Waimamaku Playcentre

1 Evaluation of Waimamaku Playcentre

How well placed is Waimamaku Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Waimamaku Playcentre is open on Tuesday and Thursday each week and is licensed for 30 children, including eight children up to two years of age. The Playcentre operates as a parent co-operative and provides a mixed-age programme. Children currently attending have Māori or Pākehā heritage.

The Playcentre philosophy affirms parents as valued and best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

ERO's 2012 report noted that members skilfully supported children's independence and their relationships with others. These features remain evident. ERO recommended that members better monitor their progress towards long-term goals. This work continues to be a priority.

Since 2012, the Playcentre has been relicensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.

A process has begun for Waimamaku Playcentre to become part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association provides systems to help members to manage the centres and support their children's learning. It also provides adult education programmes for Playcentre qualifications. As part of a national restructure of Playcentre Aotearoa there will be a new regional manager and new centre support roles.

This review was part of a cluster of three reviews in the Northland Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

Caring and warm relationships between adults and children encourage children's participation in the programme. Adults work together well and support children to make decisions and express their ideas. They actively listen to children and work well alongside them to support their ideas and interests. Some basic te reo Māori is used in appropriate ways.

Older children involve themselves in meaningful and focused play. Members have identified a need to plan specifically to extend older children's learning. They could also consider how to provide infants with more opportunities for exploration.

A Centre Support Worker (CSW) worked with members to establish a process to record children's experiences in the daily programme. Members are beginning to make links with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Individual assessment portfolios show children's interests, and members are increasingly writing about the learning that happens as children play. They now need to plan experiences to extend children's interests and evaluate the impact of these experiences on children's learning.

Experienced members provide leadership and work well together to manage the Playcentre. They help newer members to build their knowledge. Some members are currently enrolled in courses to improve their Playcentre training levels. As a result of Association support, long-term and annual plans have recently been established. Internal evaluation processes have also been implemented. Members are keen to use these new systems to guide the centre's ongoing improvement.

Effective guidance from the CSW has enabled members to make significant improvements to practices and systems. Members appreciate the very good support they have received from Association staff.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps for centre members include:

• developing shared understandings of how to extend children's learning in the different age groups
• using daily programme records to plan meaningful learning experiences in response to children's interests.

To strengthen operations in all Northland Playcentres, key next steps for the Association include supporting members to:

• build upon recently established programme planning and assessment practices
• develop programme evaluation by recording the impact of the programme on children's learning
• evaluate progress towards long term and annual goals.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Waimamaku 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:

• curriculum
• premises and facilities
• health and safety practices
• governance, management and administration.

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.

In order to improve practices, the Association and centre members should ensure that playground soft-fall surfaces meet the required safety standards.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Waimamaku Playcentre will be in three years. 

Steffan Brough
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

22 May 2017 

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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. 

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service 

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• 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.

Review Coverage

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.