21a Wilson Street, Cambridge
View on mapERO’s Akanuku | Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about Akanuku | Assurance Reviews is included at the end of this report.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
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Curriculum |
Meeting |
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Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
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Health and safety |
Meeting |
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Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Educare Tree Town changed ownership in July 2021 and is one of 20 Educare Ltd centres. It is the service’s first Akanuku | Assurance Review. A new centre manager is supported by an area manager. Children learn in three aged-based areas. The service philosophy promotes whanaungatanga.
The service curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Tamariki are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kaiako providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance tamariki learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
Tamariki are supported to develop social competencies. Their preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.
An ongoing process of self-review and internal evaluation helps the service maintain and improve the quality of its care and education.
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry these out with the children on an at least three-monthly basis.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008, HS8]
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
24 August 2022
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Early Childhood Service Name |
Educare Tree Town |
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Profile Number |
30086 |
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Location |
Cambridge |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
90 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
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Service roll |
54 |
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Review team on site |
June 2022 |
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Date of this report |
24 August 2022 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, June 2018; Education Review, February 2015 |
All services are licensed under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. The legal requirements for early childhood services also include the Licensing Criteria for Education and Care Services 2008.
Services must meet the standards in the regulations and the requirements of the licensing criteria to gain and maintain a licence to operate.
having its first ERO review – including if it is part of a governing organisation
previously identified as ‘not well placed’ or ‘requiring further development’
that has moved from a provisional to a full licence
that have been re-licenced due to a change of ownership
where an Akanuku | Assurance Review process is determined to be appropriate.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements. Before the review, the staff and management of a service 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.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulated standards are being met. In particular, ERO looks at a 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 certification; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
discussions with those involved in the service
consideration of relevant documentation, including the implementation of health and safety systems
observations of the environment/premises, curriculum implementation and teaching practice.
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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.
Tree Town Early Childhood Centre and Preschool is a privately owned education and care service located in Cambridge. It is licensed for 90 children including 20 up to the age of two. The current roll of 104 includes 22 children who identify as Māori. The centre provides a full day service and is open from 7.30am to 6.00pm on weekdays. There are four age group spaces - ranging from babies to pre-school.
The centre philosophy encourages children to explore and challenge themselves through respectful reciprocal relationships and the provision of a safe environment.
The centre owner also manages the centre. A newly developed operations manager supports her in this role. The four age group spaces are led by head teachers who are also part of the senior leadership team. Over 80% of teachers are qualified early childhood educators.
The centre has recently opened a large new space for older children and significantly upgraded the outdoor environments for all of the age group spaces.
Most aspects of the previous report remain areas for further development particularly in responding to the language, culture and identity of Māori children, strategic planning and curriculum, planning and assessment.
Children enjoy many opportunities to learn through play in spacious and well-designed environments. Particular curriculum priorities valued by the centre are evident in and consistent across all the rooms. These include children learning about values and virtues, children making choices about their own learning and teaching practices which emphasise respectful care. Children have access to a rich range of natural resources, open-ended equipment and materials which promote choice, self-management and challenge. There are opportunities for children to problem-solve and extend their thinking. Mathematics and literacy learning are naturally integrated into children's play. Children's oral language development is well-supported. Children are learning in a safe and secure environment where high levels of engagement and enthusiasm are evident.
There is support for Māori children and their whānau through positive relationships. Aspects of te reo and tikanga Māori are included in meaningful ways. Children up to two years of age benefit from responsive and secure relationships with consistent teachers. These children are confident explorers in a calm, unhurried environment. Teachers work effectively with specialist agencies to provide targeted teaching and support for children with additional needs. They are well supported within an inclusive centre culture.
Teachers make consistent use of practices that promote positive outcomes for children. Primary caregiving, where one teacher becomes the main provider of nurture and care, is an important strategy used by teachers to promote a strong sense of belonging and well-being in children and whānau. Many aspects of respectful care are evident in teacher practice. Positive guidance strategies encourage children to interact positively with their peers. Teachers effectively and positively integrate learning into everyday care routines. The transitions children make from one room to another and one primary caregiver to another are managed at the children's own pace. Children benefit from positive, sensitive and responsive relationships with teachers.
There is a well-considered approach to appointing experienced leaders and fostering emergent leadership across the service. There is a strong focus on continual improvement. They have set expectations that teachers will inquire into their practice as part of the new appraisal process. Leaders build staff capability through collegial, professional relationships and by modelling best practice.
There are strong and effective systems and processes that underpin centre operations. A clear philosophy guides centre practice. It is regularly reviewed to ensure it reflects current teacher practice. There is ongoing internal evaluation into many aspects of centre operations which leads to centre development and improvement. This good governance is sustaining a valued community service.
ERO and centre leaders agree there is now a need to focus on review and development in the following areas.
Key aspects of centre operations need to be improved. These include:
continue to rationalise and streamline strategic planning systems and processes
document and fully implement the newly developed appraisal process
further develop the curriculum to be more responsive to the language and identity of Māori and other children
teachers considering taking a more individual approach to planning and assessment.
Before the review, the staff and management of Tree Town Early Childhood Centre and Preschool 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.
The next ERO review of Tree Town Early Childhood Centre and Preschool will be in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer
Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region
11 June 2018
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 |
Cambridge |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
30086 |
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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 |
90 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
104 |
||
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Gender composition |
Boys 56% Girls 44% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
21% |
|
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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 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:7 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
March 2018 |
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Date of this report |
11 June 2018 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
February 2015 |
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|
Education Review |
August 2011 |
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|
Education Review |
October 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:
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.