No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2

1 Evaluation of No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2

How well placed is No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2 is a home-based education and care network licensed for up to 50 children. The roll is currently 32.

This privately owned service was established in 2017. It is one of two networks under the same ownership operating in Hawke's Bay. Two company directors oversee operation.

The service philosophy emphasises real-life experiences in a nurturing environment.

Educators work in their own homes with up to four children at any one time.

One of the directors is also the visiting teacher for this network. Her role is to support educators to deliver Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and provide education and care that aligns with the service's philosophy.

The Review Findings

Children have opportunities to participate in a programme based on their interests. They regularly socialise with other children while in their educator’s care. A wide range of learning experiences within the local community reflects the service commitment to place-based learning and real-life experiences.

There is a personalised and responsive approach to meeting the needs of individual children and families. Careful consideration is given to the placement of children with educators.

A range of communication tools keeps parents and families well informed about the service and early childhood theory and research. A sense of family/whānau is evident and children's belonging.

Assessment practices identify children's learning and their relationships with people and places. Continuing to strengthen assessment practice and build consistency across the network is ongoing and remains a focus for the service.

Children of all ages benefit from positive and caring relationships with educators and visiting teachers. Educators and visiting teachers work with families and external agencies to meet individual children's needs. Their responsiveness to children's wellbeing is evident.

Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga contribute to children's growing awareness of the needs of others. Te ao Māori is evident in the programme. Educators promote tuakana teina relationships. Children are learning about developing a sense of responsibility for their environment as kaitiaki.

Visiting teachers and educators are continuing to learn more about supporting Māori children's learning through their culture, language and identity.

Self review for improvement is established and has led to some positive changes. The focus for internal evaluation is continuing to develop and staff are beginning to consider how well the curriculum and teaching practices are supporting improved outcomes for children. ERO affirms this approach and recommends the use of research-based indicators to guide practice.

Staff in the service work well together. There is a collaborative commitment across the networks to ongoing improvement. A shared vision is evident. The service directors have high expectations of educator practice. A well-considered approach to professional learning and development is strengthening teaching.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and ERO agree that for ongoing and sustained improvement, staff at No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2 should continue to strengthen:

• assessment, planning and evaluation of children's learning

• internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of No Cotton Wool Kids Hawkes Bay 2 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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.

During the on-site stage of the review, the service included as part of record keeping, parental acknowledgement of the medicine having been given to their child.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

21 May 2019

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 Home-based Education and Care Service

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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.