Tokoroa Childcare Centre

ERO’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.

ERO’s Judgement

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Tokoroa Childcare Centre is a community-based, all-day education and care centre located in Tokoroa. The centre manager is supported by a governance board of elected members. She leads a team of six qualified and five unqualified teachers in three age-based rooms.

Summary of Review Findings

Children are supported to be confident in their own culture through the curriculum. Strategies are in place to involve parents and whānau in children’s learning. Parent and whānau aspirations are acknowledged within planning and assessment. Children experience reciprocal relationships with teachers. Premises and facilities support different types of indoor and outdoor play experiences suitable to the interests and abilities of infants, toddlers, and young children.

Governance and leadership systems and process are in place to guide centre operation. All reasonable steps are taken to maintain the health and safety of children attending the service. 

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• further enabling and extending opportunities for children to lead their own learning
• continuing to develop the local curriculum to reflect the things that are important to children, their families, kaiako, and the wider community.  

Next ERO Review

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

15 June 2021 

Information About the Service

General Information about Assurance Reviews

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.

ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:

• 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.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

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.

1 Evaluation of Tokoroa Childcare Centre

How well placed is Tokoroa Childcare Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Tokoroa Childcare Centre is a community-based centre situated beside Tokoroa High School. It is licensed for 47 children including 12 who are aged under two. Of the 51 children on the roll, 20 identify as Māori, and eight are from Pacific backgrounds.

The centre is owned and governed by a not-for-profit incorporated society representing parents, staff and the community (the Ark committee). Daily management of the centre is the responsibility of the operations and curriculum managers. Staff reflect their community and the cultural backgrounds of children at the centre. Seventy-five per cent of staff have early childhood education qualifications.

The Ark committee is currently managing a building project to provide designated learning areas for three age-based groups of children. Until now, there have been two designated learning areas.

The centre's philosophy is based on Christian values that celebrate life, people and events. It also promotes life-long learning, and respect for each child as an individual learner. It states that teachers will provide a challenging, stimulating, aesthetically pleasing environment that encourages exploration and discovery, building positive relationships, valuing diverse cultures, and celebrating tuakana teina relationships.

Tokoroa Childcare Centre has a positive reporting history with ERO.

The Review Findings

Children benefit from very effective teaching strategies. They are empowered to take responsibility for their environment and for each other. Teachers model positive, respectful, interactions that reflect the concepts of aroha, compassion and connectedness. Teachers are attuned to the variety of ways children explore the world around them. They engage skilfully with children to extend and challenge their learning. Problem solving is actively encouraged. Attractive learning environments include high-quality displays of children's learning and a wide range of readily accessed age-appropriate resources. Children engage in group and independent play for sustained periods of time and their learning is continually celebrated.

Infants and toddlers experience nurturing warm relationships with teachers who are committed to their care and wellbeing. Strong connections and communication with families help to ensure that children's individual rhythms and routines are recognised and sustained. Teachers respond readily to children's verbal and non-verbal cues and naturally encourage their oral language development. They maintain a strong focus on providing a calm, peaceful and uncluttered environment. Very young children have many opportunities for indoor and outdoor exploration. They are settled and happily engaged in their play and learning experiences.

The curriculum is effectively child led. Children choose play activities and direct their own learning for significant periods of time. Appropriate teacher-led focuses include special events and places of interest. Te ao Māori and awareness of Pacific cultures are effectively incorporated within the programme. Children have opportunities to develop skills in te reo Māori, early literacy, mathematics, science and creative expression within meaningful play and creative activities. Those with additional needs are intentionally included in the programme with support from parents and external agencies. Transitions to school and within the centre are well managed in the interests of children and their parents. Children are becoming confident competent learners and achievers.

Teachers skilfully notice, recognise and respond to children's' individual learning and interests. Since the previous 2015 ERO review, assessment practices have been significantly strengthened through staff professional learning and development. Teachers collaboratively assess and plan children's learning and parents/whānau have regular opportunities to contribute to this process. Assessment records now more consistently recognise learning dispositions and the breadth and complexity of children’s learning. Recent focuses on early mathematics are also evident. Programmes are regularly and effectively evaluated to determine their impact on children's learning and development.

The curriculum and operation managers work collaboratively to provide leadership that focuses on continually improving the quality of education and care for children and families. Centre operations and finances are well managed. The curriculum leader effectively models quality early childhood education teaching practice. Teachers’ personal strengths and expertise contribute to growing centre- wide teaching capacity. The appraisal process has been further developed to meet national requirements and improve teaching practice. Leaders and teachers demonstrate a high level of commitment to bicultural and multicultural practices in their positive interactions with children and their families.

Governance continues to be effective. The service provider continues to liaise effectively with centre staff, the Ark committee and the community in the best interests of children and families. The philosophy and strategic plan reflect consultation with all stakeholders and provide clear direction for centre development. Self-review processes have been strengthened and many areas of operation have been reviewed and improved. Parents and whānau are now more regularly consulted about aspirations for their children. The committee continues to receive regular reports from centre managers about the programmes provided for children. The committee and centre managers have a strong focus on continually improving outcomes for children.

Key Next Steps

Key next steps are to:

• develop a strategic approach to internal evaluation and ensure that survey responses are collated, analysed and reported to the community

• streamline staff appraisal to align with centre-wide planning and review processes

• ensure that assessment records include consistent bicultural and multicultural perspectives relevant to individual children and their families

• continue to develop the centre's response to Te Whāriki, Early childhood curriculum.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Tokoroa Childcare 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 Tokoroa Childcare Centre will be in three years.

Adrienne Fowler

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

2 November 2018

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.