Magic Kingdom Childcare

Education institution number:
45976
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
53
Telephone:
Address:

115 Boundary Road, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland

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Magic Kingdom Childcare

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 Akarangi Quality 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 Magic Kingdom Childcare are as follows:

Outcome Indicators
ERO’s judgement

What the service knows about outcomes for learners

Whakaū Embedding

Ngā Akatoro Domains

Learning Conditions
ERO’s judgement

 

Whakaū Embedding

Organisational Conditions
ERO’s judgement

 

Whakaū Embedding

2 Context of the Service
 

Magic Kingdom Childcare is one of four services that are part of the Chrysalis Care Group. The centre manager leads a team of six qualified and two unqualified teachers, two teachers in training and a cook. The multicultural teaching team reflects the ethnic backgrounds of children attending the service. 

3 Summary of findings
 

Children develop secure and trusting relationships with teachers. They experience unhurried routines that respond to their changing needs and preferences. Children actively participate in the programme and make choices about their play.

Learning environments are well resourced, and they offer age-appropriate experiences that support children’s learning and development. Teachers know children and families well and are responsive to their needs. Teachers communicate with children in their home languages, which helps children build a sense of wellbeing and belonging.

Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are valued by the service and are visible in the environment. Teachers’ capability and use of te reo Māori are progressing in classroom interactions with children and with each other.

The curriculum enhances children’s mana and is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Quality assessment practices are embedding that capture the depth, breadth and complexity of individual children’s learning in relation to Te Whāriki.

Teachers seek guidance from external agencies for children with additional learning needs to remove barriers to their participation in all aspects of the curriculum.

Staff maintain learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau who have regular opportunities to contribute to decision-making in the service.

Service leaders continue to embed sound systems and processes that support:

  • ongoing internal evaluation to inform decision-making and improvement

  • the leadership of staff and the teaching team to promote positive outcomes for all children.

4 Improvement actions
 

Magic Kingdom Childcare will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Strengthen individual planning processes by clearly identifying how teachers will extend children’s learning and show their progression of learning over time.

  • Continue to embed the use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori as part of daily practice. 

  • Monitor performance management systems that support, and contribute to, teachers’ learning and growth.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
 

Before the review, the staff and management of Magic Kingdom Childcare 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

12 May 2022  

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Magic Kingdom Childcare

Profile Number

45976

Location

Blockhouse Bay, Auckland

Service type

Education and care service

Number licensed for

60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Percentage of qualified teachers

80-99%

Service roll

55

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā 5, Indian 24, Pacific 6, other Asian 14,
other European 6

Review team on site

January 2022

Date of this report

12 May 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, December 2017
Education Review, March 2014

Magic Kingdom Childcare - 06/12/2017

1 Evaluation of Magic Kingdom Childcare

How well placed is Magic Kingdom Childcare 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

Magic Kingdom is one of four centres operated by the Chrysalis Group. It offers full-day education and care for up to 60 children including 15 under the age of two. The children attending the centre reflect the diverse and multicultural groups in the local community.

The centre's core philosophy recognises children as lifelong learners. It focuses on offering opportunities for children to learn through imagination and inspiration. The philosophy promotes respectful trusting partnerships with parents and encourages guardianship of the environment. The programme is guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The centre has two rooms, one for infants and toddlers and one for older children. The Chrysalis Group employs a centre manager and a curriculum manager, who supports teachers' ongoing professional development. The Group has received awards that recognise its innovative approaches to management, curriculum design and environments.

Since the 2014 ERO review the centre's philosophy has been strengthened to ensure that it reflects the children, families and community. The ERO review suggested extending complex play opportunities for older children and enhancing the curriculum to ensure that it is responsive to children's languages and cultural identity. The centre has responded positively to these suggestions.

The Review Findings

Children are happy, confident learners. They enjoy warm, respectful relationships with adults, and with each other. Children are calm and settled and display a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy the attractive and interesting play spaces and inviting natural environments. Transitions and routines are relaxed and unhurried.

Children aged up to two years have formed strong bonds with their teachers and are well nurtured. They enjoy their play in inviting and well-resourced spaces that offer multiple opportunities for exploration and sensory play. Teachers actively engage with children. They skilfully encourage the development of children's language and independence. Parents are kept informed about their children's progress through regular communications. Good information helps to support children's transitions into and through the centre.

Older children are friendly, curious and confident. They enjoy a spacious and enticing environment that promotes good opportunities for independent and group play. Teachers work closely with children. They facilitate children's choices, support child-led learning and foster self-management skills. Children have multiple opportunities to learn about literacy, numeracy and science.

Children respect their environment and have easy access to a variety of resources. Attractive displays enable children to revisit their experiences and support children's language and vocabulary development. Children's cultural identity is celebrated in their environment, quality interactions and in wall displays. Inclusive practices are promoted.

Teachers work well as a collaborative team. Their individual philosophies align with the centre's philosophy and vision to support quality of practice. Teachers offer a programme that is highly responsive to children's interests and promotes inquiry.

Teachers have strong partnerships with families. Parents have many opportunities to be included in their children's learning. Their aspirations are sought and their contributions are valued. Children's progress is carefully documented and evaluated regularly through a web-based communication system.

Directors and managers have a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and promoting bicultural practices. Te reo and tikanga Māori are integrated in daily routines, in wall displays and documentation. Children are well supported to become familiar with the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The curriculum manager plays a critical role in continuing to lift teaching practice in the centre. A strong commitment to ongoing professional learning is building teachers' knowledge and capability. Internal evaluation and professional learning opportunities support the director's philosophy of continual improvement.

Strong, stable governance and management focus on high quality and innovation. It is this focus that drives the philosophy, vision and centre practices in order to promote continual improvement. Practices to build sustainability focus on partnerships with families and the teaching and leadership strengths of the team members. The centre's leadership structure and culture have helped to strengthen teaching practice and learning outcomes for adults and children.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders agree that next steps for the centre include:

  • extending children's ability to be inquirers, problem solvers and negotiators

  • broadening learning experiences that promote literacy and numeracy

  • making more explicit links between parents' aspirations and evidence in individual children's portfolios about their learning

  • deepening teachers' evaluative thinking and inquiry into the effectiveness and impact of their teaching practices.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Magic Kingdom Childcare 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 Magic Kingdom Childcare will be in four years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

6 December 2017

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

Blockhouse Bay, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

45976

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

60 children, including up to 15 aged under 2

Service roll

66

Gender composition

Girls 35 Boys 31

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Indian
Chinese
other Asian
other

3
13
30
4
8
4

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

October 2017

Date of this report

6 December 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

March 2014

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.