|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Park Road Playcentre is one of 19 administered by the Central Districts Playcentre Association (the association).
The playcentre is licensed to provide mixed age sessional education and care for 30 children, five sessions a week. This includes provision for 15 children, up to the age of two. At the time of the review there were 35 children enrolled and two identify as Māori.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation (the federation) of which Central Districts Association is part, is undergoing a significant restructure that includes amalgamating associations. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and others.
The federation philosophy, 'Whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together', is to empower parents and children to learn, play and grow together. Alongside this, the centre philosophy acknowledges each child as a unique learner.
Whānau and families are valued as the primary educators of their children. Curriculum planning and implementation is a shared responsibility. Each session is supported by a team of parent educators who hold either Playcentre training certificates or bachelor degrees in early childhood training. An employed Playcentre qualified facilitator supports children and families on session.
Centre support people regularly visit playcentres to provide professional advice and support, and to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders.
The March 2015 ERO report for Park Road Playcentre identified areas for development for the association and the playcentre. This included, continuing to grow the quality of members' practice in assessment, planning and evaluation and self review. Progress is ongoing.
The review is one of a cluster of 11 playcentre reviews in the Central Districts Playcentre Association
Children’s active exploration through play and learning is well supported by attentive parent educators. A positive tone and inclusive practice are evident. Children’s social skills, development and confidence are nurtured. Respectful relationships enhance their sense of belonging and wellbeing.
The centre philosophy, reviewed in 2017, is an expression of what families want for their tamariki. It reflects the playcentre philosophy of child-led learning through play.
Literacy, mathematics and science activities are integral parts of a child's playcentre experience. Te ao Māori within the programme is well considered and continues to develop. The centre is inclusive of all children's cultures.
Well considered transition processes into the centre and onto school are in place.
Clear expectations for centre support people have been established. This includes building effective internal evaluation practice at the centre level. Improving practice to include reporting more deliberately on outcomes for children should assist both centre and association personnel to know how well planned actions improve outcomes for all.
Suitable planning priorities and objectives are incorporated into the centre's strategic and annual planning. There is an appropriate focus on growing membership. Annual appraisal of the programme facilitator occurs. She reports that this supports her development.
Internal evaluation is becoming established. Examples show an improved range of resources and activities for children's use and enjoyment as a result of these evaluations. A recently commenced review on assessment, planning and evaluation should support adults to better understand progression of children's learning. Members are aware of the need to further extend their practice and use of evaluation.
At playcentre level, the priorities are to:
At the association/federation level, priorities are to continue to strengthen:
ERO recommends that the new regional team actively monitor and evaluate the quality of support provided to playcentres.
Before the review, the staff and management of Park Road 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 Park Road Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
6 April 2018
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 |
Palmerston North |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
52023 |
||
|
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 |
35 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 19, Girls 16 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:1 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
February 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
6 April 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
December 2006 |
||
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.