Changepoint Early Learning Centre

1 Evaluation of Changepoint Early Learning Centre

How well placed is Changepoint Early Learning Centre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Changepoint Early Learning Centre provides all day education and care for children from six months to school age, in four age-specific rooms. The centre is operated by the Changepoint Education Trust (CET) which is an integral part of the Changepoint Church in Tauranga. The facility is on church grounds, and includes an orchard and extensive bush areas that are regularly available to children as part of the programme. The centre is licensed for 60 children, including a maximum of 10 up to two years of age. The current roll is 52, of whom 5 are identified as Māori.

CET retains governance responsibilities, including employment and performance management. The Service Manager, who has primary school teaching qualifications, is responsible for management and daily operations of the centre. At the start of 2017 a head teacher, with early childhood teaching qualifications, was appointed to provide professional leadership for staff. The centre retains a high proportion of qualified staff, all of whom have affiliation to the Changepoint church community.

Changepoint Early Learning Centre is committed to providing Christian centred quality education and care for children, empowering them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to make positive choices. The natural world is to be respected as part of God's creation, and relationships are inclusive and affirming.

In response to recommendations in the 2013 ERO report, centre staff undertook professional development focused on biculturalism, the use of online processes for sharing children's learning and building teacher's capacity. Performance management has also been reviewed and strengthened, but further consolidation and implementation remains in this area for 2017.

The Review Findings

A strength of the centre is the way teachers work as a collaborative team to respond to children's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Nurturing interactions result in children developing a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing. Respectful, affirming and encouraging relationships are highly evident among teachers, children and parents. There is an increasing awareness of tikanga and use of te reo Māori. Children with additional development needs are well supported and included in all aspects of the programme.

Settled and unhurried environments, particularly in the two younger age-group rooms, encourage safe exploration and stimulate learning through play. Teachers support children to have fun and engage in learning conversations that include recognition of prior experiences from home. Parents of infants communicate through a key teacher so that routines are familiar and consistent between home and the centre.

A feature of the programme for all children is the regular, extensive natural world experiences. The surrounding outdoor environments provide children with opportunities for physical challenge, risk taking and cooperative exploration. Children in the younger-age rooms are able to access an appropriate range of high quality resources. They develop early literacy skills as teachers engage them in meaningful and culturally respectful ways. Next steps for developing the programme are to strengthen the deliberate use of the natural environment to extend children's literacy, mathematical and scientific language and concepts. In addition, teachers should ensure children have ongoing access to art, creative and construction opportunities.

Teachers are developing their use of on-line processes for sharing children's learning and development. These reports show teachers notice, recognise and respond to children's interests and strengths. Teachers encourage parent response and ongoing input into their child's learning. Children and parents are made to feel welcome, and they are effectively nurtured and respected through times of transition into and within the centre.

Leaders enact and reflect the centre vision and philosophy, and maintain a respectful and collaborative staff culture. They are building professional capacity by holding regular staff meetings to plan the programme for individuals and groups of children, confirm appropriate pastoral support and organise events. Leaders recognise the need to clarify teaching expectations for the different age groups of children, and to implement the strengthened appraisal systems to incorporate more documented professional feedback for teachers.

The CET have established a clear, shared vision and faith-based philosophy for the service, and demonstrate a strong commitment to ongoing improvement. Trustees bring a range of appropriate experience and expertise to their governance roles. Children and their families/whānau benefit from extensive pastoral support and well-developed community partnerships. The CET recognises the need to review the provision of education for 4 and 5 year old children. Currently, the programme for these children is delivered in separate rooms away from the main centre. This restricts the range of interactions and opportunities these children experience. In addition, the assessment policy for 5 year old children indicates the use of National Standards, which are not appropriate in an early childhood setting.

Key Next Steps

CET and centre leaders need to review the programme and learning environments for the 4 and 5 year old children in order to better reflect current best practice in early childhood education. 

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Changepoint 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:

• 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 Changepoint Education Trust need to ensure all staff, including the service manager, have annual appraisals that meet legislative requirements.

[Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008: GMA7]

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Changepoint Early Learning Centre will be in three years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

18 April 2017 

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.