1 Jomac Place, Avondale, Auckland
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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Chrysalis Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
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He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Chrysalis Early Learning Centre is one of four centres operated by the Chrysalis Group. Children attending the centre reflect the diversity of the local community including a small number of Māori and Pacific children. The centre has received several awards for innovation, business and building design.
Children observed were confident and engaged. They experience a sense of belonging and form positive relationships with their peers and kaiako. Children have opportunities to gain confidence in, and control of their bodies, and to make sense of the natural, social and material world.
Kaiako have reciprocal and respectful relationships with children, parents and whānau. Kaiako maintain a calm pace that gives younger children space and time to lead their own learning. Infants and toddlers are encouraged to use verbal and non-verbal languages to express their needs.
Kaiako identify and respond to children’s interests to support their learning and development. They provide opportunities for parents and whānau to contribute to curriculum planning. Priorities for leaders and kaiako are to improve how well the curriculum recognises children’s languages and cultures and is consistent with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
Leaders and kaiako have good access to professional learning opportunities. They make use of child, parent, whānau and community voice to inform priorities for improvement. An internal evaluation process is well established. Leaders promote a shared understanding of the service’s philosophy, vision, goals and priorities for children’s learning. Some policies align with the service’s bicultural values.
Chrysalis Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Chrysalis 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:
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.
Since the on site review the service has addressed the following non-compliance:
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
12 May 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Chrysalis Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 46621 |
| Location | Avondale, Auckland |
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Service type |
Education and care service |
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Number licensed for |
150 children, including up to 50 aged under 2. |
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Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
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Service roll |
118 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori 10% |
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Review team on site |
February 2021 |
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Date of this report |
12 May 2021 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, September 2016 |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Chrysalis Early Learning Centre in Avondale is one of four centres operated by the Chrysalis Group. It opened in early 2015 and is licensed for up to 150 children, including up to 50 under the age of two. Children and staff come from diverse cultural backgrounds, including 15 percent Māori, 15 percent Chinese, 13 percent Pacific, and 10 percent Indian. The majority of the remaining 47% of children identify as New Zealand European.
The property is an innovative design that emphasises the natural environments and sustainability, and celebrates local history and cultural diversity. Large protected trees are carefully incorporated in the outdoor design. These trees and the chrysalis concept are reflected in the Group's graphic illustration of its curriculum priorities and tools for assessment. They are also reflected in the unique indoor structural furnishings. The centre has received a variety of innovation, business and building design awards.
The directors' core philosophy focuses on children learning through imagination, inspiration and innovation. It recognises the importance of partnerships with families in children's learning and encourages guardianship of the environment. The directors promote respect for the bicultural heritage and multicultural society of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The centre's four rooms are staffed by 16 qualified teachers. The four team leaders are fully registered teachers. Ten teachers are provisionally registered. A Chrysalis Group curriculum manager is also a fully registered teacher and supports teachers' ongoing professional development.
Children have positive and respectful relationships with adults and each other. They are well supported to develop skills for social competence. Children and families experience a sense of inclusion and belonging in the centre.
Children have opportunities to make decisions and choices during the day. They approach adults confidently and initiate conversations. There are good levels of cooperative and imaginative interaction amongst children. Teachers work closely with children to support their play. They maintain a calm, unhurried tone, listen to children's ideas and support their developing conversational skills well.
Centre environments are carefully prepared to invite children's involvement in activities based on teachers' awareness of their developmental stages and interests. The rooms are light and spacious. Rooms open directly onto attractively landscaped, interesting and inviting outdoor play areas. Children make good use of these outdoor areas and have ready access to a variety of activities and resources.
Children in the infant and toddler rooms experience respectful, responsive and caring interactions and relationships. They have good space for exploration, both inside and out. Teachers in these areas have completed an in-depth review of research and developments relating to infant and toddler programmes. As a result, they have an increased understanding of high quality provision for children and are continuing to refine their practices.
The preschool room is particularly well resourced to support children's independent creativity and ongoing investigations. Children often initiate and lead programme developments here. There is also good provision for children's literacy, maths and science learning in this print-rich room.
Strong partnerships with families are a valued feature of the centre. The directors and teachers use a variety of strategies to communicate and exchange information with parents. A useful cycle of assessment, planning and evaluation has been established and is strongly focused on responding to individual children. Parent contributions to assessment and planning are an important part of the displays around the centre that are designed to make children's learning highly visible.
The directors are systematically building a strong sense of team and extending professional development and leadership capability across the centre and the Group. The curriculum manager provides guidance and critiques practice to promote professional discussion. Current work to strengthen the Group's processes for teacher appraisal will support this professional development focus.
The directors promote and lead a culture of reflection and ongoing improvement. They have established systems for centre operations and curriculum that reflect and support their vision, philosophical beliefs and Group priorities. Processes for spontaneous and in-depth self-review have been established. The directors continue to build on existing good practices to refine systems, increase effectiveness and ensure that quality assurance processes are robust.
The directors and curriculum manager have identified appropriate next steps for the centre that will support their strategic goals of building capability, curriculum development and continuous improvement. Key next steps to enhance current good practices include:
an in-depth evaluation of bicultural practice across the centre, with reference to the Ministry of Education's strategy Ka Hikitia: Accelerating Success 2013 – 2017, and including the cultural competencies of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, in appraisal documents
examining practices across the centre, to ensure that teaching strategies that promote complex play and extended learning are consistent, purposefully planned and evaluated
ensuring that systematic, in-depth internal evaluation at all levels of centre operations contributes to the directors' knowledge of the extent to which the service is meeting all its obligations and progressing towards strategic goals, and helps in identifying next steps for development.
Before the review, the staff and management of Chrysalis 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:
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 next ERO review of Chrysalis Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
21 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.
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Location |
Avondale, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
46621 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
150 children, including up to 50 aged under 2 |
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Service roll |
127 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Chinese Indian Samoan South East Asian Cook Island Māori Tongan other European other |
16% 26% 15% 10% 4% 4% 3% 2% 6% 14% |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
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Review team on site |
July 2016 |
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Date of this report |
21 September 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
No previous ERO reports |
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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.