14 East Station Road, Toko
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Toko Playcentre is licensed for up to 30 children, including 15 aged up to two years. Thirty children are enrolled. The centre opens for mixed-age sessions, two mornings a week.
The playcentre is one of 17 parent-led early learning services administered by the Taranaki Playcentre Association (the association). A management team of elected volunteers implements the directives from playcentre governance and provides the adult education programme, guidance and support for members.
Centre supporters are employed by the association to regularly visit playcentres. Their role is to provide professional advice and feedback to strengthen practice and promote improvement. Responsibility for day-to-day operation is undertaken by centre-elected office holders. Parents share the duties associated with implementing the daily programme.
The New Zealand Playcentre Federation is planning a significant restructure in 2017 that includes amalgamating associations. Playcentres will become part of a regional hub, supported by a regional manager and support persons.
The January 2014 ERO report for Toko Playcentre identified that development of self-review practice and assessment, planning and evaluation was needed. Centre members have made positive progress in responding to these areas.
This review was part of a cluster of seven playcentre reviews in the Taranaki Playcentre Association.
The association philosophy of parent-led education and child-initiated play is valued by centre members and reflected in practice. The principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, underpin practice to promote positive outcomes for children. A commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is evident across the organisation.
An inclusive atmosphere encourages children to lead, challenge and experience learning as fun. The sustained commitment of members has contributed to the centre's well-embedded systems and structures.
Children are viewed as confident, competent, individual learners and explorers. Care, respect and shared responsibility for children's learning is upheld by the collective. Rituals and routines are established. Children holistically engage alongside peers and adults.
Children's interests, needs and preferences inform and guide the well-planned curriculum. Daily, weekly and termly documentation practices support adults' planning for the learning of individuals and groups of children. Adults' contributions to planning and assessment are modified and strengthened. An evaluative framework of daily and termly programmes is used. Continuing to embed planning for learning is an ongoing priority.
A deliberate focus on bicultural practices is implemented. Whānau tangata is evident. Adults apply a high level of care for their own and other children. Children support each other in tuakana teina interactions and are actively engaged. Resourcing is purposefully considered to uphold te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Te ao Māori, place-based information is shared.
Portfolios are attractive and show children’s active involvement in and beyond the centre. Children’s learning progress over time is recorded. Parents uphold their children’s culture, language and identity. Approaches to grow members' understanding assessment, planning and evaluation are useful.
A well-considered transition process with local schools is in place. Information packs are provided for children and families. The positive, collaborative relationship supports children's transition interactions and experiences.
Adults have made good use of self review to strengthen assessment and planning for children's learning. More clearly showing the impact of adults' planned strategies on children's outcomes is a next step.
The association's Māori representative of Puriri Whakamaru o Taranaki, supports centre members to gain further understandings of te ao Māori. This aspect is developing well as an integral part of the curriculum. Association and centre leaders should use strategic planning and internal evaluation to ensure the good practice occurring is sustained and continues to be built on.
The centre support person provides useful written reports on centre environmental developments and programme practices. These have a focus on outcomes for children and identification of next steps for centre members to improve teaching and learning.
Appraisal for centre supporters requires strengthening. The process, to enhance outcomes for children and their families, should: include more focused goals that build their capability; and provide more regular and targeted feedback and feed forward about supportive practices.
Centre members should continue to:
embed planning for learning.
The association should continue to support centre members to:
improve appraisal for the centre support people to respond to individual needs and identify professional development to grow them in their leadership roles
continue to build centre support staff knowledge and capability to undertake effective internal evaluation.
Before the review, the staff and management of Toko 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Toko Playcentre will be in three years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
22 August 2017
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 |
Toko |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
50004 |
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Licence type |
Playcentre |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
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|
Service roll |
33 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 19, Boys 14 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
1 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2017 |
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Date of this report |
22 August 2017 |
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Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
January 2014 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2007 |
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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:
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Toko Playcentre and is one of seventeen parent-led services governed under the Taranaki Playcentre Association (the association) umbrella. The governance of these centres has recently reverted to a structure where representatives from all centres contribute to association decisions and priorities.
