6 Sale Street, Cockle Bay, Auckland
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 |
Not meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards that are an unacceptable risk to children.
This is one of two services under shared ownership. The philosophy values warm and strong relationships as a foundation for children with a strong sense of belonging. Care is provided by educators or nannies. Half of the children enrolled are Māori learners.
Strengthening of systems, processes and practices are required to improve regulatory compliance.
Children are responded to as confident and competent learners. Planning, assessment, and evaluation demonstrates an understanding of children’s interests and learning. The practices of adults providing education and care demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning and development. Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
A limited number of homes were available to visit during the time of the review. Since the onsite phase ERO has been provided with evidence to show the service is taking some steps to address remaining compliance concerns.
ERO found areas of non-compliance in the service relating to:
ensuring that risk assessments are undertaken for all children’s workers in accordance with the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014, as part of the safety checking process
carrying out each type of relevant drill with all children present in the home on an, at least, three‑monthly basis, and recording evidence of how the evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service's emergency plan.
[Licensing Criteria for Homebased Education and Care Services, 2008: GMA6A, HS7].
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances:
daily checks to equipment, premises and facilities for hazards to children include the minimum list required by the licensing criteria (HS11).
supervision plans for homes are specific to the premise and the number, ages, abilities of children attending (HS34).
ERO recommends that the Ministry reassess the licence issued to this service provider. ERO will not undertake a further review of this service until the Ministry of Education is satisfied that the service meets regulatory standards.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
9 May 2023
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
Nestlings In-Home Childcare |
|
Profile Number |
46121 |
|
Location |
Howick, Auckland |
|
Service type |
Home-based service |
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
|
Service roll |
12 |
|
Review team on site |
March 2023 |
|
Date of this report |
9 May 2023 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, July 2020; Education Review, August 2016 |
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 |
Nestlings In-Home Childcare is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
The service provider needs to improve processes relating to health and safety.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Nestlings In-Home Childcare is one of two home-based services under the same ownership. It provides for up to 50 children from birth to school age. There are 11 educators who work in homes, providing education and care for up to four children at a time. The service philosophy has an emphasis on relationships between educators, children, parents and whānau.
The service owner is also the coordinator. She oversees day-to-day operations and visits homes monthly to provide curriculum guidance and support to educators. A business manager and a part-time coordinator provide support and cover when needed.
ERO's 2016 report noted that children were given opportunities to explore and make choices. Areas for development included strengthening bicultural practices, documenting coordinator meetings and strengthening systems, policies and procedures. These aspects remain areas for development.
Children have opportunities for imaginative and creative play. Learning records show children are confident to explore in the home environments. The owner/coordinator and educators foster friendships between children through group outings and playgroup sessions.
There is good provision for children up to two years of age. Coordinator records note that educators' interactions are positive, sensitive and responsive to individual needs. The owner/coordinator could provide more focused guidance for educators to help them strengthen teaching strategies to support these younger learners.
Children are well supported as they settle into educators' homes and move on to school. The owner/coordinator and educators work in partnership with external agencies and parents/whānau to support the learning of children with additional needs.
Parents and whānau comment on their children's learning through online systems. The owner/coordinator could work to increase parent and educator understandings of how curriculum planning and evaluation contributes to improved educator practices and learning outcomes for children.
Internal evaluation processes have been established. A review of the service's playgroup has resulted in the coordinator more deliberately planning for the learning of the children who attend. An appraisal process provides opportunities for educators to improve their practice and take leadership roles within the service. A policy framework is established.
Key next steps are to:
ensure systems for monitoring health and safety requirements consistently meet licensing requirements
improve coordinator visit reports to show how the coordinator supports educators to develop their practice and to assess, plan for and evaluate children's learning
improve planning, assessment and evaluation to demonstrate how the curriculum responds to children's languages and cultures and contributes to the learning of all children over time
document the review of the service's annual plan and develop a long-term plan that identifies priorities and goals for continuous improvement.
Before the review, the staff and management of Nestlings In-Home Childcare completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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.
