2 Eldonwood Drive, Matamata
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 Small Steps Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
|
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions |
Whakatō Emerging |
Small Steps Early Learning Centre is a privately owned service. The owner/manager is supported by a team of qualified and unqualified kaiako. There is a small number of the tamariki who whakapapa Māori, and there is a range of other ethnic groups represented. The philosophy focuses on manākitanga and aroha.
Tamariki experience a curriculum promoting learning through play. Children’s developing social and emotional competency is guided through positive teaching interactions. Infants and toddlers experience calm, unhurried interactions supporting individual learning and needs. A variety of experiences are accessible to tamariki guiding increasing complexity of play. Freedom of movement, agency and choice are promoted for all tamariki.
Tamariki with identified additional learning needs are well supported through partnerships between the service, external agencies and whānau. They are provided with many opportunities to learn.
Tamariki hear some te reo Māori. The learning environment reflects some Māori and Pacific cultures. Leaders have identified the need to grow kaiako capabilities to deliver a rich bicultural curriculum and respond to all cultural identities.
Assessments for tamariki learning reflect aspects of their life contexts and their ways of learning. Kaiako demonstrate variable understandings of tamariki learning in relation to the valued outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Whānau aspirations are beginning to be gathered, however kaiako are at the early stages of enabling parents to contribute their aspirations and responding to these.
Those responsible for governance are beginning to establish the conditions, systems and practices needed to support kaiako to provide a responsive curriculum for all tamariki. Recent staff changes have impacted on the consistency of systems across the service. A framework to support kaiako professional growth is being established, and kaiako have some opportunities for professional learning. Leaders and kaiako are at the early stages of using internal evaluation for improvement. Relational trust is being built between leaders and kaiako to support collaboration. Considering the impact of improvement actions in relation to outcomes for tamariki are not yet part of internal evaluation processes.
Small Steps Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Develop leaders’ and kaiako’ understanding of te Tiriti o Waitangi to design and implement a suitable bicultural curriculum, in partnership with mana whenua.
Further develop kaiako capability to meaningfully respond to all tamariki cultural identities within the daily curriculum.
Implement and embed systems for effective internal evaluation and professional growth cycles. These should enable leaders, kaiako and the wider community to understand the impact of changes on learning outcomes for tamariki.
Before the review, the staff and management of Small Steps Early Learning Centre 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:
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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)
relevant evacuation procedures and practices.
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)
12 July 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Small Steps Early Learning Centre |
|
Profile Number |
45777 |
|
Location |
Matamata |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
108 |
|
Review team on site |
April |
|
Date of this report |
12 July 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, November 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 |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Small Steps Early Learning Centre is a privately owned education and care centre located in Matamata. The centre has four age-based rooms with three outdoor playgrounds, two that are shared. The teaching team is newly established. The centre manager leads a team of 18 teachers, including 11 qualified and registered teachers.
Adults engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. The practices of adults providing education and care demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning and development, and knowledge of relevant theories and practice in early childhood education. The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners.
A policy framework and an annual plan guides centre operations. Health and safety procedures are monitored, with a schedule for review. The premises and facilities are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending.
Next steps include:
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
22 November 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Small Steps Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 45777 |
| Location | Matamata |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
75 children, including up to 25 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
108 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 20, NZ European/Pākehā 81, Other ethnic groups 7 |
|
Review team on site |
July 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
22 November 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Akanuku | Assurance Review, June 2020; Education Review, March 2017 as Bright Horizons. |
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: