3 Kowhai St, The Avenues, Tauranga
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The Treehouse Private Kindergarten is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Treehouse Private Kindergarten is a privately-owned early childhood education service located in suburban Tauranga. The service is licensed for 25 children from two years to school age. At the time of this ERO review there were 24 children enrolled, two of whom identify as Māori. The service operates from 8.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.
The philosophy of the centre is underpinned by the belief that all children should be nurtured in a respectful and aesthetically inviting environment, with an ethos of excellence, and a sense of peace and harmony.
The owner-director oversees the daily operations of the centre and maintains close contact with teachers, families and children. Most teachers, including the director, are long serving and qualified in early childhood education. The centre provides healthy morning teas and children bring their own lunch.
The service has had a positive reporting history with ERO.
Caring and responsive relationships between teachers, children and their families are highly valued and affirmed. Open and personalised communication with families creates strong relationships and supports children's learning and wellbeing. Children and their families are welcomed by teachers into a peaceful, family-like environment. The values of the centre philosophy are well established and highly evident in practice. Parents' views and aspirations for their children's learning are gathered informally through direct discussion, newsletter and social media.
Children benefit from a wide range of high-quality resources and opportunities for deliberate and meaningful learning experiences. A significant feature of the programme is the focus on promoting children's understanding of environmental sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Child-initiated play empowers children to explore both indoor and outdoor environments with confidence. The curriculum is inclusive and responsive to the needs of all children. A well-presented environment fosters children’s curiosity, imagination and interests. Science is naturally integrated into the curriculum. The daily routines of the centre provide structure and predictability. Children respond well to the daily routines and structure of the centre and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging.
Early literacy and numeracy support children's learning. Celebrations, seasonal events and excursions into the wider community enrich the programme. Children experience aspects of bicultural practice. Emphasis should now be on increasing confidence and use of te reo Māori across the centre, including knowledge of local Māori history and legends to enrich the programme. Leadership acknowledges this is an area to continue to strengthen in order to affirm Māori children in their language, culture and identity, and promote the unique position of Māori as tangata whenua. Visibility of the bicultural nature of Aotearoa/New Zealand in the philosophy, planning and assessment would strengthen these areas.
Individual planning for all children helps inform ongoing adaptive programme design. Intentional teaching extends children’s knowledge, interests and learning. Teachers purposefully develop children's oral language and social competence. Children with additional learning and behavioural needs are identified and supported through ongoing individualised planning and external support. Learning portfolios are valued and reflect children’s engagement in the life of the centre. Including children's language, culture and identity is a next step to strengthen this area of assessment.
Leadership has developed clear guidelines and expectations for practice and curriculum delivery. Opportunities for professional learning and development are based on alignment to the centre philosophy. Adding deeper knowledge and understanding to teachers' practice is another important consideration across the centre. Leadership promotes responsive and reflective practice. This is modelled and highly evident in the centre's emergent self-review practices. Internal evaluation is spontaneous and focused on improvement. Appraisal includes multiple voices from centre manager and teachers in relation to feedback and feedforward. To strengthen this area emphasis should now be on using the new teaching standards and associated criteria.
Governance demonstrates a strong commitment to the philosophy, vision and goals of the service. Strategic planning is focused on enacting these and annual planning supports this. Staff appointment is strategically aligned to the centre philosophy. Good employment practice fosters a stable and collaborative team culture. Children and their families benefit by always having familiar teaching staff available at the centre.
For ongoing improvement, the centre needs to:
continue to strengthen teachers' confidence in the daily use of te reo Māori to support and build on current tikanga practices, including knowledge of local Māori history and legend to enrich the curriculum
continue to make more visible the bicultural nature of Aotearoa/New Zealand in planning, assessment and evaluation
update the appraisal process to reflect the Teaching Council standards and associated criteria.
