50 Anzac Road, Browns Bay, Auckland
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare is a homebased network that operates seven days a week. A qualified owner is responsible for governance of the service, supported by two other qualified, registered visiting teachers. Children enrolled at the service are predominantly Chinese.
A philosophy statement guides the service’s operation and expresses its values and attitudes about the provision of early childhood education and care. Children’s right to be confident in their own culture is both respected and supported. Regular opportunities are provided for parents to communicate with educators and visiting teachers about their children and share specific evidence about their learning.
The service’s curriculum provides a language-rich environment which supports children’s learning. It provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to engage and extend their learning and development both indoors and outdoors.
Next steps include:
increasing opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
ensuring that the service’s curriculum remains consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, through documented assessment, planning and evaluation.
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following
non-compliances:
Having a record of risk assessment of the service provider (GMA6A).
Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
Maintaining a written supervision plan that includes how children will be supervised while using play equipment and resources, both indoors and outdoors (HS34).
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
21 November 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare |
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Profile Number |
47267 |
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Location |
Brown's Bay, Auckland |
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Service type |
Home-based service |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
59 |
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Review team on site |
October 2022 |
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Date of this report |
21 November 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, February 2020 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
The service needs support to build staff capacity in planning, assessment and evaluation, and in improving management systems and procedures.
Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare requires further development to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare is a privately owned and operated organisation serving the Auckland region. The owners take responsibility for the administrative, governance and management frameworks that support service operations.
There are three registered visiting teachers, including the owner. They provide monthly in-home visits and organise playgroups and other events to support and guide educators working in their own homes. The service is licensed for 80 children. The educators are mainly grandparents of the children. Children enrolled are predominantly Asian. Many of the children and educators speak Mandarin during the day.
The service's philosophy prioritises safe and settled environments, respectful relationships and holistic development opportunities to promote life-long learning. There is a strong emphasis on relationships between educators, children, parents and whānau that embrace the cultures of families. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is acknowledged.
This is the first ERO review of Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare.
Children's records of learning show connections to their first language and cultural background. Visiting teachers have a strong focus on encouraging and promoting children's identity, culture and language. They work closely with educators to strengthen their understanding of learning theories and practice. Visiting teachers use Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to inform the programme. They should now make what children are learning more visible in the documentation.
Visiting teachers communicate with educators, parents and whānau in Mandarin and English. They have developed respectful approaches to working with educators for the benefit of children. The use of online resources helps to foster responsive and reciprocal relationships. Parent/whānau perspectives contribute to the service-wide learning programme. Service leaders agree that visiting teachers should model programme planning, preparation and implementation to further support educators' practices.
A large majority of children enrolled are infants and toddlers. Educators and visiting teachers are flexible and responsive to infants' specific needs and provide individualised nurturing care that supports strong and secure attachments. Visiting teachers have identified that there is a need to develop a curriculum that better supports children's learning and development.
A policy framework guides practice. There is evidence of regular evaluation that results in improvement in some systems and processes. Service leaders agree it is timely to review all policies and procedures and contextualise these to guide the service's practices.
A four-year strategic plan has been developed but is yet to be implemented. The service owner should now review and amend the strategic plan to clearly show how goals will be met and align priorities to an annual plan for improving outcomes for children.
Visiting teacher appraisals are completed annually, the service owner should ensure that appraisal practices align with the service's procedures and Teaching Council requirements. There is a need to develop an appropriate appraisal process for educators.
Service leaders agree that areas to improve are to:
ensure visiting teacher reports document how they coach educators to use a range of approaches for different assessment purposes and affirm, support and develop high quality teaching practices
provide opportunities for visiting teachers to support and role model quality teaching practices
build educators' knowledge and skills to support a bicultural rich curriculum
use Te Whāriki to support learning and teaching practices
clearly outline safety checking of all staff and educators
ensure job descriptions and induction processes for educators support their knowledge and skills in home-based education and care.
Service leaders agree they need to continue strengthening:
internal evaluation to guide the provision of quality outcomes for children
the programme so that it is responsive and meaningful to infants, toddlers and young children's interest and strengths
support for visiting teachers to build professional practice and knowledge in home-based education and care.
Before the review, the staff and management of Treasure Tree Home-Based Childcare 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:
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.
ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health, safety and curriculum. To meet requirements the service needs to improve its performance in the following areas:
explicit safety checking procedures in personnel and child protection policies and practices
the development and implementation of supervision plans specific to excursions
a procedure for monitoring children's sleep and checking children for warmth, breathing and general wellbeing every 10 to 15 minutes during day sleeps
a curriculum that is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation and demonstrates an understanding of children's learning, interests, whānau and life contexts.
Licensing Criteria for Home-based Education and Care Services 2008, HS28, 14, GMA6A, C2.
ERO recommends that the service, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, develops a plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
19 February 2020
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 |
Glenfield, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
47267 |
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Institution type |
Homebased Network |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
66 |
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Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
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Gender composition |
Boys 34 Girls 32 |
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Ethnic composition |
Chinese |
52 |
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Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
3 |
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Required ratios of educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
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Review team on site |
November 2019 |
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Date of this report |
19 February 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2008
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.