Since the onsite part of the review, the service provider has provided ERO with evidence to show the following non-compliances have been addressed:
a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service includes evidence of parental acknowledgement
supervision plans relating to specific excursions are developed
the written child protection policy meets the requirements of the Children's Act 2014
an annual plan that guides the service’s operation, identifies ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘when’ in relation to key tasks undertaken each year.
To improve current practices the service provider could ensure that:
educators consistently record the specific type of emergency drills undertaken
updated templates are implemented by educators to show that equipment, premises and facilities are checked daily, and any hazards are eliminated, isolated or minimised
records of safety checks, that meet the requirements of the Children's Act 2014, are kept while the person is employed at the service.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
15 July 2020
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 |
Howick, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46121 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
28 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 16 Girls 12 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
3 |
|
|
Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
1 |
||
|
Required ratios of educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
March 2020 |
||
|
Date of this report |
15 July 2020 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
August 2016 |
|
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes 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.
Nestlings In-Home Childcare is a privately owned company which provides home-based services that can cater for 50 children, 25 of whom may be up to two years of age. The service is led by two qualified and certified coordinators who visit children in educators' homes at least once a month.
The service's nine educators operate in their own homes, ensuring the day-to-day safety and care for the 30 children enrolled in the service. Children are mostly from Pākehā families. A small percentage are from Māori and Pacific backgrounds. Many of the educators have some form of prior experience and training in early childhood education.
The service's philosophy and vision is for educators to provide holistic education and care, based on respect and the notion that children are active participants in their own learning. The vision includes respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The manager of the service, who is also one of the coordinators, oversees the operation of service systems and documentation. She is supported by a part-time administrator.
This is the first review for Nestlings In-Home Childcare.
Nestlings has a high percentage of young children, many of whom are under two years of age. Children are able to make choices about their play and to spend time exploring and making discoveries about their world. At the service's playgroup it is evident that relationships between children and caregivers are affectionate and respectful. Children happily play alongside others and interact positively with educators.
Educators observe children in order to plan how to extend their interests and dispositions. The service has a variety of ways of sharing children's learning with parents. Regular stories keep parents well informed about their child's time with educators.
Coordinators document brief learning stories about children when they visit, often recording children's learning over time. This information helps parents to be assured that their children are settled and making progress. Coordinators identify where the programme provided for children links to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Coordinators take great care in matching children with educators who are able to form strong long-term relationships with children's whānau/families. The transition process into the service is effective and thorough. Good formal and informal communication, and management's open door policy enables parents to feel confident about voicing suggestions and contributing to the service.
The service has begun focusing on strengthening educators understanding of bicultural practice. The service has a small number of children with Pacific heritage. While the service has yet to establish expectations about Pacific content in programmes, these children have an educator with the same cultural background.
Management has a toy library and provides all educators with good quality resources and equipment to enable them to care effectively for children. Coordinators regularly check children's safety in educators' homes, and establish that programmes support children's learning.
Nestlings In-Home Childcare is a new service. Service leaders are still in the process of embedding, and in some cases, developing systems, policies and procedures. The opening of a new Nestlings licence in Tauranga has further challenged the owner and manager to maintain clear records of decisions made and planning for improvement.
Educators benefit from the support of coordinators. It is important now for management to ensure that coordinators' reports to educators include notes on discussions and suggestions about good teaching and learning practice. This should encourage a stronger focus on supporting educators' individual development and growth as facilitators of children's learning over time. Better communication about good practice may also generate more interest from educators in attending the professional learning and development offered by Nestlings.
ERO and Nestlings managers agreed that their next key steps are to continue to:
Before the review, the staff and management of Nestlings In-Home Childcare completed an ERO Home-based Education and Care 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:
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 Nestlings In-Home Childcare will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
18 August 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 |
Howick, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
46121 |
||
|
Institution type |
Homebased Network |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 25 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
30 |
||
|
Standard or Quality Funded |
Standard |
||
|
Gender composition |
Girls 19 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
2 |
|
|
Number of qualified coordinators in the network |
2 |
||
|
Required ratios of staff educators to children |
Under 2 |
1:2 |
|
|
Over 2 |
1:4 |
||
|
Review team on site |
June 2016 |
||
|
Date of this report |
18 August 2016 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
|
|
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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014
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.