Our Kids Early Learning Centre - 19/02/2019

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Our Kids Early Learning Centre
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

How well placed is Our Kids Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Our Kids Early Learning Centre is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Our Kids Early Learning Centre is a small privately-owned service in Glendene, West Auckland. Children aged from birth to five years learn in a multicultural, mixed-age setting.

The centre's philosophy values positive, trusting relationships with children and whānau, and supports all children to develop to their potential.

The owner/manager and leaders have successfully addressed next steps from their 2015 ERO review. The owner operates a second Our Kids ELC based in Glen Eden. Teachers collaborate between centres to grow professional practice.

The Review Findings

Teachers are highly responsive to children's care routines, interests, dispositions and developmental needs. The centre has a welcoming atmosphere where children are nurtured and show a deep sense of belonging.

Child-centred, respectful practices and strong community partnership underpin children's wellbeing and care. Staff and parents discuss, celebrate and support children's learning and successes. Information is shared openly and in a timely way.

A highly responsive and respectful curriculum supports the development of children's dispositions for learning. Children confidently explore the centre, leading their own learning through play. They engage enthusiastically with stimulating and open-ended resources. Teachers skilfully extend their learning, creativity and problem solving. Relationships of support are strongly evident between children. They are encouraged to develop self-management skills and to care for their environment.

Teachers are reflective practitioners, and use evaluation to guide ongoing improvements to the programme, recognising each child's potential. Their promotion of positive outcomes for children is central to decision making and evaluation. Coherent routines and systems support teachers to successfully enact the centre's rich philosophy.

A deep commitment to upholding the Treaty of Waitangi fosters equity for Māori children. The teaching team's growing confidence in using te reo Māori results from deliberate training and internal support. Aspects of tikanga Māori are embedded in centre practices and reflect shared values. Leaders plan to enhance this commitment in 2019, aligning appraisal goals and centre goals to highlight bicultural understandings and practices.

Change has been well managed. The leadership team has strengthened strategic planning. Goals with appropriate actions and outcomes provide clarity of purpose for staff. Reviewed and adapted policies and procedures guide the centre's practices.

Leaders maintain a strong focus on growing professional practice. They make good use of external advice and professional development opportunities to support improvement in the service's priority areas. Continuing improvements in teacher appraisal processes are promoting teachers' professional growth, and supporting the development of a collaborative, supportive team structure. Going forward, the manager plans to embed deeper teacher inquiry into professional practice.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders have appropriate plans for:

• enhancing teachers' appraisal and professional learning

• aligning strategic goals for bicultural practice with the philosophy and teachers' appraisal goals.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Our Kids 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 Our Kids Early Learning Centre will be in four years.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

19 February 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 Early Childhood 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 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.