Unit F 4 Donnelly Street, Hastings
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whakaū Embedding |
Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 is one of seven homebased and four centre-based services in the Rockmybaby organisation. It operates from a head office in Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay. In this network, nanny educators work in children’s homes. A qualified teacher visits regularly to support the provision of a homebased curriculum based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Children experience a curriculum that is influenced by their interests, developing capabilities as learners and a termly group curriculum focus. Excursions increasingly provide opportunities for children and educators to connect with each other and the local community.
Educators, and the visiting teacher, have established strong respectful relationships with children and families. A variety of communication and information sharing opportunities exist. They work closely with whānau to progress the learning and development of children with additional needs. The service is yet to respond to parent aspirations for their child’s learning to grow learning-focused partnerships. This includes continuing to improve how well the documented curriculum reflects individual children’s languages and cultures.
Educators are supported by a visiting teacher to recognise and respond to children’s ways of learning. Increased use of the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki is required in curriculum evaluation, to help teachers and educators identify what is working well for individuals and groups of children. Provision of a localised curriculum is in the early stages of development. This includes monitoring children’s assessment records to show how the planned bicultural curriculum, including te reo Māori, is implemented for children.
Governance and management have a strong focus on improvement. Well-considered induction and professional development systems provide opportunities for educators and visiting teachers to grow their capability. Self-review and internal evaluation systems are implemented.
Leaders demonstrate an increased understanding of equity and the importance of focusing on outcomes for children over time. This knowledge is in the early stages of being integrated across organisational processes and practices.
Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 completed an ERO 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.
The service has provided ERO with information to show the following non-compliances have been addressed:
[Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008, HS11, HS14, HS34].
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
27 February 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 |
| Profile Number | 47004 |
| Location | Auckland |
| Service type | Home-based service |
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
| Service roll | 14 |
| Review team on site | November 2023 |
| Date of this report | 27 February 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, September 2019 |
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 is licensed to provide all-day education and care for up to 40 children, including 20 aged under two years. The 41 children currently enrolled are from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The Rockmybaby service has been operating since July 2016, initially in the Hawkes Bay region. It is led by the owner and senior visiting teacher. They work together in this network to provide support and guidance for visiting teachers, educators and nannies in the Auckland region. The maximum group size for each in-home provider is four children. Service leaders and all visiting teachers are qualified early childhood teachers.
The philosophy of the service prioritises nurturing, respectful relationships and life-long learning. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is acknowledged as a guiding document.
This is the first ERO review of this Auckland network. Previous ERO reviews of Rockmybaby networks have noted the organisational focus on ongoing improvement, which continues to be evident. Areas for development in previous reviews included assessment and planning for individual children, bicultural practice and internal evaluation. There has been good progress in these areas.
Small group sizes allow each educator/nanny to form respectful, positive relationships with children in their care. Visiting teachers and educators/nannies know children well as learners. They identify children's individual interests and strengths and collaboratively plan how they might respond. Children experience a wide range of learning opportunities, both indoors and outdoors. Excursions into the local community are a feature of programmes for children.
Infants and toddlers benefit from one-to-one responsive interactions and unhurried programmes. Educators/nannies follow the child's lead and are attuned to children's rhythms. Planned larger group activities foster interactions amongst children and support their developing social competence.
The service is inclusive and welcoming to all children and their whānau. Leaders, educators/nannies are responsive to children's languages and cultures.
Service leaders provide resources for educators to deepen their knowledge of te ao Māori. Educators/nannies are developing their confidence to use these more extensively with children in their care. Leaders have identified bicultural practice as an ongoing area for development.
Visiting teachers' visits and written feedback support educators/nannies to develop their teaching practices. Together they maintain individual 'learning journeys' for each child that document their wonderings, creativity and curiosity well. Written feedback is shared with whānau. Consideration could now be given to how these processes enhance educators', nannies' and whānau knowledge of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders have established a policy framework that guides practice. An established cycle of review ensures policies are regularly updated. An annual plan links with a detailed strategic plan and promotes progress towards the service's strategic goals. Internal evaluation and appraisal processes encourage leaders, educators and children to be lifelong learners. Collaboration and shared understandings of quality across the leadership team have established an organisational culture of ongoing improvement.
Service leaders agree that their key next steps for improvement include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Rockmybaby Homebased Auckland S1 completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
6 September 2019
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 | Auckland | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 47004 | ||
| Institution type | Homebased Network | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 40 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 41 | ||
| Standard or Quality Funded | Standard | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 23 Boys 18 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori NZ European/Pākehā other ethnic groups | 2 29 10 | |
| Number of qualified coordinators in the network | 1 | ||
| Required ratios of staff educators to children | Under 2 | 1:2 | |
| Over 2 | 1:4 | ||
| Review team on site | August 2019 | ||
| Date of this report | 6 September 2019 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | No previous ERO reports | ||
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes 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.