Natures Nest Early Learning Centre

Education institution number:
45737
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
91
Telephone:
Address:

33 Glenmore Drive, Warkworth

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Natures Nest Early Learning Centre

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 Natures Nest Early Learning Centre are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)

Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 
Learning Conditions
Organisational Conditions
Whāngai Establishing
Whakatō Emerging

2 Context of the Service

Nature’s Nest Early Learning Centre is a privately owned service. It is governed by two owners, one being a qualified teacher. They support a qualified centre manager to lead the team. The service’s philosophy is based on the concepts of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and whanaungatangaApproximately one fifth of the children attending have Māori heritage. 

3 Summary of findings

Children are viewed as competent and capable. They benefit from an environment where they can independently access sustainable, open-ended resources to enhance their play and learning. This has allowed children to expand their skills for creativity, imagination, and exploration.

Childrens developing social and emotional skills are well supported through nurturing, respectful relationships with teachers. Infants and toddlers experience a calm and unhurried environment in which the teaching practices are responsive to individual caregiving needs.

Teachers identify children’s interests and learning dispositions within assessment and planning, to unpack the learning that is happening. The learning outcomes from Te Whārikithe early childhood curriculumare not yet being used to identify priorities for children’s learning. Parents and whānau are encouraged to share their culture within the service. However, this is not yet visible within individual children’s assessment documentation. 

A high level of relational trust has been developed between leaders and teachers. This has fostered a harmonious working relationship among the team. Leaders ensure that teachers have access to meaningful professional development to support ongoing learning. This could be further strengthened through the use of mentoring and coaching skills which support teachers to develop their teaching and leadership capabilities. 

Leaders demonstrate a commitment to equity for all whanau and their children. They work in partnership with external agencies to ensure they provide an inclusive environment which enables equity of access and experience. A process of internal evaluation which supports leaders to show the impact of their actions on improved outcome for all learners is not yet consistently implemented. 

4 Improvement actions

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Use the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki to inform assessment, planning and evaluation and support the progress of children’s learning over time. 
  • Improve the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their languages and cultures.
  • Consistently implement an internal evaluation process that focuses on how improvements are impacting on children’s learning.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Natures Nest Early Learning Centre completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
  • relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

19 February 2024

6 About the Early Childhood Service 

Early Childhood Service NameNatures Nest Early Learning Centre
Profile Number 45737
LocationWarkworth
Service type Education and care service
Number licensed for80 children, including up to 25 aged under 2
Percentage of qualified teachers 80-99%
Service roll95
Review team on siteNovember 2023
Date of this report19 February 2024
Most recent ERO report(s)Education Review, June 2020; Education Review, October 2016

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre - 26/06/2020

1 Evaluation of Natures Nest Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Natures Nest Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre is a purpose-built service that is privately owned and operated. The centre provides education and care for 80 children, including up to 25 under two years of age, in three age-related groups.

Two directors share dual ownership and are responsible for daily operations. They are supported by a team of 11 qualified teachers, four in training and nine unqualified staff. Team leaders are responsible for each room.

The centre's philosophy promotes a strong connection to the environment. Teachers value community connection, and relationships are based on a model of 'give, receive, do, act'. The principles within Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are woven throughout the document.

The 2016 ERO report highlighted many aspects of quality practice that have been sustained. Areas for development included increasing the visibility of strategic planning. There has been very good progress in this area. Bicultural practice and responses to children's language and cultural identity continue to be areas of focus for the centre.

The Review Findings

The centre's philosophy is strongly evident in all aspects of practice. Children confidently farewell their caregivers, easily access a wide range of open-ended resources and settle into play of their own choosing. They move freely between indoor and outdoor play spaces. Children are settled and engaged, and follow their interests and curiosities.

Infants and toddlers form secure attachments with teachers who support their sense of belonging. The unhurried pace of their programme allows these young children time and space to direct their own learning. Teachers' interactions are sensitive, gentle and respectful. Teachers have a strong understanding of children as individuals.

Children benefit from good teacher to child ratios and responsive, respectful interactions with teachers. Routines allow periods of time for children to investigate, play imaginatively and take their thinking and interactions to a more complex level. Children are empowered to take increased responsibility for the wellbeing of themselves and others. The centre is highly active within the community. Strong relationships have been established with local schools to support effective transitions for children.

Teachers know children, their whānau and life contexts. They talk conversationally with children, modelling language and providing new vocabulary. Teachers understand the communication styles of individual children and positively guide children's behaviour. They deliberately set up the environment to encourage children into new experiences and to enhance their learning dispositions and current interests.

A commitment to te reo and tikanga Māori is visible in the centre environment. Māori children and whānau are acknowledged, and external support continues to grow staff understanding of bicultural practice. Service leaders and teachers agree that a focus should be maintained within this area.

