Manaia

1 Evaluation of Manaia - Early Childcare and Education

How well placed is Manaia - Early Childcare and Education to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

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

Background

Manaia - Early Childcare and Education is a home-based education and care service operating in the Kaitaia area. It is a standard network catering for up to 50 tamariki, including 20 under two. The service currently has eight kaiako, and there are 31 tamariki enrolled. Nearly all of the tamariki are Māori. Educators care for up to four tamariki at any one time in their homes.

The service's vision is to provide accessible, affordable, high quality early childcare and education for tamariki, and it prioritises equitable outcomes for all tamariki.

This network opened in May 2016. The owner is the qualified visiting teacher (kaiarataki) for kaiako. She brings varied teaching experiences and leadership skills to her role.

This is the first ERO evaluation for this network.

The Review Findings

Learning stories show that tamariki like to explore, are imaginative and creative in play, and are respectful to one another. Tamariki have additional opportunities for varied experiences in the local community. These excursions include kapa haka and play-gym with other home based services. In these environments, tamariki have opportunities to develop social skills where te reo Māori is promoted.

Managers give careful consideration to placing tamariki with kaiako who may have whānau connections. Infants are placed with someone who has lifelong connections to the tamaiti. The aim is to provide a positive, calm environment for all infants, toddlers and older tamariki.

Kaiako bring a diverse range of skills, experiences and knowledge to their roles. They are very respectful, and support the language development of tamariki during their play. Documentation shows that infants and toddlers are served well through the philosophy of respectful care in kaiako homes.

Programme development is informed by observations, children's emerging interests and families' aspirations. Reporting to parents is based on individual planning and learning that is linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Kaiako and whānau meet monthly to discuss the interests and learning of tamariki.

The owner continues to encourage kaiako to use as much te reo Māori as they can on a daily basis and in their learning records. A next step is also to inspire all whānau to contribute to the learning of their tamariki.

The kaiarataki establishes positive relationships with children, educators and whānau. She provides useful information that helps kaiako and whānau to contribute to the learning of tamariki.

The kaiarataki supports kaiako to be responsive to infants', toddlers' and older children's interests, to promote their learning. This helps to ensure that children learn in inclusive and well resourced environments.

The kaiarataki is highly valued and respected. Her leadership fosters collaborative ways of working with everyone involved with the service. Networking with other services helps to build kaiako capability.

Good systems are followed to identify and monitor provisions for the health and safety of adults and children in homes. Appropriate policies guide practice and are reviewed annually to ensure currency with legal requirements.

Key Next Steps

The kaiarataki agrees that next steps for the service are to:

• use Ministry of Education resources to strengthen the promotion of bicultural practices

• strengthen assessment and planning of children’s learning by recognising and building on their dispositions and interests over time

• continue improving kaiarataki and kaiako understanding of internal evaluation as a strategy for improving outcomes for children.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Manaia - Early Childcare and Education 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:

• 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Manaia - Early Childcare and Education will be in three years.

Julie Foley

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

Te Tai Raki - Northern Region

8 June 2018

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 Home-based Education and Care 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 the draft methodology for ERO reviews in Home-based Education and Care Services: July 2014

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.