Education Angels 1

1 Evaluation of Top Home Based Childcare

How well placed is Top Home Based Childcare to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Top Home Based Childcare is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

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

Background

Top Home Based Childcare is a privately owned home-based education and care service operating in Auckland. It is licensed for 80 children from birth to school age. At the time of this ERO review, 39 educators provide education and care for 79 children. Most of the children enrolled are Chinese. Many of the educators are children's family members, such as grandparents.

The service is led by the owner, who works collaboratively with programme coordinators, educators and whānau. Programme coordinators are registered early childhood teachers. They regularly visit educators in their homes, support them to plan educational programmes for children and monitor health and safety provisions.

The service's philosophy recognises the importance of families and actively fosters responsive, reciprocal and trustful relationships with parents, whānau and educators.

This is the first ERO review of this network.

The Review Findings

Educators and coordinators have good knowledge of children and their whānau. This is reflected in children's records where their home languages and cultures are visible. Learning records document regular visits from programme coordinators and records reflect child-led learning activities and experiences.

The service owner and coordinators have developed responsive connections with migrant families and those with English as a second language. The service philosophy and practices respond to the expectations the community has for their children. Leaders and teachers work with a local Māori leader to support educators to include te reo and tikanga Māori in children's curriculum programmes.

Coordinators provide opportunities for educators, children and whānau to come together to take part in special social and cultural events. They see this as a way of developing meaningful relationships and providing collaborative experiences for all involved. They provide educators who care for infants with teaching strategies to develop secure attachments.

The service owner has taken prompt and thorough action in response to recommendations by the Ministry of Education. Systems to monitor and sustain health and safety practices have been implemented. A framework to guide service operations and practices gives clear expectations of coordinator and educator responsibilities. Service leaders should continue to strengthen these areas.

A system of annual planning has been initiated to guide service operations. The system could be strengthened by the inclusion of long-term goals for improvement. Regular internal evaluation is used to identify areas for growth. Evaluation could be strengthened by considering the extent to which practices promote positive outcomes for children.

Coordinators benefit from both internal and external professional development relevant to the context of this service. This support is helping to increase their understanding about effective practices that best promote children's education and wellbeing. Coordinators report that working more effectively with adults is a shared goal within the team.

Key Next Steps

The service provider and ERO agree that next steps include:

• strengthening appraisal processes to improve evidence-based outcomes for children

• increasing coordinators' individual and collective capability to mentor and coach educators.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Top Home Based 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:

• 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.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)

Northern Region - Te Tai Raki

15 May 2020

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

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

• Very well placed

• Well placed

• Requires further development

• Not well placed

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.