Before the review, the staff and management of The Treehouse Private Kindergarten 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 early childhood service should ensure:
accurate recording and evaluating of fire drills is maintained
premises and facilities are checked daily for hazards to children and either eliminated, isolated or minimised.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central
Central Region
31 October 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.
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Location |
Tauranga |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
40258 |
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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 |
25 children aged over 2 |
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Service roll |
24 |
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Gender composition |
Female 14 Male 10 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
September 2019 |
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Date of this report |
31 October 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
June 2015 |
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Education Review |
September 2012 |
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Education Review |
August 2009 |
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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 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.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
The Tree House Private Kindergarten is a privately owned early childhood education service located in suburban Tauranga. The service is licensed for 25 children from 2 years to school age. At the time of this ERO review there were 21 children enrolled, one of whom identifies as Māori. The service operates from 8.30am-2.30pm Monday to Friday.
The philosophy underpinning the centre is based on:
Parents interviewed by ERO speak with confidence about the centre philosophy and the reasons for choosing the service for the education and care of their children.
The owner/director oversees the daily operations of the centre and maintains close contact with teachers, families and children. Most of the teachers are long serving and have a recognised early childhood education qualification. The centre provides healthy morning teas and children bring their own lunch. Since the last ERO review in 2012, processes for teacher appraisal have been reviewed to include consideration of the Registered Teachers Criteria.
The owner/director provides strong and visionary leadership and direction for teachers and families. She is highly respected by teachers who appreciate her collaborative, approachable style and her dedication to the centre philosophy. Parents interviewed by ERO are highly supportive of her contribution to their child’s education and care. She is responsive to parents’ aspirations and issues, and questions about their child’s learning and wellbeing.
The programme of education and care reflects the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and is planned to embrace children’s interests and strengths. The daily programme consists of an appropriate balance of child-initiated and teacher-led learning experiences. There is a particular focus on the visual arts, environmental sustainability, and the use of natural resources. Teachers specifically integrate literacy and mathematical concepts throughout each day to extend children’s ability in these core curriculum areas. In addition, there are high quality opportunities for children to experience creative activities such as music, dance, art and drama.
There is a strong focus on developing children’s social skills and respectful relationships. Children are trusted and respected as competent learners. This is demonstrated through the availability and use of resources such as china cups and silver. The service environment and programme is very inclusive of children with high learning and developmental needs.
Routines such as morning tea and mat times are used to promote learning about social conventions such as sharing, hygienic practice and good manners. Other skills purposefully fostered include important aspects of being part of a group, respectfully listening, turn-taking, being an audience and performing. Excursions are purposefully planned to build on the centre programme and extend learning in relevant contexts and environments. The deliberate promotion of learning behaviours such as perseverance, listening to and following instructions, and completing a task to their satisfaction provides children with a sound foundation for life-long learning.
Individual child portfolios are available in a comfortable setting for parents and children to formally share and celebrate their child’s development and successes in learning. These useful documents contain a selection of narratives, work samples, and photographs that are appropriately focused on each child’s successes and developing social competencies.
The environment enables children to explore and have access to plentiful resources and inviting learning spaces (indoors and outdoors). Displays and learning areas are planned intentionally to invite children’s curiosity and challenge their ideas. Children are happily involved in exploring their environment and communicating with peers and teachers. Teachers ensure that the environment is set up to provide calm and ordered spaces, which enable all children to demonstrate competence and engage in activities for sustained periods of play and learning.
Teachers welcome parents and families warmly in to the centre. The service maintains small group sizes and this enables teachers to get to know children and their families well. Teachers include parents in regular discussions about children’s emerging interests and wellbeing.
Relationships among children and teachers are respectful and responsive to children’s need for education and nurturing care. Teachers skilfully notice opportunities to engage with children and extend their oral language and ideas, and this promotes a responsive and unhurried approach to learning.
The centre philosophy forms the basis for systematic review of all aspects of centre operations including resourcing, teacher professional learning, programme planning and organisation. There is good evidence that self review is leading to enhanced outcomes for children, and serving the dual purpose of centre improvement and accountability with regulatory requirements.
ERO and the centre owner/director agree that it is important to review the centre philosophy, programme and practice to clearly reflect a commitment to the bicultural nature of Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Before the review, the staff and management of The Treehouse Private Kindergarten 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.
The next ERO review of The Treehouse Private Kindergarten will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
16 June 2015
|
Location |
Tauranga |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
40258 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 0 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
21 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 13 Girls 8 |
||
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā |
1 20 |
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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 |
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
April 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 June 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
October 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:
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.
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.