Nga Ara Whai Hua Quality Framework for Evaluation and Improvement in Early Childhood Services
Ngā Ara Whai Hua is a bicultural framework based on three interconnected metaphor - Ngā Aka, Poutama and Ngā Ara. It outlines ERO’s new approach
to review and evaluation for accountability and improvement, and Te Ara Poutama – indicators of quality is at the core of this framework. The approach champions evaluation, both internal and external, as the engine to drive improvement and the Indicators provide a common currency for making judgements about quality for improvement.
Shared evaluation resources - ERO and early childhood services
Te Ara Poutama
This resource draws together research and evaluation evidence about effective practice and the learning and organisational conditions in early childhood education contexts that promote valued learning outcomes for children in Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO expects all early childhood services to use the Indicators in their internal evaluation and planning for improvement. They form the basis of our external evaluations of early childhood services.
Ngā Rāpukupuku Indicators Poster
This resource outlines the conditions that support quality early childhood education, along with the valued learning outcomes. It revises and updates the Indicators in He Pou Tataki: How ERO reviews early childhood services (2013). The poster presents the Indicators in relation to the learning and organisational conditions and includes the questions ERO and services ask when working with the indicators.
Improvement Framework (teacher-led)
To help you in your improvement planning, we have developed the ECE Improvement Framework
The framework is focused on what will make the most difference for children. It provides a clear distinction between foundational (basic) practices and practice excellence with well-defined expectations for demonstrable practice and will assist you to set priorities for your own quality improvement planning.
The framework draws on Te Ara Poutama - Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most, and Te Whāriki. It is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and incorporates the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP).
ECE sector resources
Parent and Whānau Resource
We’ve written this guide to help parents and whānau understand what matters most for their child and their learning in an early childhood service.
Early childhood is an important time in children’s life when they learn and develop faster than at any other time. This guide helps parents and whānau to know what they can expect from an early childhood service and what questions they might ask about the quality of the service.
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua
This document has been developed to support early childhood services to engage in internal evaluation and ERO’s external evaluation using Te Ara Poutama – Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most. It builds on Effective Internal Evaluation for Improvement (2016) and replaces most of the content in He Pou Tātaki: How ERO reviews early childhood services (2013).
Piki Ake, Kake Ake
This is a guide to quality improvement planning for early childhood services. It supports services to plan for improvement based on the findings from internal and external evaluation and includes some examples.