37 Carthew Street, Okato
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Okato Playcentre is one of 17 parent-led services, administered by the Taranaki Playcentre Association (the association). A management team of elected volunteers implements the directives from playcentre governance. It is also responsible for providing the adult education programme, guidance and support for members.
The playcentre is licensed for up to 30 children, including 15 aged up to two years. Thirty children are enrolled. The centre opens for mixed-age sessions two mornings a week.
Centre supporters are employed by the association to regularly visit playcentres. Their role is to provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. Parents share the duties associated with implementing the daily programme.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation is planning a significant restructure for 2017 that includes amalgamating Associations. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and support persons.
The June 2014 ERO report for Okato Playcentre identified the need for further development in practice for self review, planning and evaluation and Māori success. Centre members have made positive progress in these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of seven playcentre reviews in the Taranaki Playcentre Association.
The association philosophy of parent-led education and child-initiated play is valued by centre members and reflected in practice. The principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, underpin practice to promote positive outcomes for children. A commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is evident across the organisation.
An inclusive environment supports the strong sense of community. This is expressed through whānau tangata. Adults and children know each other well.
The centre provides a wide range of learning opportunities and activities. The children demonstrate a sense of ownership and belonging. They lead their own learning, make choices independently and engage with confidence in centre rituals and routines. There are high levels of engagement in play.
Tuakana teina relationships are fostered. Respect is demonstrated through children's empathy and care for one another. They are viewed as confident and competent learners.
The curriculum is well informed and guided by children's interests, needs and preferences. Play experiences incorporate literacy, mathematics and creative arts across the centre.
A collaborative approach to planning for learning is fostered. Expectations for practice are clearly outlined and effectively implemented. Parents' deepened understandings of learning are recorded and this regular documentation assists adults about to make decisions for individual children's future learning. Use of technology has positively strengthened adults' contributions to children's learning.
Assessment, planning and evaluation are carried out well by the collective. Portfolios have been redesigned. Adults should continue to promote children's culture, language and identity and embed the changes to planning for learning.
Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori are positively reflected in the centre. Kupu Māori, books, resources, artefacts, puzzles, costumes and posters are used well. Tikanga rituals of karakia, waiata and pepeha include links to the whenua. Members should continue to build te reo me ngā tikanga Māori knowledge and understandings.
A well-considered transition process with local schools is in place. Positive collaborative relationships support children's interactions and experiences.
Adults have made good use of self review to strengthen assessment and planning for children's learning. More clearly showing the impact of adults' planned strategies on children's outcomes is a next step.
The association Māori representative of Puriri Whakamaru o Taranaki, supports centre members to gain further understandings of te ao Māori. This aspect is developing well as an integral part of the curriculum. Association and centre leaders should use strategic planning and internal evaluation to ensure the good practice occurring is sustained and continues to be built on.
The centre support person provides useful written reports on centre environmental developments and programme practices. These focus on outcomes for children and next steps for centre members to improve teaching and learning.
Appraisal for centre supporters requires strengthening. The process, to enhance outcomes for children and families, should: include more focused goals that build their capability; and provide more regular and targeted feedback and feed forward about supportive practices.
The association should continue to support centre members to:
promote and include children's culture, language and identity in portfolios
develop knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori.
The association should:
Before the review, the staff and management of Okato 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 Okato Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
22 August 2017
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 |
Okato |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
50010 |
||
|
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 |
30 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 16, Boys 14 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
9 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2017 |
||
|
Date of this report |
22 August 2017 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
June 2014 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
||
|
Education Review |
May 2007 |
||
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.
Okato Playcentre is a community-based service located in coastal Taranaki. The playcentre is situated in a small close-knit community and operates two mornings per week.
Up to 25 children from birth to school age can attend sessions. The current roll of 40 children includes an increasing number of infants and toddlers. The philosophy highlights the role of parents as children’s first teachers, and the importance of their involvement in supporting the programme.
The playcentre is one of 17 parent-led services governed under the Taranaki Playcentre Association (the association) umbrella. The association provides a centre support person to give ongoing advice and guidance to members. It also offers opportunities for parents to train in the playcentres’ early childhood education courses. Many parents take up these courses.
The playcentre is on a transitional licence from the Ministry of Education in relation to property issues. These are being addressed through significant and planned renovations to the building.
This review was part of a cluster of three reviews in the Taranaki Playcentre Association.
Children experience relationships that are nurturing and responsive. They enjoy the company of each other. Families and children show a positive sense of belonging. Adults are actively involved in activities alongside their own and others’ children. They follow children’s interests and provide resources to add to children’s play. Adults effectively model care and respect for children and each other.
Children’s language development is well supported by adults who value and affirm children’s ideas and encourage their thinking and problem solving. An appropriate emphasis on providing literacy and numeracy experiences for children is evident.
The well-resourced environment provides many opportunities for exploration and discovery. Features are the many creative and expressive activities for children to be involved in. Established and positive links with the local school support children and families.
Children’s wellbeing is fostered. Adults encourage children’s independence and self-help skills, empowering them to make choices in the child-led programme.
Assessment and planning practices have been well developed and focus on recognising and responding to individual’s learning. Adults regularly share information with each other about children’s interests, and ways to support them in the programme. Developing session and termly evaluations should further promote ways for adults to enhance children’s learning.
A culture of reflection is evident. This assists adults to make decisions and improvements. Centre systems and processes are comprehensive and well developed. Members of the collaborative team show a shared commitment to the playcentre philosophy, and the centre’s shared values. They identify that developing aspects of self-review is a useful next step. ERO agrees with this focus.
Adults provide children with many experiences that assist them to become confident in Aotearoa New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. Centre members are supported by the Puriri W’ākamaru o Taranaki (a role established by the association to build bicultural understandings). Acknowledged next steps are to develop strategies and approaches to effectively promote Māori children’s success as Māori.
ERO and centre members agree that the next steps are to further build:
Before the review, the staff and management of Okato 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.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Okato Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region
15 July 2014
|
Location |
Okato |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
50010 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
40 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 26, Boys 14 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other ethnic groups |
2 32 6 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2014 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 July 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
May 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 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.