Paterson Street Playcentre

1 Evaluation of Paterson Street Playcentre

How well placed is Paterson Street Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Paterson Street Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Paterson Street Playcentre is a parent-led education and care service located in Hamilton. It caters for children from birth to school age and operates two mixed-age morning sessions per week. The playcentre is licensed for 30 children including up to 17 under the age of two years. The current roll of 16 children includes four who identify as Māori.

During 2018, the New Zealand Playcentre Federation transitioned from operating with 32 regional associations to become one national body with six regional offices. In the central north island six associations have merged into a regional hub renamed Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region that now includes 95 playcentres over a large geographic area. At Paterson Street Playcentre the president is supported by a committee of parent members. A centre administrator and centre support worker are provided by the Federation to assist with session operation.

Through their national philosophy the playcentre places emphasis on whānau tupu ngatahi – families growing together. They empower adults and children to play, work and grow together and value and affirm parents as first and best educators of their children.

Paterson Street Playcentre has a positive reporting history with ERO. Since the 2015 ERO review, improvements to the induction process has supported a more systematic way of welcoming people into the centre. Roles and responsibilities have been given clarity, and there has been a strategic focus on increased te reo Māori being used by members. General maintenance of the premises has been kept up to date.

This review was part of a cluster of 10 playcentre reviews in the Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region.

The Review Findings

Responsive interactions promote rich and inclusive learning opportunities. Children are encouraged to be independent, confident and competent learners. Their language, culture and identity is visible in displays around the walls of the playcentre. Parents have developed good strategies to support positive behaviour and social competence. Children under the age of two years enjoy a calm and responsive learning space. It is age appropriate and allows for free movement, fostering curiosity and independence. Members are reading and responding appropriately to infant and toddlers cues. Children benefit from learning partnerships that value and affirm the experiences they bring to their learning.

The playcentre is well resourced and all curriculum areas are visible and accessible. Children lead their own play and make decisions about their learning. Planning, assessment and evaluation identifies children’s interests and develops future plans for extending those interests. A range of assessment tools and support is given to new members to encourage building of knowledge about children’s learning. There is now a need for a consistent approach to assessment. Literacy and numeracy is visible in the environment. The environment is print rich and supports early reading skills. Children benefit from a programme that is focused on enabling them to take risk and challenge through their learning.

There is a strong focus on building capability of speaking te reo and increasing the te ao Māori world view in sessions. Whānau Māori and their tamariki are welcomed and experience opportunities to have their language and culture affirmed. There is a considered approach to strengthening the bicultural curriculum dimension through the integration of waiata and tikanga Māori into the programme.

Positive and respectful relationships are promoted across the playcentre between leaders and members. All roles and responsibilities have been allocated and are well established. Knowledge sharing between experienced members and new members and opportunities for professional learning and development are offered. Information is shared with the playcentre community through various means, communication is robust and successful. The centre support worker and the centre administrator provide detailed reports that are leading to improved awareness of quality practice, and building capability.

The Playcentre Federation’s overarching strategic and individual annual plans guide playcentre direction. Parent education programmes have a focus on building knowledge and understanding of children’s learning and development. Communication and support between the federation and regions throughout the restructure has supported ongoing operations. Current policies and systems are in place until new systems implemented by federation are rolled out nationally. The playcentre philosophy and vision and documented strategic goals have been set. There is now the need to measure the impact of actions taken on outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

Members now need to focus on:

• using a robust internal evaluation framework to identify and plan for improved outcomes for children

• consistency of learning and progress over time in children's assessment, making links to the learning outcomes from the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki and to children's language, culture and identity.

In order to improve practice the Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island regional leaders should continue to:

• develop and implement strategic and annual regional plans

• monitor and strengthen each playcentre’s understanding of internal evaluation to inform ongoing improvement and systems and processes meet regulatory requirements

• support individual playcentre personnel to robustly report on the progress towards their appropriate strategic goals

• strengthen appraisal processes to support centre support workers and centre administrators to grow their practice.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Paterson Street 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:

• 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.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services

Central Region

19 June 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

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.