Building 15, Auckland City Hospital Park Road, Grafton, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kids Domain Early Learning Centre is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Kids Domain Early Learning Centre is licensed to provide education and care for 100 children, including up to 40 aged under two years. The centre is in the grounds of Auckland City Hospital and caters for the children of staff working at the hospital. Children are cared for in two rooms for infants and toddlers, and two for older children. They transition only once through the centre. Each infant room has their own outdoor space. The older children have a shared outdoor space. The service caters for a multicultural community and includes small numbers of Māori and Pacific children.
The centre is governed by the Auckland Hospital Preschool Society Incorporated and operates as a non-profit community service. The elected member body of the society is the parent led governance group.
Leadership of the service is provided by the centre director, the education leader and the pedagogical leader. A head teacher is appointed in each of the four rooms. Together they lead a team of 18 qualified teachers and nine non-qualified staff.
The focus of the philosophy is on respect and recognition of individuality within a learning community. Children are recognised as guardians of the natural world. Teachers view the centre as "research active" where they learn alongside children in an inquiry-based programme. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are recognised as guiding documents.
The philosophy is evident in the programme. Centre playgrounds border the extensive grounds of the Auckland Domain, which are regularly accessed by children and teachers. Teachers skilfully enhance children's interest in and exploration of the natural world, inside and outside of the centre gates, through a te ao Māori lens. They actively involve older children in discussion, debate and documentation of their own learning. Diverse viewpoints are respected and contribute to the collective knowledge and learning of the group.
Children's learning and development is supported by leaders, teachers and others with culturally relevant knowledge and expertise. A kaiako Māori rōpu has recently been established to tautoko the implementation of te reo me nga tikanga Māori. Leaders and teachers weave te ao Māori concepts such as ako, kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga throughout the programme and centre practices. Children's records of learning reflect their growing knowledge and understanding of the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Leaders and teachers provide specialised care for infants and toddlers. They consult with whānau to ensure connectivity between home and centre. They respect and implement different cultural and family values regarding childcare. Their deep inquiry into providing an environment and resources that engage and promote learning for younger children has resulted in carefully considered uncluttered, inviting play spaces. Teachers' interactions are calm and respectful, and children are relaxed and settled.
Teachers talk with and actively listen to children and promote deeper thinking through skilful questioning. They provide learning environments for all children that stimulate curiosity and imagination and their enhanced respect for all peoples. Teachers present children's work to parents and whānau seeking contribution and feedback. Leaders have identified that they would like to continue to investigate new ways to deepen whānau involvement within the service.
Teachers' inquiries into their practice are leading to new and innovative ways of documenting learning and planning programmes for children. They co-construct the programme with children through adult and child-led inquiries, learning alongside each other.
Leaders bring a diverse range of skills to the team. A strong core of consistent leadership over a period of years has been instrumental in promoting and sustaining a high-quality programme. A continuous cycle of internal evaluation and inquiry is woven throughout centre practices, operations and the curriculum. The ongoing engagement of leaders and teachers in professional learning enhances children's learning and contributes to continuous, sustained improvement.
Centre leaders are continuing to develop documentation and communication processes. They plan to explore innovative ways to integrate assessment, planning and evaluation of the programme for children's learning with the perspectives of parents/whānau and the wider community.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Domain 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:
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 - Te Tai Raki
19 February 2020
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.
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Location |
Grafton, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20006 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
137 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Indian British/Irish Chinese African Filipino other ethnic groups |
7% 48% 12% 7% 5% 4% 4% 13% |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
December 2019 |
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Date of this report |
19 February 2020 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
January 2015 |
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Education Review |
February 2012 |
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Education Review |
November 2008 |
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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.
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.
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.
How well placed is Kids Domain Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kids Domain provides high quality early childhood education that promotes the wellbeing and learning of all children attending the centre.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kids Domain Early Learning Centre is a well-established centre that caters for the children of staff working at Auckland City Hospital. The centre is situated in the hospital grounds. The centre caters for 100 children grouped by age and patterns of attendance in spacious, interlinked rooms. Playgrounds for each group are adjacent to the Auckland Domain and provide well for children’s play.
