542-550 East Coast Road, Mairangi Bay, Auckland
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embeddind |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whāngai Establishing |
Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre is a well-established centre that is part of the community outreach of Windsor Park Baptist Church. The purpose-built centre offers all-day care for up to 138 children, including 25 children under two years of age. Children come from diverse cultural backgrounds. They learn and play in four learning areas.
Children are calm, caring and settled. They confidently work independently or in small groups. Play is inclusive and cooperative. Infants and toddlers enjoy a calm slow pace, that gives younger children space and time to lead their own learning. Respectful practices foster their self-management skills and sense of belonging. Children with additional learning needs are warmly welcomed and well supported.
The centre philosophy is built on Christian values. Teachers know the children and families well, and a culture of care and kindness is evident. The curriculum is responsive to children’s interests. Continuing to build a shared understanding of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, will strengthen practice. Teachers plan an environment that supports children’s engagement in learning. The outdoor area offers further play and exploration opportunities for children to develop their imagination and physical skills.
Parents are kept well informed through frequent informal discussions, and electronic communications. Online assessment portfolios allow parents and wider family to follow children’s learning progress. Transition practices support and respond to each child and their parents and whānau.
Professional development is strengthening teachers’ understanding of te ao Māori and how to meaningfully include this into the programme. Children are supported to observe aspects of tikanga Māori. Integrating te reo Māori in conversations is helping children to develop an understanding of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
The centre and curriculum managers work collaboratively. Team leaders are well supported to develop their leadership capability. Teachers’ professional learning is impacting positively on learning outcomes for children.
Leaders and teachers scrutinise their practice through carefully considered questions. They have developed an internal evaluation process that enables them to better understand how improvement actions have impacted on children’s learning, and what further changes need to be made. This collaborative process includes multiple voices.
Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Small Fries Christian Childcare 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:
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 | Te Tai Raki
10 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre |
| Profile Number | 45873 |
| Location | Mairangi Bay, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
138 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
143 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 1% |
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Review team on site |
April 2021 |
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Date of this report |
10 June 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2016 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre opened in 2012. This purpose-built centre is part of the community outreach of Windsor Park Baptist Church. It is licensed for up to 90 children, including 31 children under two years of age.
Children from three months to school age play and learn in four learning areas that cater for children's developmental ages and stages. Each of the teaching and learning teams are led by a team leader.
The centre vision of providing an affirming and supportive environment within a Christian world view underpins the culture of this centre. Planned extensions to include a purpose-built infant and toddler centre are due for completion in early 2017.
The centre has maintained the strengths and shown strong commitment to improving the areas for development identified in ERO's 2013 report.
Children in this centre are independent and have fun. They benefit from the caring relationships with teachers that support their sense of belonging. Friendships between children are obvious and they play in collaborative and friendly groups. Teachers work well together to establish a purposeful environment for children and their families/whānau. The centre manager models and has high expectations for effective practice.
Infants and toddlers thrive in an environment of personalised and responsive caregiving. Respectful interactions contribute to a secure foundation for children's care and education. Teachers maintain a calm tone in which younger children are able to make choices about and lead their learning. The well resourced physical environment encourages exploration and social development. Teachers promote literacy and communication well within the context of children's play. They actively listen to children, acknowledge their verbal and non-verbal communication, and model good oral language.
All children are able to access internal and external play areas easily. Careful thought is given by teachers to children's wellbeing and confidence. Well considered practices enable children to transition easily to the next stage in their learning and development. The centre manager is keen to review the programme and teaching practices for older children, in order to ensure increased physical and learning challenges and opportunities for exploration that would further engage this group in meaningful learning within the context of their play
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, continues to be the guiding document for centre planning and assessment. Good work is being done by teachers to develop a centre curriculum that responds to children's emerging interests. There are good examples of ways teachers notice, recognise and respond to children's interests. Children would benefit from this approach being consistent across all teaching and learning.
Parents are provided with good information about their child's learning and involvement in the programme in children's portfolios. Teachers are exploring ways of involving parents more in the planning and assessment of their children’s learning and in the centre programme.
Strategic self review is enabling teachers to gain a deeper understanding of and confidence in, te reo and tikanga Māori. Professional development is strengthening teachers' understanding of te ao Māori, and how to include these aspects as a natural part of children's learning and experiences.
The centre is well managed, organised and led. Good systems are in place to guide centre management. Spontaneous, regular and planned self review is being well used to inform ongoing improvement. The process could be further developed by teachers to focus specifically on positive outcomes for children. The centre manager is considering further ways to include parent and child voice in self review.
ERO and the centre manager agreed that key next steps are to:
ensure that there is a consistent approach to valuing children's culture in the learning environment, and with individualised planning and assessment
review and build on effective literacy and mathematics practices, based on current research and best evidence, as the foundations for children's future learning
deepen teachers' evaluative capability to focus more specifically on positive outcomes for children
Before the review, the staff and management of Small Fries Christian Childcare 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:
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.
To improve current practice, the centre staff should continue to develop and refine the performance appraisal system to meet the requirements of the Education Council. Including Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, could provide further rigour and validity in the appraisal system.
The next ERO review of Small Fries Christian Childcare Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
16 September 2016
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.
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Location |
Mairangi Bay, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45873 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
90 children, including up to 31 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
105 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 54% Boys 46% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese other Asian other |
2% 51% 28% 13% 4% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2016 |
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Date of this report |
16 September 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2013 |
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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.
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.