36 Pembroke Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton
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 |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Not meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
The centre is one of four early childhood services operating under the YMCA of Auckland umbrella. The centre's philosophy values manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and mana, where children learn in a safe and inclusive learning environment. There is a large group of Indian children and a small number of Māori and Pacific children attending.
Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences in a language-rich learning environment.
The service curriculum is informed by assessment, planning and evaluation that demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau and life contexts. The curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as competent and confident learners. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
relevant emergency drills being carried out on at least a three-monthly basis
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008, HS8]
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
Ensuring excursion records include the method of travel, assessment and management of risk, and the signature of the person responsible giving approval for the excursion to take place (HS17).
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that non-compliances identified in this report are addressed promptly.
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
22 June 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
YMCA Early Learning Centre |
|
Profile Number |
34110 |
|
Location |
Hamilton |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
58 children, including up to 20 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
44 |
|
Review team on site |
April 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
22 June 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, December 2018; Education Review, March 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 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:
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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
YMCA Early Learning Centre located in Hamilton, is licensed for 50 children including up to 16 under the age of two years. It offers all-day education and care for children from birth to school age in two separate age-based areas. Children come from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds, including five who identify as Maori and 21 who identify as Indian. At the time of this ERO review 54 children were enrolled.
The centre is one of five early childhood services operating under the umbrella of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Governance, leadership and management support is provided by personnel from the YMCA organisation. There has recently been significant changes at governance, leadership and centre levels.
The centre's philosophy states a commitment to working in partnerships with parents and whānau, recognising and celebrating different cultures and providing an environment where children are challenged and empowered to take ownership of their learning.
In July 2017 the Ministry of Education placed the centre on a provisional licence. This was upgraded to a full licence in June 2018.
The areas identified for improvement in the 2015 ERO report remain, including implementing culturally responsive practices, the impact of routines on children and enriching the environment to extend and add complexity to children’s learning.
The centre curriculum is inclusive, welcoming and invites participation of parents and whānau. The programme is a combination of child-initiated play and teacher-led activities. Individual electronic portfolios capture children’s engagement in the programme and support partnerships with parents. The centre manager is reintroducing hard copies of these valuable records to make them more accessible to children, and enable them revisit their learning. Useful individual education plans are implemented to support positive outcomes for children with additional learning and development needs.
The new teaching team is focused on developing a collaborative team approach to teaching and learning. ERO observed:
children experiencing respectful and trusting relationships with their teachers
opportunities for children to develop friendships and have fun
a responsive approach to children’s emotional wellbeing
teachers' use of open-ended questions affirming children’s contributions and social conversations.
Infants and toddlers benefit from respectful and nurturing relationships that support their sense of wellbeing and belonging.
The centre manager and the recently appointed group manager and are in the early stages of building capability within the centre to promote positive outcomes for children. Clear policy statements have been developed to guide centre operations. The centre manager and teachers have consulted with families to develop the philosophy and centre values. The organisation has yet to develop effective systems and processes to support centre leadership. Maintaining a consistent teaching team has been a challenge for leaders over the past three years.
Robust systems and processes for internal evaluation of outcomes for children have yet to be implemented.
The key next steps for YMCA governance is to:
develop strategic goals that are focused on curriculum, teaching and learning
develop and implement quality assurance practices to enable the board to evaluate how well the centre is meeting it's philosophy and promoting positive outcomes for children
develop a procedure to guide effective assessment, planning and evaluation
review the provision of resources and equipment available for children.
Leaders need to build sustainable practices and capability through:
internal evaluation including appraisal of staff, that is aligned to strategic goals and focused on positive outcomes for children
individualised assessment, planning and evaluation that:
ERO recommends the service continues to participate in Ministry of Education funded Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities (SELO) professional development to:
develop a collective understanding of the expectations of the revised Te Whāriki
develop and implement a localised curriculum that reflects the centre's context and the requirements of Te Whāriki.
Before the review, the staff and management of YMCA Early Learning 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:
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.
To improve current practice, the early childhood service management should:
develop and implement an appraisal procedure that meets the requirements of the Education Council of New Zealand.
