112 Kowhai Road, Mairangi Bay, Auckland
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Mairangi Bay Playcentre is a well-established early learning service. The centre is governed and managed cooperatively by centre members, who support each other in their parenting and educator roles.
The centre offers five sessions per week for up to 30 children, including 15 under two years of age. Of the 32 children currently enrolled, three are Māori. Sessions include the Tui Club, an extended session for children over four years of age. In addition, the SPACE (Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education) NZ Trust offers one session each week at the centre for a group of parents and their infants.
The centre shares the philosophy of the NZ Playcentre Federation which is to empower adults and children to play, work, learn and grow together. Its specific vision is to provide an environment for family and whānau where every child develops life skills, self assurance, creative thought and a love of learning. Many children remain at Mairangi Bay Playcentre until they are ready to go to school.
Members each have delegated leadership roles and responsibilities within centre management. Sessions are led by a duty team of parents who hold relevant qualifications under the New Zealand Playcentre Federation's NZQA accredited education programme. More than half of all parents hold a Course 3 qualification.
The centre is part of the newly established Northern North Island Playcentre Region. Regional systems support centre members to manage their centres and to provide educational programmes for their children. Playcentre personnel also provide training programmes for parents/whānau to achieve Playcentre qualifications.
Mairangi Bay Playcentre has a positive ERO reporting history. The members have responded well to key next steps identified in ERO's 2014 report. They have overseen extensive indoor renovations, upgrades to the outdoor environment, and strengthened individualised learning plans for children.
This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in the Northern North Island Playcentre.
Children develop confidence and have fun during the sessions. They are immersed in their play, and trust that adults will help them to solve problems and support their learning. Children negotiate play spaces and resources, individually and in groups. They have many opportunities to revisit their creations and previous learning. Respect is highly evident in the way children and adults interact with each other.
A valued outcome for this playcentre is to "create a fun, child-focused play oasis where children are settled, feel at home, and are challenged". Sessions achieve this aspiration. They enable children to select their own play and to determine how this play develops. Literacy and numeracy are well integrated into children's play experiences. Children have good opportunities to develop learning dispositions and working theories. Positive features such as these build strong foundations for children's later learning.
Infants and toddlers are well provided for. They enjoy the tuakana-teina relationships that are strongly evident. Infants' developmental stages are celebrated and they benefit from the caring and nurturing environment created for them. They have appropriate access to areas for quiet time, unhurried play and rest.
Inviting indoor and outdoor environments provide shared and discreet areas for sustained play and exploration. Parents/whānau are in the process of enhancing the grounds by planting a large number of native trees. Children, particularly the older ones, have been fully involved in this extensive process and are learning about science and sustainability in a meaningful way. These experiences have been further enhanced by the introduction of the Friday Nature session. This mixed-age session, in a local reserve, aims to provide further opportunities for exploration, wonder and creativity in a natural environment.
All parents are involved in programme planning. A recent development has been to clearly identify, document and share each child's interests and strengths. This initiative is enhancing parents' understanding of children's individual and group play. Learning stories for each child are well aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and are generally written as a narrative. Members agree that clearer inclusion of dispositions for learning would enable them to document children's progress more fully.
Members continue to include and extend bicultural practices in the programme and learning environment. They are building their confidence in using te reo and tikanga Māori more consistently during sessions. Members are considering ways of valuing children's diverse backgrounds more directly. Both of these initiatives could now be more deliberately planned for and evaluated.
Effective communication and inclusive practices are evident in this well organised playcentre. Members provide a warm, welcoming community of support for parents as their child's first educator. They value the well-considered and comprehensive programmes of adult education they receive. These programmes enable the service to build leadership, sustain quality and improve outcomes for children.
The centre's strategic vision and annual planning priorities strongly emphasise positive outcomes for children. Internal evaluation is well structured, systematic, and improvement focused. Adults are now keen to include children's voice as an integral part of these evaluations.
Regional leaders have a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They are building links with local kaumatua and promote bicultural partnerships. Whānau Māori are invited to join Te Roopu Ngātahi o Puāwai. The inclusion of te reo and tikanga Māori is an integral part of centre practices that affirm Māori children’s cultural identity.
