How ERO reviews and evaluates early childhood services and governing organisations

ERO visits all early childhood services including: 

  • Centre-based education and care services 
  • Home-based education and care services 
  • Hospital-based education and care services 

 

We review using different approaches in different contexts  

Governing organisations 

ERO has defined a governing organisation as an early childhood education provider that has oversight of eight or more services. These can include services that are centre-based, home-based and those with mixed centre and home-based provision. 

ERO has developed a specific evaluation approach for governing organisations and their services. 

Akatea | Governing Organisation Evaluations focus on: 

  • what the governing organisation knows about its services’ performance 
  • the role the organisation plays in supporting each services' continuous improvement journey 
  • evaluating system-wide approaches that the governing organisation has in place. 

Through these evaluations, ERO works with governing organisations to develop a collective, system-wide positive contribution to high quality education and care for all children. 

ERO works with governing organisations in the following ways:  

  • building closer ties between ERO review officers and governing organisations 
  • increasing the contact ERO has with organisations, relative to their size 
  • undertaking sampling, where ERO visits a number of the organisation’s individual services to be assured that the organisation’s policies, systems and practices are effectively implemented.  

ERO reports publicly on its findings about each governing organisation. Governing organisation reports include findings from the services sampled. 

During the process of a governing organisation evaluation, ERO may undertake Assurance Reviews of individual services within the governing organisation. 

 

Centre, Home and Hospital-based Education and Care Services 

Ngā Ara Whai Hua: Quality Framework for Evaluation and Improvement in Early Childhood Services

This framework includes Te Ara Poutama – indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most. 

Notification of an ERO visit          

Services are notified of an ERO visit by email, providing information about how the visit will proceed. You will need to complete two tasks before the visit: 

  1. send a letter to parents, whānau and kaiako telling them about the visit 
  2. send us the documents we need so we can prepare for the visit.  

Below are the documents you will need.  

For centre-based services

For home-based services 

For hospital-based services

Other documents you need to include are:  

  • your service’s philosophy statement 
  • your service’s annual plan 
  • an example of a completed recent review or evaluation. 
Sharing information before the visit 

An ERO review officer will contact you at least two weeks before the planned visit. You can clarify any questions you have at that stage. They will discuss: 

  • a date for you to send the documents we have asked for 
  • the date of the visit to your service 
  • any other information that is required prior to the visit.   
Starting the onsite work

After an introduction, ERO begins the visit by undertaking some initial compliance checks. Our findings will determine the approach for the rest of the visit.  

 

Akanuku | Assurance Reviews  

We assess whether your early childhood service is meeting the regulatory standards and licensing criteria. 

How we decide to do an Akanuku | Assurance Review

We do an Akanuku | Assurance Review of your service when: 

  • Half or more of the licensing criteria or regulation ERO has checked indicate a systemic failure and one or more of the following criteria is also evident: 
  • The assurance statement(s) indicates a limited understanding of the full licensing criteria.  
  • There has been considerable turnover in teachers and / or leaders. 
  • The ERO report history indicates that this service has not maintained compliance with regulatory standards.  

 

Akarangi | Quality Evaluations  

We evaluate the extent to which your early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for learners. 

How we decide to do an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation  

We do an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation of your early childhood service when, after the initial compliance, the service has not met the criteria for an Akanuku | Assurance Review. 

 

Akamatua | Evaluating Excellence and Innovation 

This is a case study approach. We will identify, investigate and evaluate cases of excellence and innovation in early childhood services. 

This approach is in development.  

 

How we work with the Ministry of Education 

ERO works with services to assess whether they are meeting regulatory standards and licensing criteria. We work with the Ministry of Education where areas of concern and non-compliance are identified and reported.   

 

How we review and evaluate using the different approaches 

For more information about our different approaches please see the following pages: 

Published: 31 Mar 2021
Audience:
Early learning
Education
Topics:
Early learning