6 Jarden Mile, Wellington
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Nurtured at Home Wellington 2 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Nurtured at Home Wellington 2 is one of three home-based education and care networks owned and operated by Nurtured at Home (Wellington) Ltd. The Nurtured at Home organisation has home-based education and care services throughout the North Island. This network is licensed for 80 children, including up to 80 aged under two years.
The owners take responsibility for the business aspects of the organisation, with one also retaining oversight of teaching and learning. Two senior leaders provide additional national support. A Wellington-based team leader, supported by a community consultant, is responsible for local operation. In this network, two full-time qualified and registered visiting teachers (VTs) support a team of nannies to provide suitable care and learning programmes for children. The network was established in 2018 due to the restructure of the existing Wellington network which resulted from rapid roll growth.
The Nurtured at Home philosophy emphasises the importance of high-quality learning environments, learning through play, responsive relationships with families, and celebrating diversity.
This is the first ERO review of this service.
Nannies' placement is carefully considered to meet children's needs and determined by families in collaboration with VTs. Children's wellbeing is the priority for the service provider.
Positive reciprocal relationships among children, families, nannies, teachers and leaders supports successful implementation of the education and care programme. VTs regular contact with families is focused on children's learning. Comprehensive newsletters and the use of on-line platforms inform, educate and invite parents' participation, and that of nannies, in events and decision making.
Children benefit from the variety of learning opportunities provided in both the home setting and out in the community. Organised excursions and playgroups enrich the learning environment and enable nannies to network and children to socialise with peers. The playgroup has recently been reviewed to increase the emphasis on supporting children's interests and local happenings. Planning is now more intentional and meaningful. Evaluation of outcomes linked to these redefined focus areas is a next step.
Learners with diverse needs are well supported. Authentic acknowledgement of culture, language and identity is a strong and ongoing focus for teachers. Leaders continue to work on the development of Treaty-based practice and stronger acknowledgment of te ao Māori in teaching and children's programmes. While leaders have good knowledge of best practice for infant and toddler care, they agree that ongoing professional development is necessary to support consistency in VT's and nannies' approach in this growing organisation.
A clearly articulated philosophy guides teaching and learning. VTs in the Wellington networks have worked together to further define the values important to their practice and community and develop a localised curriculum. Further embedding this work through the sharing of information and new ideas with nannies and families, and implementing key aspects in children's learning programmes, are intended next steps.
Children's transition to school is supported by carefully developed documentation which gives families up-to-date information to prepare them for the new environment. Establishing links with some local schools should support VTs to continue to progress their approach.
Provision for children's learning is well facilitated by VTs. Ongoing and carefully targeted support is enabling nannies to progress in their practice and effectively document how they are noting and responding to children's interests, strengths and ongoing learning. Progression of learning is well illustrated in best practice examples. Leaders have identified the need to continue to work on supporting parents' contributions to their children's learning programme and making te ao Māori more visible in documentation.
A strong sense of team is evident and sustained through leaders' collaborative and professional approach. VTs are well supported in their roles through carefully considered induction, coaching and professional development opportunities. Appraisal is robust and enables them to reflect on their practice in relation to professional requirements and identify next steps for their development. Equally, a detailed training plan and ongoing feedback linked to individual's development needs provides comprehensive support for nannies' practice.
Leaders are highly improvement focused. Significant effort has gone into developing understanding and use of internal evaluation across the Nurtured at Home organisation nationally. The process is well facilitated by leaders, results in evidence-based decisions about change, and is supporting a shared understanding of evaluation across this network.
The professional approach to governance and management strongly acknowledges the importance of high-quality provision for children. Roles and responsibilities are well defined. A range of up-to-date guidelines and systematic processes supports consistent practice and operation. Innovative exemplars support shared understanding of expectations. Regular meetings, unscheduled visiting and structured reporting provide assurance that requirements are being met. Strategic and annual plans outline priorities for development which are strongly focused on children, relationships and culturally responsive practice. Alignment between long-term plans, planned internal evaluation, philosophical values and teacher development needs is being carefully facilitated by leaders.
Priorities are for leaders to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Nurtured at Home-Wellington 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:
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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
18 March 2020
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.
| Location | Wellington | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 47544 | ||
| Institution type | Homebased Network | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 29 | ||
| Standard or Quality Funded | Standard | ||
| Gender composition | Male 19, Female 10 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnic groups | 3 20 6 | |
| Number of qualified coordinators in the network | 2 | ||
| Required ratios of educators to children | Under 2 | 1:2 | |
| Over 2 | 1:4 | ||
| Review team on site | January 2020 | ||
| Date of this report | 18 March 2020 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | No previous ERO reports | ||
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
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes 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.