Thames/Parawai Playcentre

1 Evaluation of Thames/Parawai Playcentre

How well placed is Thames/Parawai Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Thames/Parawai Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

Background

Thames/Parawai Playcentre is situated in Thames. It is licensed for 30 children including 13 children up to the age of two years. At the time of this review, 19 children were enrolled. The playcentre is currently open for two morning sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays.

During 2018 and 2019, Playcentre transitioned from operating as 32 regional associations that were individual legal entities, to becoming one national body, Playcentre Aotearoa. This was legally amalgamated in June 2019. Six new regional offices are moving to streamline and standardise support across the country. The Central North Island Region was created and covers a large geographical area with a total of 94 centres, both urban and rural.

Since the May 2016 ERO evaluation, the membership has significantly changed. Many new families have recently joined and two more experienced members have taken on the majority of the committee roles. A life member continues to support the centre and a paid centre support worker provides further education and administration support.

Through its national philosophy, Playcentre Aotearoa places emphasis on 'whānau tupu ngātahi – families growing together'. They empower adults and children to play, work and grow together and value and affirm parents as first and best educators of their children.

This review was part of a cluster of four reviews in Playcentre Aotearoa Central North Island Region.

The Review Findings

The curriculum strongly reflects the interests that children and their families bring with them into the centre. A spacious garden invites exploration and supports physical challenge. The inside environment is literacy rich. Science is well integrated with resources and activities that support children to make sense of their world. Environmental sustainability is being considered as children learn about caring for the planet with trips into the natural bush area and local waste clean-ups. Children have fun at Thames/Parawai Playcentre learning through play.

Children participate in a wide range of activities and events. The centre is well resourced with many areas of play. Relationships with the local school are beginning to develop and leaders should continue fostering this to further support older children's transition to school. High ratios of adults to children support oral language development. Infants and toddlers benefit from attending with whānau. They experience tuakana teina relationships and learning alongside older or more competent children. A separate space with suitable resources for the youngest learners is provided. Inclusive practices support all children to fully participate. Children and families develop friendships and a sense of belonging within the community.

Attractive wall displays and individual portfolios capture the learning programme. The level of learning identified reflects the training and experience of members. Group activities are planned from children’s interests. Members are yet to develop an in-depth understanding of the learning outcomes within New Zealand's early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, to seek parent aspirations or document planning for individual children. As new members begin to engage more fully, a review of the local philosophy and agreed shared priorities for learning should also be developed.

Leaders work collaboratively to maintain the presence of Playcentre in the local community. They are supported by a knowledgeable life member of the playcentre and a centre support worker provides expertise and guidance. There are currently many new members who have recently been welcomed into the centre. A limited number of members hold office roles and higher levels of Playcentre training. As adults grow in knowledge and experience, a more strategic approach to internal evaluation is required. An important next step for Thames/Parawai Playcentre is to recruit new members into committee roles and adult training. This will support the sustainability of the centre and strengthen positive learning outcomes for children.

During the transition period there is some overlap between associations and the new national or regional systems and processes. New national policies and an online management tool are currently being delivered throughout the new region. Management need to ensure that support is in place for local centres to fully implement these. A revised adult education training course has recently been offered across the region to support adults grow their capabilities and knowledge. The overarching strategic plan, philosophy and vision of Playcentre Aotearoa, and individual centre annual plans, have been implemented and guide direction.

A particular strength of Playcentre Aotearoa is the two-house governance model, enabling tangata whenua and tauiwi to work within their own cultural processes to contribute to organisational decisions. Te Whare Tikanga Māori promotes self-determination for Māori members through regular hui, targeted funding and a long-term strategic plan to promote te ao Māori and encourage enrolments from Māori whānau. A strengthened bicultural curriculum, including a recent visit to the local marae, supports Māori children and all others to appreciate the rich bicultural history of Aotearoa.

Key Next Steps

In order to improve curriculum and teaching knowledge, and to strengthen assessment and internal evaluation processes, more adult members should be encouraged to engage in Playcentre training and committee roles.

Recommendation

New support and professional development is in place for the centre. Those in governance and local members should continue to strengthen their relationships and align systems and processes to the new national directives.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Thames/Parawai Playcentre 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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified areas of non-compliance relating to health and safety practices. To meet requirements the service needed to improve its performance in the following areas and ensure:

• items that could topple are secured
• kitchen facilities are fitted with safety devices to ensure children cannot access without supervision.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008: HS6, PF17]

Since the onsite phase of ERO's evaluation, the centre has provided evidence that these areas have been addressed.

Phil Cowie

Director Review and Improvement Services 

Southern Region

4 December 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.