The centre is governed by an executive committee. Leaders in the centre delegate responsibility for management tasks amongst staff, and positions allocated include those of curriculum leader and education leader. Internal reporting to members of the executive committee ensure that they are informed about the day-to-day operation of the centre, the quality of the provision for children and the centre’s progress towards achieving strategic goals.
The centre caters for children from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Teachers reflect some of these cultures. Festivals and traditions that are meaningful for children’s families are celebrated in the centre.
The majority of the teachers are fully registered. The education leader provides appropriate induction programmes for provisionally registered teachers. Ratios of teachers to children are maintained at levels higher than minimum requirements.
The centre has had a positive ERO reporting history. All suggestions for improvement made in the 2012 ERO report have led to the review of, and refinements to, centre practices.
Kids Domain is a busy and exciting place for children. The centre caters well for the different needs, pace and interests of children. There is quiet, personalised care for very young children and the oldest children are identified as the leaders in the centre. All children are carefully nurtured, encouraged to be confident communicators and leaders of their own learning.
Children are well supported to learn. All staff welcome children and support their transition into and through the centre. Children settle quickly and are trusting and responsive with teachers. Centre leaders set high standards to guide teaching practice. Teachers provide programmes that are highly reflective of good practice in early childhood education. They blend their philosophical approaches
to incorporate relevant educational theories and approaches advocated in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The resulting programmes for children are unhurried and thoughtfully planned and implemented. They support children to develop their emotional, social and intellectual capability.
Children are confident and capable learners. Teachers provide programmes that empower children to make choices about their learning. They foster children’s focused exploration and experimentation through their respectful and encouraging support for children’s thinking and ideas. With the help of teachers, children often develop elaborate, imaginative and deep interests that extend well beyond their initial ideas.
Teachers know children very well. They assess and plan purposefully for children’s different ways of learning. Teachers use portfolios to carefully document children’s personal learning journeys so that parents can be partners in their children’s learning. Ongoing collaboration between the education and curriculum leaders ensures support for all teachers to continually improve learning for children.
Partnerships between families and the centre are strong. Kids Domain staff consistently maintain a clear focus on high quality provision for children and their families. Parents are consulted about their ongoing aspirations for their children. Māori and Pacific families have opportunities to comment about the content of programmes and to input into teachers’ strategies for fostering children’s positive sense of their own identity, language and culture. There is strong support for all children to learn about New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. Teachers incorporate notions of respect and care for each other and the environment into the everyday life of the centre. They use te reo Māori naturally and appropriately as part of conversations.
Centre learning environments are attractive, interesting and carefully arranged to prompt children’s play. The centre is very well resourced with an appropriate range of high quality resources for children’s exploration. Teachers are quick to respond to children’s interests, providing additional resources to help elaborate play and promote further learning. Children thrive in an environment where they are trusted to use resources responsibly to further their own learning.
Teachers place a high priority on encouraging children’s interest in literacy, mathematics and science in meaningful contexts. Their suggestions encourage children’s interest in being readers, writers and explorers. Children are confident in using information and communication technologies to learn more about topics of interest to them.
Management practices and systems are highly developed. Centre leaders focus on review as a means of determining the effectiveness of teaching, and for managing all aspects of their work. Teachers undertake detailed and deep investigations into aspects of their teaching practice. They use teacher, child and parent input to gather comprehensive data and guide developments. Policies and procedures are regularly scrutinised and updated. Management strategic and annual planning continues to evolve. Appraisal processes are affirming and useful for teachers’ professional growth.
Centre managers and leaders will continue to review their practices and documentation to maintain the high standards they have established and to support the centre’s continuing improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kids Domain 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:
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 Kids Domain Early Learning Centre will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer-Northern
Northern Region
30 January 2015
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.
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Location |
Newton, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20006 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
100 children, including up to 40 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
148 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 78 Girls 70 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Chinese Indian Cook Island Māori South East Asian other European other |
9 89 18 5 4 7 9 7 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
80% |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
December 2014 |
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Date of this report |
30 January 2015 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2012 |
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Previously reviewed as: Kids Domain Early Learning Centre 1, 2 and 3 |
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Education Review |
November 2008 |
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Education Review |
October 2005 |
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.
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.