Lollipops Waikato Hospital

Education institution number:
30184
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
49
Telephone:
Address:

230 Pembroke Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton

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Lollipops Waikato Hospital - 19/02/2020

1 Evaluation of Lollipops Waikato Hospital

How well placed is Lollipops Waikato Hospital to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Lollipops Waikato Hospital is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Lollipops Waikato Hospital early childhood service is located in central Hamilton, near Waikato Hospital. It is owned by Evolve Education Group and is licensed to provide full day education and care for 50 children including up to 20 under the age of two. The centre operates two spaces, one for children under two and one for those over two. The current roll of 47 is very diverse and includes children with Indian, Asian and African backgrounds. There are a small number of Māori children. The centre continues to cater largely to whānau working at the hospital. This is reflected in the opening hours which are from 6.30am until 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Evolve Education Group provides a framework of policies and procedures to guide centre operation. Evolve management also sets budgets, oversees human resources, finances and Ministry of Education funding. Evolve has recently restructured its management support with the area manager now providing support to a smaller number of centres.

The centre manager is responsible for day-to-day operations. She is supported by a head teacher in the over two's space. The centre manager is new to her role since the 2016 ERO review. Most staff, over 80% of whom are fully qualified, have been at the centre for less than two years. The diversity amongst staff reflects that of children and whānau.

The centre philosophy has changed substantially since the 2016 ERO review, as a result of staff and whānau consultation. The philosophy describes the centre's perspective on a number of important elements that contribute to positive outcomes for children in early childhood education. It presents the child as competent, curious and full of potential.

A key next step at the time of the 2016 review was to strengthen the understanding and use of newly introduced individual planning and assessment processes. These are now well-embedded.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from warm, respectful relationships with teachers. Effective positive guidance strategies promote the development of emotional and social competencies. There are many opportunities for children to develop foundational dispositions for learning such as risk-taking, resilience and curiosity. Children are taught about the various cultures within the centre and are positive about diversity. As a consequence, there is a strong sense of community amongst whānau. Oral language development is well supported. The significant number of English language learners at the centre benefit from specific, individual planning and teaching focused on increasing their fluency. Children's thinking is extended through open-ended questioning, challenges and opportunities for sustained play.

Teaching strategies are highly intentional. They focus on using children's ongoing interests to facilitate learning. Teachers involve themselves in children's self-initiated play and co-construct activities and games which respond to identified focuses for growth and development. Well informed learning plans are developed for individual children in consultation with parents and whānau. Learning stories and photographic montages show growth and progress over time in relation to these plans. Teacher-directed activities promote learning about the world and children's place within it.

An inviting and well-resourced centre environment enhances play and learning. Teachers are increasingly using the local hospital context to extend thinking and learning. A range of activities for children reaching the age of five enhances transition to school. These activities relate to strengthening self management and literacy and numeracy skills.

Teachers are highly conscious of children who belong to priority groups. All priority learners such as Māori and Pacific and children with additional needs benefit from individualised planning and teaching that responds to their particular needs. An external provider for the teaching of te reo Māori and tikanga enhances the sense of belonging of Māori children. This work is supported and reinforced by the head teacher who is also a fluent speaker of Māori. The knowledge and understanding of teachers from other cultures are well used to respond to children from diverse ethnicities.

Children under the age of two play and learn in a calm and unhurried environment. Teachers engage in one-to-one responsive interactions where the teacher follows the child's lead. Children's rights are respected. They are able to make choices and staff are responsive to their care needs.

The centre is well managed and teachers are well supported in their roles. A collaborative teaching team has been developed. Individual teacher strengths are well utilised for the benefit of children and whānau. Leaders model respectful practice, particularly in relation to the acceptance and celebration of diversity. There are effective systems to build teacher capability supported by a good balance of centre-wide and individual professional learning and development.

Comprehensive systems and processes guide all centre operations. Effective policy review is undertaken in consultation with parents and whānau. Area managers are highly supportive. They have been innovative in making improvements to centre operations and services to children. A particular feature has been the provision of extra specialist support for children with additional needs. This support complements that provided by the Ministry of Education and contributes to consistency of service throughout the year. The system for teacher appraisal has been improved since the 2016 ERO review.

Key Next Steps

ERO and leaders agree that it would be useful to continue to strengthen strategic planning to ensure that it better reflects the needs of the centre and that all centre systems and processes align to it. It is also necessary to continue to strengthen bicultural practice. This should involve reviewing the local curriculum to ensure that Māori perspectives, tikanga and local history are included.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Waikato Hospital 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.

