Smoochie McGill Early Learning

1 Evaluation of Stellar Kids Early Learning Centre - Forrest Hill

How well placed is Stellar Kids Early Learning Centre - Forrest Hill to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Stellar Kids Early Learning Centre - Forrest Hill is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Stellar Kids Early Learning Centre - Forrest Hill is licensed for 33 children, including 12 under two years of age. The owners have other centres in Birkenhead and Avondale. The centre's roll reflects the cultural diversity of the North Shore community.

Since purchasing the centre in 2017, the owners have extensively refurbished and redesigned the centre. They oversee day-to-day centre operations and work closely with the supervisor and team leaders, who take responsibility for guiding curriculum practices. Most of the staff are qualified teachers.

Since ERO's 2015 report, leaders have continued to strengthen their good practices, teachers' professional learning, and internal evaluation.

The Review Findings

The principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are reflected in the centre programmes and philosophy. Teachers focus on providing high quality learning and care in a home-like environment.

Children enjoy warm, nurturing and respectful relationships, and demonstrate trust in their teachers. Teachers know children and families very well. A sense of belonging for all is highly evident.

Children are sociable, articulate and confident. They lead their own learning through play that is inclusive and friendly. Tuakana/teina relationships result in good support by older children for their younger peers. Children are highly engaged in activities, experiences and routines that respond to their interests and strengths.

Infants and toddlers benefit from responsive and sensitive teachers who demonstrate strong aroha. Children enjoy many opportunities to make their own choices as they engage in play. They play in designated areas and also mix with the older children. Teachers skilfully nurture children's independence, and their close attention fosters the development of children's language.

Teachers work effectively with children. They use a calm and encouraging manner, and value children's ideas. Children and teachers talk together in meaningful ways. Teachers encourage children's responses and use effective strategies to extend their vocabulary.

Children have many good opportunities for uninterrupted play. Teachers document the learning that occurs in children's individual portfolios. They use a 'notice, recognise and respond' process to develop a curriculum that is aligned with children's interests and parents' aspirations. Parents are encouraged to be partners in their children's learning. Teachers keep families informed through frequent informal discussions, electronic communications, and attractive wall displays.

Leaders focus on providing a quality environment for children's learning. Thoughtful presentation of the environment and quality resources encourage creative and imaginative play. A well-designed outdoor learning area encourages all age groups to physically challenge themselves and explore.

Processes for transitions into, through and from the centre are child-focused. They help new and younger children to settle into their new surroundings. Older children experience a well-considered pre-school transition programme. This is integrated into their day-to-day learning and routines. The centre has built purposeful connections with neighbouring schools, and the local Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako.

Centre leaders show a commitment to embedding aspects of te ao Māori in the programme for all children. The inclusion of tikanga and te reo Māori is an integral part of centre practices. Leaders build teachers' capability and confidence in bicultural practices through targeted professional development.

Centre leadership is highly effective. Leaders promote a collaborative, professional culture. Teachers work as a team and have their strengths and interests valued. Owners invest in high quality professional development and mentoring with a focus on ongoing improvement in curriculum and leadership. Teachers use inquiry, appraisal and self review very well to enhance and evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching practice.

The owners' clear vision for high quality early childhood education is reflected in the learning environment and management of the centre. Coherent strategic and annual planning is well developed and underpinned by a sound policy and management framework.

Key Next Steps

Next key steps for the centre are to continue:

• making the centre's commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi explicit in all documentation

• working together with parents to build shared understandings of Te Whāriki

• improving individual learning stories by identifying the deliberate acts of teaching that are planned to enhance and increase complexity in children's learning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Stellar Kids Early Learning Centre - Forrest Hill 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

23 May 2019

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

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.

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.

1 Evaluation of Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Centre - Forrest Hill has been managed by the current owners since April 2013. The centre director, who is one of the owners, works closely with the supervisor to manage and improve the centre. The staff team includes four qualified teachers and a cook. Teachers provide full-day education and care for children from birth to school age.

Children are grouped according to age in two separate rooms and share the outdoor playground. Many children attend for the full day. Children and teachers are from a variety of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.

The centre’s philosophy is based on Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and is inspired by the education ideas of Reggio Emilia. The philosophy focuses on the importance of positive relationships and high quality interactions, respect for children and providing a stimulating environment that encourages exploration and self discovery.

Since ERO’s 2012 review, the owners have made improvements to all aspects of centre management and operations. The owners are aware of the need to continue to develop teachers’ understanding of their expectations and approaches to teaching and learning.

This review was conducted in conjunction with the owners’ second centre in Glendowie.

The Review Findings

Children and their families have warm and affectionate relationships with teachers. Children are gently guided to make choices from a range of activities prepared for them. Most children settle easily into the routines and rhythms of the day, enjoying the company of others and the attention of teachers.

Teachers talk to children consistently during the day. Frequent conversations are a mark of good practice. The programme for the younger children is intended to be play-based, with an emphasis on their growing independence and self management. Teachers should strengthen the programme by allowing children more opportunities to explore and enjoy uninterrupted time to play.

Teachers have worked hard to meet parents’ expectations of more formal learning for older children in preparation for school. Parents express their satisfaction with the programme. This trust should allow teachers to provide opportunities for children to learn naturally about the foundations of reading, writing, and mathematics as part of meaningful play. They could also continue to remind parents of the value of play as a way of learning.

The centre’s resources to support a Reggio Emilia inspired programme have been increased. Areas of play are arranged to engage children’s interest and provide opportunities for them to challenge themselves. An example of this is the outdoor area, which has new climbing resources and a strong focus on children’s individual physical skills. Children are confident and adventurous in their outdoor play.

Teachers observe children’s play and write stories about their learning. Planning to date has been loosely based on children’s interests and teachers’ ideas of linking these under a shared programme project. Children’s individual portfolios include many entries that illustrate children’s participation in the group programme. Teachers should now consider ways to identify and record individual children’s interests, and plan programmes that support them to follow these interests.

Teachers have been provided with professional development to help them gain confidence in providing a bicultural curriculum. Teachers use te reo Māori phrases with children and sing waiata. They take care to observe some Māori protocols in the programme. This has been an important improvement in the centre.

Policy and procedural frameworks guide the operation of the centre. Systems for monitoring health and safety have been developed and implemented. Strategic and annual planning, and appraisal systems, have been established with a view to aligning all documentation. Part of this alignment will be the development of a new philosophy agreed between owners and teachers, and in consultation with families.

Teachers have begun to use self review as a tool to evaluate the programme. It would be useful now for teachers to focus self review on their own practice as a way of making decisions about how to improve the effectiveness of programmes and outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

The centre owner identified with ERO, the following next steps for the centre. They include: 

• redeveloping the philosophy with a stronger focus on working with children and on the inspiration of Reggio Emilia
• having a clear focus on developing teaching practices to reflect teachers’ growing knowledge of current good practice and co-construction of learning with children
• continuing to strengthen bicultural practices in the centre. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

3 July 2015

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.