70 Wairiki Road, Mount Eden, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd in Mt Eden is licensed for 35 children, including eight up to the age of two years. The centre operates in a renovated purpose-built building and serves a culturally diverse local community.
Since the 2016 ERO review, the centre has new owners. Four of the five teachers in the long-serving teaching team are qualified teachers. The newly appointed supervisor oversees curriculum management and mentors teachers. The owner/director has a range of skills that support the service's strategic direction, whānau and various community groups. The director provides daily operational and management support.
The service is founded on a philosophy that promotes aroha and fostering children's love of learning. It has a commitment to building strong relationships with children, teachers and whānau, based on love and respect.
The centre has a history of positive ERO reports. The 2016 ERO report highlighted many positive practices and support for children's learning. The key next steps related to internal evaluation, recognising children's cultures and involving whānau. These have been addressed satisfactorily.
Teachers take the time to greet children and their whānau when they arrive. At this time whānau and teachers exchange information about the child's wellbeing and stories that link home and the centre programmes. As a result, children settle quickly into the centre. They are confident and competent and have a strong sense of belonging.
Children experience a programme and routines that reflect their individual preferences and interests. Teachers set up activities to encourage children to engage in play. Children choose what they want to play with, enjoy imaginative play and explore happily alongside each other. They often sustain their play for long periods with their peers, adults or by themselves. Literacy, maths, science, and technology concepts are intentionally woven into the play programme. Children’s work is displayed attractively around the centre.
Infants and toddlers have a separate indoor play area. They benefit from good periods of uninterrupted play and choose independently from accessible resources. Teachers promote an inclusive environment. They follow children's cues and have a responsive care approach to teaching.
Some aspects of tikanga Māori are evident. Teachers are committed to extending their knowledge of te ao Māori. They should now increase their use of te reo Māori and strengthen bicultural practices in the programme.
Teachers' and children's cultures, home languages and life experiences enrich the programme. Teachers use children’s first language in the context of their play. Whānau enjoy and contribute to cultural events and festivals celebrated in the centre.
It is timely for leaders and teachers to evaluate the quality of the resources and equipment in the centre. Increasing children’s access to a greater variety of open-ended resources would more effectively support and enhance their learning and development. Teachers could also increase resources that reflect community diversity.
Teachers support children and their whānau well as they transition into and through the centre. They should now evaluate the effectiveness of the transition to school programme and the broader curriculum, to ensure they align well with the expectations of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Teachers’ respectful relationships with children and their whānau are a strength. Teachers are further developing ways that could build on more whānau engagement and contribution to the centre’s programme.
Children’s portfolios are a record of their participation in the programme, and their learning progress and development over time. These records include parents' contributions and focus on children's individual interests, strengths and abilities.
Leaders are developing an organisational culture that supports ongoing improvement. They are future focused and promote collaborative and distributive approaches to leadership. Leaders should strengthen strategic planning to support the service's new direction.
Key next steps for managers and teachers include accessing external professional development to:
extend teachers' professional knowledge, practices and skills to improve the quality of teaching and learning for infants and toddlers
strengthen internal evaluation to ensure a strong focus on improving all aspects of centre operations and outcomes for children
develop and implement an appraisal process that is aligned to Teaching Council requirements
strengthen strategic planning by developing clear goals that link with an annual action plan.
Before the review, the staff and management of Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd 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
15 August 2019
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 |
Mount Eden, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
20466 |
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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 |
35 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
45 |
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Gender composition |
Girls 23 Boys 22 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
June 2019 |
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Date of this report |
15 August 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2016 |
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Education Review |
December 2012 |
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Education Review |
November 2009 |
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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.
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd provides a service for up to 35 children in an adapted villa in a residential area of Mt Eden. There are several play rooms and a separate room for children up to the age of two, who share the large, attractive outdoor area with older children.
The owners are very involved in the service. They are committed to supporting families, nurturing staff and providing high quality care and education for children in this community. They foster a sense of ‘home away from home’ based on aroha, manaaki and caring relationships. One of the owners, who is a registered teacher, works with the head teacher to manage day-to-day operations and lead the team of six registered teachers.
Since ERO’s 2012 review, the owners have upgraded indoor areas and improved flow to the outdoors. A major landscaping and design project has enhanced the outdoor learning environment for children. Further improvements are planned.
ERO’s 2012 report noted an emphasis on relationships and belonging, good levels of parent involvement, a focus on ongoing improvement and a supportive and collaborative teaching team. ERO reported that the centre was well led and managed and that self review guided improvement. These key features have been sustained. Since 2012 owners and teachers have responded well to ERO’s suggestions for improvement in self review, staff performance appraisal, assessment and programme planning. Ongoing external support and professional learning have been appreciated by staff.
Children are settled and comfortable in the centre’s calm and inclusive atmosphere. They play together in small groups and enjoy conversations with their teachers. Teachers know the children and their families well. The owners lead a commitment to high levels of care and responsiveness. Children’s sense of belonging and their wellbeing are supported by warm and respectful relationships, familiar rituals and predictable daily rhythms.
The programme is largely led by children’s choices and by what teachers describe as children’s ‘urges’ to work with resources in a particular way. Teachers provide a variety of resources that can be used flexibly as part of children’s play. They aim to be unobtrusive observers and supporters of children’s learning. The owners’ and head teacher’s strong commitment to bicultural practice is reflected well in programmes and interactions. Basic te reo Māori is a familiar part of interactions with children and during kai time rituals.
Younger children up to the age of two have two dedicated teachers who provide warm, nurturing care. They support toddlers to join older children in the outdoors and occasionally in the main playrooms. The owner and teachers have worked hard to establish relationships with nearby schools. Teachers provide a high quality assessment report for children when they leave for school. They make clear links between Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and the key competencies of the New Zealand school curriculum.
A daily ‘Moa time’ provides a separate, more structured programme for older children. There are good examples where Moa time builds on children's particular interests and is linked with planning for the main programme. Teachers have begun to plan more specifically to integrate literacy, mathematics and science throughout the main programme.
Teachers work well together. Their assessment of children’s learning is well recorded, shared and used to reflect on and plan programmes. Parents/whānau have good opportunities to share their aspirations for their children. They receive very good information about the programme and about their children’s learning. Learning stories show teachers’ very good knowledge of each child. Teachers focus on children’s ‘urges’ and developing dispositions for learning. They could now also highlight literacy and mathematics, and learning in other curriculum areas in the context of children’s play.
The owners are committed to providing a flexible, responsive and supportive work environment for staff. Their strategic direction is clear and they consult with staff about centre development. A sound foundation of policies and procedures guides centre operations. Self review is well established, informed by research and supported by professional development. There is a commitment to ongoing professional learning and good support for the head teacher in her leadership role.
Recent positive steps toward further improvements in the centre include:
As next steps for enriching their practice, the owners and teachers recognise the value of:
A key step for strengthening self review and teachers’ reflections is to develop more evaluative thinking. This will help staff to identify goals for enhancing provision for children and to identify appropriate professional development. Developing and documenting indicators of highly effective practice, alongside the centre’s philosophy would also help to strengthen self review. These moves would support the owners’ longstanding focus on continual improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd 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 Stepping Stones Daycare Ltd will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
12 February 2016
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.
|
Location |
Mt Eden, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
20466 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
35 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
52 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 26 Girls 26 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese other |
5 40 4 3 |
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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 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
12 February 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
December 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
November 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
February 2007 |
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.