43 Edinburgh Street, Waihi Beach
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluations evaluate the extent to which early childhood services have 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 and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Improvement Framework (teacher led services) are the basis for making judgements about the quality of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Evaluations for improvement | Ngā Aronga Whai Hua is integrated across all of the above domains.
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.
The service caters for children in two aged-based environments. The owner is responsible for governance and works alongside teachers. Of the children attending, a quarter identify as Māori, and a small number are from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. This is the service’s first ERO review under new ownership.
The curriculum supports children’s social and emotional competencies. It is language-rich and offers a range of experiences and opportunities to extend and enhance learning. Teachers providing education and care engage in meaningful and positive interactions. Children’s preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning.
Assessment, planning, and evaluation inform a centre curriculum underpinned by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The centre curriculum acknowledges and reflects the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua. Regular opportunities are provided for parents to be involved in decision-making about their child’s learning.
Emergency management practices require strengthening for ongoing maintenance of licensing criteria.
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
25 November 2022
| Early Childhood Service Name | Kiwikidz Educare - At the Beach |
| Profile Number | 45699 |
| Location | Waihi Beach |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 30 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
| Service roll | 45 |
| Review team on site | October 2022 |
| Date of this report | 25 November 2022 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review, September 2016 Education Review, September 2013 |
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:
Not well placed | Requires further development | Well placed | Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kiwikidz Educare - At the Beach is an education and care centre located in the Coromandel coastal town of Waihi Beach. It caters for 25 children with a maximum of eight children up to two years who have a separate environment and designated teachers. It provides an all day service from 7.30 am until 5.15 pm from Monday to Friday.
The centre is privately owned by a highly experienced and knowledgeable early childhood educator who teaches and leads the teaching team. Since the ERO review in 2013 a new head teacher has been appointed and there has been very few staff changes.
The centre philosophy is centred on the belief that children learn in a creative environment that is safe and stimulating. It is supported by trained and experienced teachers who acknowledge that each child is unique, and requires acceptance and respect in order to develop to their full potential. Central to the philosophy is that each child's cultural heritage is recognised and valued.
Considerable progress has been made in addressing the areas for development identified in the 2013 ERO report. Bicultural practices are now an integral part of centre life. Self review has been broadened and is resulting in continuous improvement. Planning and assessment practices are providing rich information about the learning progress of each child and how complexity is being added to their progress overtime.
Kiwikidz Educare - At the Beach is very well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
Children learn successfully through play and are well supported to follow their interests, solve problems and take responsible risks. They are well settled and highly engaged in a range of interesting and meaningful learning activities. Teachers know children and their families very well and warm trusting relationships exist between teachers and children. Time and care is taken by management and teachers to provide a stimulating indoor and outdoor environment. High quality equipment and resources encourages creativity, problem solving and experimentation. Children are encouraged to be self managing and take increasing responsibility for their own learning and wellbeing. Children benefit from opportunities to explore oral language, literacy, mathematics, science and nature, which are naturally integrated into the programmes. Quality time is spent noticing, recognising and responding to children's play and extending learning opportunities. Children have fun and demonstrate high levels of confidence, interest and engagement in centre life and programmes.
Infants and toddlers learn and play in a separate secure environment that caters for their learning and development needs. Highly responsive caregiving supports children's need for strong and secure attachments. Children have easy access to spaces that are very well resourced and exploration is encouraged. Children benefit from teachers who maintain a calm, slow respectful pace in which younger children have time to lead their learning. There are comfortable, safe spaces that cater for children who are not yet able to sit by themselves and for those that are crawling or learning to walk.
Children and families are warmly welcomed into an inclusive and supportive environment. Strong reciprocal relationships with children and their whānau encourage active engagement across all areas of centre programmes, and nurture a strong sense of belonging. Whanaungatanga is an integral part of centre life, and the knowledge that children and whānau bring with them is highly valued by teachers. Children are respected as unique learners and are accepted and celebrated for who they are. Teachers are skilled at using positive guidance strategies to support social development and are sensitive to children's physical and emotional wellbeing.
Teachers are culturally responsive and support the culture and identity of each child. Bicultural practices are an essential part of centre life. Te reo and tikanga Māori concepts are well integrated into the programme in authentic ways. Māori children are achieving success as Maori.
Centre programmes and learning opportunities are strongly based on Te Whāriki with an increasing emphasis on the natural world. Individual interests and emerging ideas guides programme planning. An important part of planning is the wealth of knowledge that children and their families bring to the centre and share with others. Natural resources and the environment are used throughout the programme with regular bush and beach walks, and sustainability practices such as growing vegetables and worm farming.
Children's interests, learning and progress are documented in attractive individual portfolio books that record children's identity as successful learners. Parents highly value the opportunities these provide for them and their extended families to share with children, and respond with ideas and information to encourage further learning.
Children and their families are well supported to make a successful transition when they are ready to move from the under two area to the main centre or when they begin school. Transition processes include visits, liaison with schools, the whā club, sharing of information and support for parents. A feature of the transition process is the regular visits by groups of children and their teachers to the local school. Children are able to develop strong relationships that support a confident and seamless move to school.
Centre staff are continuing to strengthen sustainability practices and working towards becoming an enviro centre. The supervisor and head teacher provide high quality collaborative leadership for the teaching team. They are very good role models and share up to date and relevant knowledge of current theory and best practice. They empower teachers to use their strengths and take on leadership roles.
Self review is ongoing and effectively used to bring about continual improvements. Effective appraisal practices and feedback to staff are further enhancing the high quality teaching practice observed. The team share a commitment to beliefs and values about children's learning and development outlined in the centre philosophy. This is resulting in an organisational culture where children are first and foremost valued for who they are and what they bring to the centre.
Effective professional development is promoting enthusiasm and increased confidence and ability in teaching practice. Recently, teachers have worked on transition practices, strategies to support younger children, recording information on children's learning and progress and fostering bicultural practices. This development is further enhancing high quality teaching practice.
Before the review, the staff and management of Kiwikidz Educare - At the Beach 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.
The next ERO review of Kiwikidz Educare - At the Beach will be in four years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato/Bay of Plenty
16 September 2016
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 | Waihi Beach, Bay of Plenty | ||
| Ministry of Education profile number | 45699 | ||
| Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
| Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
| Number licensed for | 25 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 | ||
| Service roll | 36 | ||
| Gender composition | Girls 21 Boys 15 | ||
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Indian | 11 24 1 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
| Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
| Over 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements | |
| Review team on site | August 2016 | ||
| Date of this report | 16 September 2016 | ||
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | September 2013 | |
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.