Darcy Te Hau

Acting Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

19 February 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

Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

30184

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 20 aged under 2

Service roll

48

Gender composition

Male 30 Female 18

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā
Indian and Indian Tamil
Filipino
Other Ethnicities

17
15
6
10

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%+

Based on funding rates

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:5

Meets minimum requirements

Over 2

1:10

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

December 2019

Date of this report

19 February 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

October 2016

Education Review

July 2013

Education Review

August 2012

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.

Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital - 13/10/2016

1 Evaluation of Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital

How well placed is Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital 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

Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital is an education and care service located in central Hamilton. It is licensed for 50 children, including a maximum of 20 children who are up to two years of age. It is open for all-day sessions between 6.30 am and 6.30 pm on week days, to meet the needs of family members, many of whom are employed at Waikato Hospital. The centre is organised in two age groups, one for children up to two and a half years of age and the other for older children up to school age.

The centre philosophy reflects the whakatau:

  • He aha te mea nui ki te ao? Maaku e ki atu. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
  • What is the most important thing in the world? I would reply - it is people, it is people, it is people.

The philosophy is based around four pou - kaitiakitanga, mauri-ora, tino rangitiratanga and te whakakoha rangatiratanga. The centre's priorities reflect these pou. It aims to provide:

  • respect for the uniqueness of each individual, child and family

  • inclusion in a centre that is nurturing, caring and flexible

  • participation in a programme that builds positive, reciprocal relationships in a relaxed, fun and enjoyable environment

  • opportunities to develop as capable and confident leaders who have problem-solving skills, and develop as independent and self-motivated learners

  • encouragement to develop important social competencies and relationships.

The centre has recently had a change of ownership, and now operates under the umbrella of Evolve Education Group, which provides a framework of policies and procedures to guide centre operation. Evolve management also sets budgets, and oversees human resources, finances and Ministry of Education funding.

The centre is co-managed by two centre directors, one of whom also acts as director for another centre. She shares her role with an assistant who has an additional role as leader for the over two age group area. There have been recent changes of staff. The centre now employs five teachers with early childhood teaching qualifications, representing 80% of teaching staff. It also employs teachers who bring a range of tertiary qualifications that contribute to the range of valuable knowledge and experience among the teaching teams.

The 2013 ERO review acknowledged the positive development made since the previous review, which was conducted when the centre was under the previous ownership and management. Improvements have been made to the quality of the environment, leadership, and quality of teaching. It was recommended that the centre continue to focus on the analysis of children's learning and the inclusion of parent and child voices in assessments.

The Review Findings

Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital provides an inclusive curriculum that embraces all children. Teachers recognise the importance of knowing children in the context of their family and establish trusting, open partnerships with parents. They use their shared knowledge to respond to parents' aspirations and support each child's full participation in the programme.

Leaders and teachers provide equitable learning opportunities that recognise and cater for children's individual interests and abilities. Teachers encourage children to make positive choices and develop problem-solving skills. They are strong advocates for children and are highly committed to providing additional learning support as needed. Centre leaders and teachers promote beliefs and values based on social justice, fairness and human rights.

Children enjoy positive and respectful relationships with teachers and their peers. Older children are learning to take responsibility for themselves and the environment. They have many opportunities to develop friendships with others and engage in sustained, cooperative and social play. Tuakana-teina relationships enable children to develop their leadership skills and take increased responsibility for the wellbeing and learning of others. Babies and toddlers are experiencing personalised relationships under the care of a key teacher. Centre routines provide a positive climate for their education and care. Younger children are developing strong attachments in a calm environment.

Teachers have a good understanding and knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Literacy, mathematics, science and the arts are naturally integrated into child-initiated learning. Oral language is strongly supported, enabling children to develop a rich vocabulary.

Teachers have recently introduced individual planning that emphasises noticing, recognising and responding to children's interests and strengths as a basis for supporting and extending children's learning and development. Child assessment portfolios provide a record of children's experiences at the centre and these records are increasingly documenting children's developing learning dispositions. Parents receive meaningful information about their children's learning and development through conversations with teachers, children's individual portfolios and an on-line interactive portal.

The centre director, assistant director and team leaders promote relational trust and a collaborative team approach. Systematic self-review enables teachers to have time to critically reflect as they focus on improvements to the quality of education and care for children who attend the centre.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that teachers now need to embed the newly introduced assessment and individual child planning processes. This would be likely to increasingly identify the continuity of individual children's learning and the progress they are making in a range of contexts.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital 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 Lollipops Educare Waikato Hospital will be in three years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty

13 October 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

Hamilton

Ministry of Education profile number

30184

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

50 children, including up to 20 aged under 2

Service roll

56

Gender composition

Boys 31 Girls 25

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Filipino

Cook Island

Samoan

Other Asian

Other

6

20

11

7

2

2

4

4

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

1:5

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2016

Date of this report

13 October 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

July 2013

Education Review

August 2012

Education Review

July 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.