The next ERO review of YMCA Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
13 December 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.
|
Location |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34110 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
55 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 28 Boys 27 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:5 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:10 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
October 2018 |
||
|
Date of this report |
13 December 2018 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2015 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2012 |
||
|
Education Review |
June 2008 |
||
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.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
YMCA Early Learning Centre is located in Hamilton Central and caters for children from birth to school age. It is licensed to provide full-day education and care for 50 children including up to 16 children under two years old. There are two separate, age-based areas for infants and toddlers and older children. Currently there are 30 children enrolled including five identified as Māori.
The centre is one of five early childhood centres operating under the umbrella of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Effective governance, leadership and management support is provided by experienced personnel from the YMCA organisation. This support includes regular professional development, appropriate policies, useful strategic planning and self-review frameworks. The recently reviewed centre philosophy expresses the aim to know the whole child in body, mind and spirit, and incorporates the YMCA values of 'Honesty, Caring, Respect and Responsibility'.
Since the ERO review of 2012 the Ministry of Education (MoE) placed the centre on a provisional license and the centre worked successfully to achieve a full licence under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 in May 2014. An experienced general manager took up her position in 2013, and a well-qualified centre manager was also appointed. There have been a number of changes to leadership and staffing within the centre. Over 50% of the staff are qualified and the remainder are currently in training.
The centre has made positive progress in response to the areas for development identified in the ERO report of 2012 related to improving assessment, planning, interactions with children and the environment. During 2014:
Centre management is focused on continued improvement.
Teachers have established trusting and positive relationships with children, parents and whānau. Parents have many opportunities to communicate and contribute to children’s learning. ERO observed teaching practices that were highly respectful and responsive to children’s care and learning. However this practice is not consistently evident across all teachers, both permanent and relieving.
Babies and toddlers explore the spacious environment and experiment with an appropriate range of good quality equipment and materials. They make choices and experience challenge alongside interested adults. Transitions for these children are well planned and contribute to a settled environment and a strong sense of belonging for children and their families.
Teachers and children enjoy reading stories, sharing songs, waiata and learning finger plays together. This is promoting early language and communication skills and a love of learning. Routines are flexible, respond to children’s care needs and promote sustained play.
The programme for older children is a mixture of teacher-led and child-initiated experiences. Teachers make good use of computer technology to extend children’s learning. A four year old transition to school programme is structured to teach children early concepts of literacy and mathematics as well as build their independence. Trips and excursions enrich children’s understanding of the wider community and provide interest for ongoing learning in the centre. Children are able to pursue their interests for sustained periods. Teachers are welcoming of children and families from diverse cultures. Children with special needs are well supported. Positive relationships have been established with the local community, schools and specialist agencies.
Teachers record children’s involvement in the programme in well-presented individual portfolios. These portfolios are readily available for children to share and revisit their successes and experiences with families and teachers. Teachers should continue to review the portfolios to ensure they acknowledge the individual language, culture and identity of each child, include the child’s voice, and show how the aspirations of parents are regularly sought and enacted.
Self review systems and processes have recently been improved. Reviews have resulted in significant upgrades to the environment, enhanced performance management systems and a shared understanding and agreement by teachers of the centre philosophy. It is now important to provide opportunities for families and children to share in the process of reviewing the philosophy.
The general manager provides valued support through regular and ongoing visits to the centre. She and the centre manager work in a respectful and professional partnership that is focused on positive outcomes for children and their families. This partnership is contributing to a clear vision and optimistic sense of direction for centre development and improvement. The centre manager is well respected by teachers and is a model of good practice. She fosters emergent leadership amongst teachers and is providing appropriate support and mentoring for a number of provisionally registered teachers. The centre manager is a strong advocate and works to meet the diverse needs of children and families.
Programme development: Teachers have made progress in developing and implementing a process for planning, assessment and evaluation of children’s learning, and sharing this with parents and whānau. Centre leaders and ERO agree there is a need to review:
Centre leaders and teachers continue to access support from the MoE to strengthen self review to improve teaching practice and programme development.
Before the review, the staff and management of YMCA Early Learning 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:
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.
In order to improve practice the service provider and centre manager should ensure that regular maintenance and hazard checks are consistently effective, so any concerns can be identified and eliminated or minimised.
The next ERO review of YMCA Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
20 March 2015
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 |
Hamilton |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
34110 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
30 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 12 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Indian Fijian other Asian other European |
5 17 3 1 2 2 |
|
|
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates |
50-79% |
||
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:5 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
January 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
20 March 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
March 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
June 2008 |
||
|
Education Review |
August 2005 |
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.