162 & 164 Whitney Street, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Kid's Land Educare Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kid's Land Educare Centre in Blockhouse Bay, provides all-day education and care for up to 65 children, with a maximum of 18 children under two years of age. Most children attending are Chinese. A very small number of children have Māori or Pacific heritage.
The philosophy highlights Christian beliefs, respecting the individuality of children and valuing partnerships with parents as guiding principles. It promotes a safe and secure environment for all children and their families. The programme is underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and aspects of Reggio Emilia and Montessori approaches.
The centre owner/manager and most staff are qualified teachers. The manager has oversight of the day-to-day running of the centre, and head teachers manage the under two and the over two areas. Since the 2015 ERO report there have been changes in staff, including a new head teacher.
The service operates in two adjacent houses with large outdoor areas, which have been adapted to provide learning programmes for young children. At specific times of the day, both groups of children meet together and have mixed-age play opportunities.
The 2015 ERO report identified some areas for improvement. The owner has responded positively to ERO's recommendation to increase children's access to play areas. Internal evaluation and teacher appraisal continue to be areas for improvement.
Children and their families are warmly welcomed to the centre. Children are confident and interact well with their peers and teachers. Teachers' interactions with children and families are respectful. Families are valued members of the centre. Secure relationships between teachers, children and families promote the development of younger children's positive sense of self.
The learning environment is well organised and supports a semi-structured programme. Children explore the environment and make choices about their play. The outdoor learning environment supports children to take risks, be curious and creative problem solvers. Literacy, mathematics and physical activity are well promoted in the context of play. Teachers work alongside children and support them with their play choices.
Teachers have developed planning and documented processes that enable them to identify and respond to children's interests and group projects. Attractive online learning records provide ready access for families to information about their children’s participation in the programme. Teachers know children well. They work with parents to identify and respond to their aspirations for their children.
Parents feel comfortable to participate in and contribute to the curriculum. Social media provides a way of keeping parents regularly informed about the programme and wellbeing matters.
The manager needs to strengthen governance and management practices to prioritise improved outcomes for children. Leadership roles and responsibilities need to be clarified. It is timely to review policies and procedures, particularly those relating to provision for children's health and safety. While internal evaluation is beginning to guide improvements, a more rigorous process would help to ensure policies and procedures reflect current legal requirements and best practice in early childhood education.
Key next steps for ongoing improvement include:
making planning more visible for children and families, and documenting children's individual learning progress over time
reviewing the service's long-term plans to identify specific goals and actions that will support ongoing improvement
reviewing the service's philosophy to better reflect the principles and practices promoted by Te Whāriki
reviewing current teacher appraisal practices, and implementing robust systems that are improvement focused and align with Teaching Council requirements.
ERO recommends that the centre manager seek external professional support to improve governance and leadership practices.
The service will provide ERO with an action plan that shows how priorities for improvement will be addressed. ERO will evaluate the extent of this progress within six months.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kid's Land Educare 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 service should:
Subsequent to ERO's on-site evaluation process, the owner provided a plan showing that the majority of health and safety matters identified during the review had been addressed.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
17 April 2019
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 |
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
45417 |
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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 |
65 children, including up to 18 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
43 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 23 Girls 20 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80% + |
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
January 2019 |
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Date of this report |
17 April 2019 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
July 2015 |
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Education Review |
September 2012 |
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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 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.
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.
Kid’s Land Educare Centre is a privately owned centre in Blockhouse Bay. The centre is licensed for 67 children, including eight children up to two years old. Children may attend for half day or full day sessions. The centre consists of two adapted homes on one property, with two separate outdoor playgrounds.
The founder/centre manager’s vision promotes Christian values, and bilingual learning in a Chinese Mandarin programme. The manager works closely with two supervisors and five teachers, who are all qualified and committed to the centre’s vision and values.
The community is predominantly Chinese and Malaysian. Shared values and beliefs make this the centre of choice for many families who seek to maintain the children’s first language or to preserve Asian culture and identity.
ERO’s 2012 report noted teachers’ competent use of English and Mandarin to enrich children’s learning. This continues to be the case.
The nurturing care children receive promotes their sense of belonging. They happily choose from a variety of activities and resources, and make friends easily as they enjoy playing with children of all ages. Children relate well to adults, and confidently initiate conversations. Developing children’s independence is a key focus, as teachers work with parents to encourage children to build self-managing skills.
Teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and genuinely interested in children and their parents. They reflect the cultures of the children and the community. Teachers use home languages to interact with parents and invite them into the centre’s programme and environment.
Parents speak very positively about the centre and appreciate the ways their children are nurtured and prepared for school. They contribute to the programme formally and freely express their aspirations about their children’s learning. Many parents have participated in the programme by sharing their expertise and supporting children’s learning experiences.
The centre benefits from the spaciousness of the two houses for different age groups. Carefully considered resources and adaptable spaces promote children’s curiosity and creativity. Children are offered a variety of activities that support their interests in sensory, artistic and dramatic play.
The centre’s curriculum strongly reflects the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Aspects of Reggio Emilia and Montessori approaches are also evident in the programme. The programme responds to children’s interests through planned research projects. Assessment practices are well embedded through sound monitoring processes. Teachers formally evaluate the programme and their practice through written reflections and team discussions.
Teachers benefit from regular internal research and attend external professional learning workshops. They are given leadership responsibilities and work collaboratively in programme planning and evaluation. Performance appraisals help teachers to strengthen their practice and to achieve the centre’s strategic goals.
The manager leads the centre’s vision of children learning through their culture and first language. She works closely with supervisors to manage the centre’s daily operations. A shared vision and respectful relationships are features of the leadership team. Their commitment to ongoing improvement is strongly evident. A well understood self-review process is implemented. Review questions guide teachers to reflect on their practice.
The manager and supervisors agree that development priorities could include:
maximising children’s access to and play areas and resources
establishing a more evaluative focus in self review
refining teacher appraisal processes to promote understanding about New Zealand’s bicultural heritage.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kid's Land Educare 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.
The next ERO review of Kid's Land Educare Centre will be in three years.
Dianne Moffitt
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
16 July 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 |
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
45417 |
||
|
Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
67 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
60 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 33 Girls 27 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Indian Cook Island Māori Tongan other Asian |
1 4 44 6 1 1 3 |
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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 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2015 |
||
|
Date of this report |
16 July 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
September 2012 |
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.
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.