has a clear, concise philosophy. More specific use of the values incorporated in the philosophy could enrich the quality of the learning programme for children. Internal evaluation processes could be further refined by embedding teacher reflections and research.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that:

  • teachers could have more specific and purposeful responses to strengthening children's learning

  • new learning through professional training workshops should be implemented in teacher practice

  • recording children's, parents' and teachers' contributions to planning could be increased

  • appraisal processes should align more closely with Education Council requirements

  • teachers should make better use of stored equipment to engage children in more complex learning experiences.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson 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.

To improve current practices, centre managers should report regularly to parents and the community about the use of Ministry of Education funding.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Living & Learning Family Centre Henderson will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

21 November 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

Henderson, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

45851

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

125 children, including up to 50 aged under 2

Service roll

180

Gender composition

Boys 59% Girls 41%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Chinese

Niue

Samoan

Cook Island Māori

other Asians

other ethnicities

18%

42%

9%

6%

2%

2%

1%

4%

16%

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

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

August 2016

Date of this report

21 November 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

September 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 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.