Little Kiwi's Corner

Little Kiwi's Corner - 02 Mar 2023

1 ERO’s Judgements

Akarangi | 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 Little Kiwi’s Corner are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Little Kiwi's Corner is a privately owned centre. It provides full-day education and care for children from birth to school age in two rooms. This service serves a large number of Māori learners in a culturally diverse community. Through their philosophy the service aims to promote relationships, respectful practices and wellbeing.

3 Summary of findings

Children benefit from an emerging curriculum that is responsive to their interests. Well-resourced learning spaces encourage exploration and participation within a calm and settled environment. Opportunities to learn about the wider community are promoted. Some te reo and tikanga Māori are integrated into daily teaching practices. Leaders acknowledge the need for the service to further strengthen teachers’ shared understanding of cultural practices for Māori and children of other cultures who attend the centre. Children’s learning is enhanced by a curriculum that responds to their interests and individual choice.

Strong and reciprocal relationships between teachers, children and their families supports the enactment of the centre’s philosophy. Assessment for learning practices draw from a range of information sources. These practices recognise children’s efforts, challenges, and successes over time. Children with additional learning needs benefit from parents working alongside teachers. The youngest learners are supported to develop their language and social and emotional competence.

A child-centred programme is enhanced by the collaboration and relational trust between leaders and teachers. Leaders mentor and guide teachers and facilitate an ongoing, shared understanding of the service’s goals and priorities for children’s learning. Children’s learning is enhanced from teachers’ participation in relevant professional learning. Internal evaluation is yet to identify what is and what is not working to support individual children and groups of children and monitor impact against centre priorities over time.

4 Improvement actions

Little Kiwi’s Corner will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• Continue to develop teachers’ understanding of culturally responsive practice.

• Continue to build teacher capability and understanding of internal evaluation processes that include quality indicators, ongoing monitoring and clearer links to outcomes for learners.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Little Kiwi’s Corner 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

2 March 2023

6 About the Early Childhood Service