Imagine Childcare Alicetown Ltd

1 Evaluation of Rainbow Early Learning Centre

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

Rainbow Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Rainbow Early Learning Centre is privately-owned and licensed for 20 children aged over two years. At the time of this review 23 children are on the roll, five of whom identify as Māori.

The head teacher manages the day-to-day operation of the centre. She works collaboratively with the centre owner to support the teaching team. Most teachers are qualified.

The June 2016 ERO report identified areas requiring further improvement. These included: purposeful interactions with children to deepen learning; supporting children’s social competence and their readiness for school; understanding of the assessment, planning and evaluation cycle; development of the bicultural programme and exploring how success for Māori children as Māori and success for Pacific children can be promoted and building internal evaluation capacity.

A plan to address the key areas requiring improvement was developed in consultation with the Ministry of Education (MoE). The service received targeted support through the MoE funded programme, Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). Good progress has been made in addressing the findings from the previous ERO report. Areas of non-compliance have been addressed.

The Review Findings

Teachers use a range of effective strategies with children to support sustained play within a play-based programme that reflects children's interests. They experience warm and respectful relationships.

The centre’s philosophy has been successfully reviewed by leaders and teachers. A next step is consult with parents, whānau Māori and their Pacific community to determine what educational success looks like for their children and combine these views into the philosophy. Leaders, with teachers should develop indicators of good practice that will enable the philosophy points to be enacted. Undertaking this work as a team should build a shared understanding of expected good quality practices that teachers can implement.

Working independently or in small groups are a key feature of the programme. Children’s cultures are evident, valued and celebrated in the centre. Teachers use a range of kaupapa Māori concepts that enriches the learning programme for children. Teachers should strengthen their use of te reo Māori in all aspects of the curriculum. In addition, leaders should consider ways in which they can weave a localised curriculum that promotes and celebrates te ao Māori places that are unique to the centre into the learning programme.

Children with additional learning needs are identified, planned for and well supported. External agencies are used when required.

Well-established learning-focused partnerships is enabling parents, whānau and teachers to co-construct meaningful learning goals for their child’s individual needs. This forms the basis for both individualised and group planning. The teaching team develop and implement learning experiences and intentional teaching strategies focused on dispositional learning. Leaders have identified that formally assessing and evaluating children’s learning more regularly requires further development.

Successful transitions to school are strengthened by effective relationships with parents and whānau. Useful assessment information about children's skills, interests and dispositions are documented by teachers for parents and whānau to share with the child’s school.

Leaders and teachers are improvement focused. A key next step is to continue to build teachers knowledge and understanding to effectively use internal evaluation to improve practice and inform decision making that promotes positive outcomes for all children.

An appropriate appraisal system is in place to support teacher practice. This provides useful information that identifies areas for growth and development. Professional learning and development are valued and used well to build capability. To improve this process the centre should ensure that:

• formal observations of practice are linked to teacher goals

• the annual appraisal summary is consistently used.

The centre’s policies and procedures are regularly reviewed to ensure that these are up-to-date and meeting legislative requirements. Leaders and teachers show an increased understanding of the operational requirements of the centre to support sustainability and improvement.

Key Next Steps

ERO and the centre leaders agree that their priority next steps are to:

• enrich the service philosophy through consultation with the centre community

• strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation of learning

• encourage greater use of te reo Māori and consider how to weave a localised curriculum into the programme

• refine the appraisal process

• build teachers knowledge and understanding of effective internal evaluation.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow 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.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

8 May 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.

1 Evaluation of Rainbow Early Learning Centre

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

Centre leaders and teaching staff have some improvements to make to continue to raise the quality of education and care provided to children and their families.

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

Background

Rainbow Early Learning Centre is a privately owned centre located in Petone. It is licensed for 20 children aged over two years. At the time of this review 27 children attended, four of whom identify as Māori. Teachers and managers are long serving.

ERO’s January 2013 review, identified that self review, appraisal and strategic planning required further development.

The Review Findings

Teachers are warm and responsive to children and their families. Children play cooperatively with their peers and at times engage in sustained play. Teachers need to ensure that they maximise opportunities to add challenge and complexity to children’s learning. A key next step is for teachers to take a more purposeful approach in their interactions with children to deepen their learning.

Leaders should support teachers to develop a shared understanding of the expectations of the centre’s positive guidance policy to encourage children to negotiate solutions to their problems and assist their developing social competence.

Assessment, planning and evaluation processes, including group planning require development to:

• streamline the planning process
• reflect children’s interests and strengths to enable a more responsive curriculum
• more closely evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and its impact on children’s learning.

Planning individualised programmes for children in partnership with their parents is strongly promoted in the centre. Teachers provide parents with regular summaries of what their child is interested and participating in. These are discussed at planned parent, teacher meetings where learning goals are set and reflected in the child’s individual portfolio. This approach should be strengthened through leaders and teachers further developing their understanding of the cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation. Once achieved, teachers should reflect this emphasis through the planned and enacted curriculum.

A daily structured group time is offered for four year old children. Further developing teachers’ understanding of current research and best practice, including developing an understanding of the links between Te Whāriki and The New Zealand Curriculum, should assist teachers to enhance transition to school for these children.

The teaching team is committed to the development of the bicultural programme. Teachers are beginning to consider how the curriculum can reflect a Māori worldview. Leaders and teachers should continue to use te reo Māori with children and be proactive in their approach to integrating aspects of te ao Māori throughout the curriculum and supporting documentation.

Leaders should further develop their understanding of how to effectively promote educational success for Māori and Pacific children through ongoing consideration of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013 - 2017 and thePasifika Education Plan 2013 - 2017.

Parents are regularly consulted about aspects of the early childhood curriculum. Leaders should clearly identify actions deemed necessary from this consultation. The documented process should be updated to reflect this.

A useful appraisal process supports teachers’ ongoing development. Feedback is evident. Establishing an appraisal policy to clearly identify the responsibilities of both parties is a next step.

Relevant documentation has been amended to reflect the requirements of the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014.

Using internal evaluation to judge the impact of the programme on children’s learning, needs strengthening. This should support teachers’ to shift their focus from reviewing if the centre is doing something, to evaluating how well they are doing it.

Key Next Steps

Next steps to improve the quality of teaching and learning are to further support:

• teachers to be more purposeful in their interactions with children to deepen learning
• children’s social competence and their readiness for school
• teachers’ understanding of the assessment, planning and evaluation cycle
• development of the bicultural programme and explore how success for Māori children as Māori and success for Pacific children can be promoted
• internal evaluation and assist teachers to implement it.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rainbow 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.

In order to improve practice, leaders should further develop:

• understanding of children’s learning and development, and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education

• reflection of te ao Māori in the curriculum

• consistent support for children’s developing social competence.

Since the onsite phase of this review leaders and teachers have developed:

• practice to consistently follow the systems and processes that have been established to monitor health and safety requirements
• an appraisal policy.

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Rainbow Early Learning Centre will be within two years.

Joyce Gebbie

Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

1 June 2016

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.