Up to 28 children from birth to school age attend two morning sessions per week. The centre philosophy highlights the role of parents as children’s first teachers, and the importance of their involvement in supporting the programme.
The centre was recently relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. Since the November 2010 ERO report significant improvements to the building have further enhanced the learning environment.
Regular visits by association personnel provide advice and guidance for bicultural, centre and property support. Positive relationships between the playcentre and those in support roles are evident. The association also offers opportunities for parents to train in the playcentres’ early childhood education courses.
The previous ERO report identified a number of areas for development and review. These still require improvement.
This review was part of a cluster of 14 reviews in the Taranaki Playcentre Association.
A wide variety of high quality resources and learning materials are freely available for children. The outdoor area provides for physical play and adventurous activities. A calm and positive tone is evident. Children are cooperative and settled. They enjoy the environment with its many opportunities for investigation and independent learning.
Adults are responsive and purposeful in their engagement with children. Some members demonstrate well-developed strategies that facilitate learning. They know when to stand back and when to work alongside children to promote their ideas or extend play. Children have time and opportunities to make decisions and solve their own problems. Supporting other members to use these strategies across the centre should result in enhanced opportunities for children to direct their own learning.
Members have a flexible approach to planning daily sessions linked to children's emerging interests and playcentre philosophy. Creative self expression is encouraged. Literacy and numeracy are well integrated into the programme in the context of play and everyday happenings. There is consistently good support for social and language learning. Scrapbooks are valued records of individuals’ participation and learning.
For 2014, the association has planned professional development about planning and evaluation. ERO agrees that this is timely, as the playcentre has yet to effectively implement current and useful approaches to assessing and planning for children’s learning.
Through in-depth daily discussion, adults share information about children’s developing interests to plan suitable activities for subsequent sessions. Core group members continue to support others to understand learning linked to the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki. They recognise that review and development of their approach to assessment, planning and evaluation should continue to be a priority.
Parents work hard to provide learning experiences for children of all ages. Infants and toddlers are active participants in all aspects of the programme. They are nurtured by all and confidently explore the playcentre environment. Older children are supported to interact well with those who are younger. A strong relationship has been developed with the local school, providing support for families with children moving on to primary school.
Core group members are strongly focused on improvement and ensuring the sustainability of the centre. They work consistently to foster leadership, collective self management and community awareness of playcentre philosophy. Roles and responsibilities have been clarified to support newer members’ involvement and understanding of expectations. Opportunities to meet, reflect on progress and discuss centre business occur regularly.
Adults work to ensure children have experiences that assist them to become confident in Aotearoa/New Zealand’s dual cultural heritage. This focus is supported by the Puriri W’akamaru o Taranaki role that was established by the association to build bicultural understandings. Acknowledged next steps are to continue to develop strategies and approaches to effectively promote Māori children’s success as Māori.
Toko Playcentre and the association have annual plans that inform operational decisions. There are few links between the association and individual playcentre goals. The association’s strategic vision is beginning to focus on priorities for improving teaching and learning.
A recent focus for the centre has been to establish a self-review process. Adults are now making some use of this process to review aspects of the programme and health and safety areas. ERO recommends the association strengthen its understanding of evaluative self-review to better assist the playcentre. This should include developing more robust ways of knowing the impact of its practices and policies on children’s learning and development, and the quality of the programmes.
The centre has yet to fully address all areas for development identified in ERO’s previous report. The association and playcentre personnel should improve and develop:
Before the review, the staff and management of Toko 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:
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 Toko Playcentre will be in three years.
Joyce Gebbie
National Manager Review Services Central Region (Acting)
23 January 2014
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 |
Toko |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
50004 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
28 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
49 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 27, Boys 22 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
NZ European/Pākehā Other European |
46 3 |
|
|
Reported ratios of adults to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
November 2013 |
||
|
Date of this report |
23 January 2014 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s)
|
Education Review |
November 2010 |
|
|
Education Review |
August 2007 |
||
|
Education Review |
March 2004 |
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.