- ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Welcome Bay Playcentre is a parent-led co-operative that provides sessional education and care for children from birth to school age in a mixed-age environment. It is situated adjacent to Welcome Bay Primary School, and is licensed for 25 children including 15 up to two years old.
The playcentre’s philosophy, developed with the association, places strong emphases on adults learning alongside one another, child-initiated play, recognition of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s bicultural heritage, and empowering families to make informed decisions about how to best provide for their children/tamariki. The playcentre is also in the process of creating a specific centre philosophy that outlines the values and beliefs that are important to them. Parents at Welcome Bay Playcentre place great emphasis on parents learning alongside their children, and learning from each other.
The playcentre operates under the umbrella of the Western Bay of Plenty Playcentre Association (WBOPPA). Parents benefit from the support and guidance of a centre liaison officer and a centre administration officer, provided by the association. WBOPPA also provides useful documentation and frameworks to guide centre operations. These guidelines are underpinned by the association’s philosophy that is highly evident in practice.
Parents have responded proactively to the 2012 ERO report. Professional development has resulted in improved assessment practices and more emphasis on the emergent curriculum. The introduction of workshop evenings has provided an opportunity for parents to come together and work alongside each other in providing support and guidance about documenting children's learning. Parents also benefit from the knowledge, support and guidance of the centre president and the association’s liaison officer.
This review was part of a cluster of five reviews in the Western Bay of Plenty Playcentre Association.
Children benefit from positive and respectful interactions with adults. Parents are responsive to children’s interests and needs. Children feel comfortable about approaching other adults and parents are empowered to respond to the needs of all children. Affirming, collaborative relationships among parents are reflected in children’s sharing and caring for each other. Children and their parents from different cultures and backgrounds are welcomed and included in the playcentre.
Infants and toddlers are well nurtured and cared for by their parents and other adults. There is an emphasis on respectful relationships, natural every-day resources, and responding to children’s natural rhythms.
The indoor learning environment has been recently reviewed and significantly reorganised to provide a range of appropriate spaces for play and learning. Both indoor and outdoor environments are welcoming and interesting for children. Easy access to equipment and the indoor-outdoor flow, allows children to follow interests and manage choices about their play. Outdoor equipment promotes a wide range of physical challenges.
The programme is continually based on children’s emerging interests and strengths that are extended through increasingly complex play opportunities. Literacy and mathematics are integrated into discussions and areas of play. There are some examples of parent use of te reo and tikanga Māori. There is a focus on ensuring that older children are engaged in challenging activities.
End-of-session evaluations guide planning for further sessions. Assessment has been an area of continuing development and progress. Children's portfolios provide good information of children's play and learning. Examples of good assessment practice include:
Both indoor and outdoor learning environments are spacious and attractively presented. A wide range of well-considered resources is easily accessed by children. Children’s learning is visible on wall displays. The environment is organised to promote creative expression, physical challenge, and social and dramatic play.
Parents work collaboratively to lead and manage the centre. They bring a range of skills and experiences to their roles and responsibilities and these also enhance children’s learning. Members as leaders also bring a range of specialist expertise and interests to their roles and responsibilities. There is a collaborative approach to leadership, management and centre planning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Welcome Bay 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 Welcome Bay Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
31 March 2015
|
Location |
Tauranga |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
40009 |
|
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
|
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
|
|
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
|
|
Service roll |
25 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 15 Boys 10 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Pākehā Māori |
19 6 |
|
Review team on site |
February 2015 |
|
|
Date of this report |
31 March 2015 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
|
Education Review |
February 2009 |
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.