The regional structure is replacing individual Playcentre Associations. Newly appointed regional personnel are making good progress building on existing systems and establishing effective regional management structures for supporting centres. Centre support workers are guided by regional centre support coordinators. Systems are being developed for monitoring the quality of programmes for children, adult education levels, and health and safety requirements.
Playcentre members agree that incorporating the Te Whāriki (2017) and a commitment to strengthening dispositional learning would be valuable components of their planned philosophy review.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mairangi Bay Playcentre 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Mairangi Bay Playcentre will be in four years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
8 June 2018
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.
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Location |
Mairangi Bay, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22043 |
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Licence type |
Playcentre |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
32 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 17 Boys 15 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Playcentre requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
Playcentre requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
8 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
November 2013 |
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|
Education Review |
October 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2007 |
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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:
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mairangi Bay Playcentre is a well established centre which operates as a parent-led cooperative within the North Shore Playcentre Association. The centre runs four mixed-age sessions each week, catering for children up to six years of age. It also offers one session a week for children over four years old.
The centre has a positive history of ERO reviews. A high level of training amongst centre members and positive relationships and practices continue to be evident. Members have responded well to the recommendations in ERO’s 2010 report. A culture of robust reflection has contributed to enjoyable and meaningful learning experiences for children.
The North Shore Playcentre Association is the umbrella organisation for twenty one playcentres situated in North Auckland. Many of these centres are semi-rural. The association manages and distributes centre funding and provides a training programme for parents/whānau to achieve playcentre qualifications. It also has good systems to support centre members in managing the centres and providing educational programmes for children. The association is currently reviewing many aspects of its operations to help reduce the administrative workload for its members.
This review was part of a cluster of twelve playcentre reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.
Adults provide a welcoming and calm atmosphere that helps children to interact positively with each other. They are attentive to children, engage in rich conversations and encourage children to be creative. Adults constructively consult children during planned self reviews and value their feedback. High levels of trust are evident between adults and children.
Children know each other and adults well. They are supported to interact in caring and respectful ways that enable infants, toddlers and children to learn with and from each other. Children benefit from a programme which naturally integrates literacy, numeracy and science in meaningful contexts. They enjoy opportunities for sustained play in a well resourced environment. Children enjoy the extensive outdoor area that is complete with fruit trees, gardens and native bush. This provides challenge and exploration opportunities for children.
The centre has established good relationships with local iwi and marae. Bicultural practices are respectfully included in the programme and learning environment. A significant feature of the playcentre is its well established Matariki celebrations, which include past families and local community involvement. The promotion of bicultural partnerships with Māori whānau is also evident in the wider association operations. The management team show a strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to building both adults’ and children’s familiarity with te reo and tikanga Māori.
Children’s cultural backgrounds are recognised and valued. Adults work collaboratively to respond meaningfully to Pacific children’s cultures. Pacific families support the centre by sharing their skills and knowledge with children and adults.
Good quality, innovative processes for programme planning and assessment are evident. Adults evaluate sessions on a daily basis, and carry out more in-depth evaluations of sessions once a term. They are highly reflective and collaborative, sharing responsibilities for centre operations and learning programmes. The centre’s annual plan is referred to regularly and guides ongoing discussion and review. A new vision statement outlines the expectations the centre has to be ‘an outstanding playcentre’.
Centre members have developed positive relationships with nearby schools. They are invited to a number of school events and regular school visits are undertaken by parents and children. They evaluate the four year old session annually, and recognise the importance of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, in guiding this programme. Adults empower children to be confident, capable learners who are well prepared for school.
The association management team takes responsibility for specific tasks relating to the function of the association. They are committed to, and enthusiastic about, their involvement in playcentre and actively foster emergent leadership to help sustain the association. The management team demonstrates the professional leadership necessary to help the association respond to change, make decisions and manage issues as they arise. The North Shore Playcentre Association provides effective support to help this playcentre remain very well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO and centre members have identified the following areas as key next steps for the playcentre:
Before the review, the staff and management of Mairangi Bay Playcentre 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Mairangi Bay Playcentre will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services Northern Region
15 November 2013
|
Location |
Mairangi Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22043 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
42 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 21 Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā European Korean British Spanish Samoan other |
3 22 5 4 3 2 1 2 |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
September 2013 |
||
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Date of this report |
15 November 2013 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
October 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 2004 |
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:
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.
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:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
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.