Teachers meet regularly to discuss effective teaching practices and children's learning and development. Children's portfolios of learning are individual to each child and give a strong sense of their unique character. A focus for the team is ensuring portfolios more explicitly acknowledge children's language, culture and identity.

Parents who met with ERO spoke positively about the teaching team and their knowledge of each child as a learner. They appreciate teachers' individual responses to children's personal and learning needs. Transitions into and through the centre are respectfully managed according to children's individual needs.

The centre is well managed and well led. Leaders successfully engage the whole team in professional learning opportunities. This ensures shared understandings across the team and supports the implementation of new initiatives. Ongoing engagement in professional learning contributes to continued centre improvement. A relevant process for internal evaluation has been established. Service leaders agree that indicators to monitor and measure success would strengthen this process.

Key Next Steps

Service leaders agree that next steps include:

  • continuing to build individual teacher capability through the robust appraisal process the service has implemented

  • increasing the use of te reo Māori in teaching and learning experiences.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Natures Nest Early Learning Centre 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

26 June 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

Warkworth

Ministry of Education profile number

45737

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 years

Service roll

106

Gender composition

Boys 53% Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
other ethnic groups

8%
84%
8%

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

March 2020

Date of this report

26 June 2020

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

October 2016

Education Review

April 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.

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre - 19/10/2016

1 Evaluation of Natures Nest Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Natures Nest Early Learning Centre 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

Natures Nest Early Learning Centre, in Warkworth, is a purpose built, privately owned and managed centre. It is owned by two directors who work closely with the centre supervisor. The centre provides education and care for up to 75 children, including up to 25 under two years of age. It caters for different age groups in three separate learning areas; Matai (infants and toddlers), Totara (two years to 3.5 years), and Kauri (3.5 to five years). There are team leaders in each of these rooms.

The centre's staff includes 12 qualified teachers and five who are in training. Most of the staff work full time. The owners work closely with the centre supervisor who leads the mentoring programme and curriculum implementation.

The centre’s philosophy promotes inclusive practices that embrace respectful relationships and value family collaboration and partnerships. Provision of a caring and stimulating environment to support children’s holistic needs, is important to teachers. The philosophy has recently been reviewed and adapted to include the concept of partnership with tangata whenua, and celebration of the centre's growing culturally diverse community.

The 2013 ERO report noted teachers' responsive and respectful relationships with children, and their promotion of children's self-management skills. These positive aspects continue to be evident. The report recommended that strategic and annual planning goals could be shared with parents, and that policies and practice should be aligned. Further recommendations were made regarding reviewing the centre's philosophy, and staff appraisal processes. The centre has made good progress in these areas.

The Review Findings

The centre's philosophy is reflected in practice. Children play confidently and enthusiastically in a calm, unhurried environment. They enjoy conversations together and talk about their interests and ideas. Older children are leading their own learning and becoming competent problem solvers.

The attractive, well resourced environments encourage children's exploration and engagement in play and learning. Respectful teaching practices and sensitively timed interactions support children to become highly focused in their play. The younger children particularly benefit from individualised, nurturing and gentle care as they explore and discover the centre resources and environment.

The centre's strong commitment to building bicultural practices is reflected in the partnerships that teachers are building with whānau Maori. Teachers support each other to implement culturally responsive practices, and a respect for sustainability, papatūānuku and the environment. They are becoming more confident to integrate te reo and tikanga Māori in the programme. Managers are keen to strengthen these aspects of teacher practice through further professional learning.

Teachers work well together as a supportive and collegial team. They provide a curriculum and intentional teaching that are responsive to their observations of children. Programme planning is displayed to invite parent participation and contributions. Teachers celebrate children's progress through documenting their learning in attractive portfolios that are also available online for parents.

Centre owners work collaboratively to build sustainable leadership capacity across the centre. Their recent focus has been on developing a centre culture that is focused on continual improvement. The supervisor mentors and coaches teachers and she regularly models effective teaching practice. Managers are refining records of teacher professional development and appraisal, and developing ways to ensure that teaching teams are effective in supporting children's learning.

As a result of sound internal evaluation, the centre vision, philosophy, strategic and annual planning are well aligned and show a clear future direction. Self review is collaborative, linked to children's learning, and used by managers and teachers to guide their practice.

Key Next Steps

Centre managers agree that key next steps include:

  • making the regular review of progress towards strategic goals more visible for staff and parents

  • reviewing how well programme planning, evaluation and assessment practices are extending children's learning and promoting their cultures and languages

continuing to review and develop bicultural practice.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Natures Nest Early Learning Centre 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 Natures Nest Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

19 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

Warkworth

Ministry of Education profile number

45737

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2

Service roll

123

Gender composition

Boys 59% Girls 41%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Chinese

6%

93%

1%

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

1:9

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

August 2016

Date of this report

19 October 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

April 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.