13 Wrigley Street, Waihi
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama Indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whakaū Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whakaū Embedding |
Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd is privately owned. The owner and a certified teacher, lead the teaching teams. Children learn across two aged-based areas. The philosophy places value on children’s independence, empowerment, and love for learning. Nearly a fifth of the children identify as Māori and a small number of children from Pacific heritages attend. Good progress has been made since the last ERO review.
Children experience a curriculum that positively promotes their social and emotional wellbeing. Infants and toddlers’ experience nurturing care through respectful, unhurried teacher interactions that support their sense of belonging, and increased opportunities to explore the well-resourced learning environments. Teachers respond to older children’s individual interests and ways of learning, fostering their oral language, independence, decision making, and creativity. Children with additional learning needs are supported by external specialist agency and through teacher and parent partnerships to learn inclusively alongside their peers.
Leaders and teachers have increased their cultural responsiveness in the curriculum. There is some reflection of Pacific and Indian cultures in the environment. Valued celebrations are observed. Aspects of te ao Māori such as basic te reo Māori, waiata, tikanga Māori, pūrakaū and local history are being integrated into daily experiences. Tuakana-teina relationships are fostered, supporting the mana of older tamariki Māori.
Assessment practises are variably implemented by teachers to reflect children as capable learners. Parent aspirations are used to guide most individual planning. Multiple modes of communication share children’s learning between home and centre. Evaluations show children’s learning and progress over time towards valued goals and positive dispositions. Use of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, has recently increased. Strengthening reflections of children’s cultural identities and teachers’ intentional responses to notice learning in assessments, is a needed next step.
Coherent organisational conditions are in place. Leadership decision-making focuses on children’s learning and wellbeing. Relational trust promotes openness to change. Systems for teachers’ professional growth are embedded, demonstrating increasing knowledge. Evaluation for improvement processes aligned to strategic goals show positive change on valued learning outcomes for children and progress towards National Educational Learning Priorities. Good ratios, well-resourced environment, and small group sizes promote quality provision.
Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Strengthen consistency of assessment, planning and evaluation processes to better show:
Before the review, the staff and management of Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd completed an ERO 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
11 July 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd |
| Profile Number | 34097 |
| Location | Waihi |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 37 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 47 |
| Review team on site | May 2024 |
| Date of this report | 11 July 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, April 2023; Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2021 |
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.
Regulatory standards | ERO’s judgement |
| Curriculum | Meeting |
| Premises and facilities | Meeting |
| Health and safety | Meeting |
| 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.
Elite Early Childhood Centre Ltd’s philosophy values teachers supporting children’s social and emotional competence. There are two aged-based rooms. A third of the current roll are Māori learners and there are a small number of learners from other cultures. The center leader leads a team of six.
Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions with children to nurture reciprocal relationships. The service curriculum supports children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour. It is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences.
The curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrates an understanding of children’s learning and interests. The service curriculum acknowledges the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua.
An ongoing process of policy review and internal evaluation helps the centre improve the quality of its education and care.
Next steps include:
During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following
non-compliance:
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services, 2008: GMA7A]
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
29 March 2023
| Early Childhood Service Name | Elite Early Childhood Centre Ltd |
| Profile Number | 34097 |
| Location | Waihi |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 37 children, including up to 7 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 52 |
| Review team on site | February 2023 |
| Date of this report | 29 March 2023 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2021; Education Review, November 2019 |
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.
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO assesses whether the regulatory 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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through:
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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd is privately owned and operated and located in Waihi. Previously known as Beststart Waihi Kindy, it was re-licensed under new ownership in June 2020. The owner/manager leads a team of three teachers, two are qualified and registered and one unqualified. This is the centre’s first ERO review as Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd.
Children are encouraged to make choices and decisions around their play. Their interests and strengths are promoted through a range of experiences within the environment. The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Respectful and positive relationships between teachers and children are evident.
The provision for parents to be involved in the learning and development of their children has been considered. The centre’s strategic and annual plan guide service operation. Policy review is consistent with the criterion. Internal evaluation helps the service improve the quality of its education and care.
Next steps include:
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
22 February 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Elite Early Childhood Education Ltd |
| Profile Number | 34097 |
| Location | Waihi |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
30 children |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
28 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 15, NZ European/Pākehā 13 |
|
Review team on site |
January 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
22 February 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service |
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.
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:
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:
As part of an Akanuku | Assurance Review ERO also gathers and records evidence through: