60 Cascades Road, Pakuranga, Auckland
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Laugh and Learn
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 Laugh and Learn are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whāngai Establishing Whāngai Establishing |
2 Context of the Service
Laugh and Learn is a purpose-built and privately owned early learning service. A qualified centre manager and owner works alongside a team of certificated teachers and support staff. Most children and families attending are from diverse cultural backgrounds with a small number identifying as tamariki Māori.
3 Summary of findings
Children demonstrate confidence as they explore and engage in a wide range of play experiences. An intentional learning environment supports children to lead and make choices in their learning. This approach sustains their play for extended periods of time.
The centre is well resourced. A shared outdoor space provides good opportunities for mixed-age play and supports tuakana-teina relationships between older children and younger children. Staff working with infants and toddlers provide a calm and unhurried curriculum. These younger children are curious, explore and learn through play.
The service is committed to promoting Te Tiriti based practices by incorporating aspects of tikanga Māori and basic te reo Māori in teachers’ daily practices. Children are increasingly using te reo Māori in their conversations and through karakia and waiata. Parents actively contribute to decisions about their child‘s learning. Teachers are continuing to support children‘s connections to their home languages and cultures.
There is a process for assessment, planning, and evaluation. Teachers are working to make the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early children curriculum more evident in documentation.
A professional growth cycle for teachers is guided by the standards of the teaching profession. Teachers are well supported to access professional learning and development opportunities. Leaders and teachers are not yet evaluating how this learning has impacted on their professional growth or resulted in improved learning outcomes for children.
Leaders have identified internal evaluation as an area for further development. The team is continuing to build shared understandings about how to engage in effective evaluation. Leaders prioritise providing equitable opportunities for children. They build relational trust with teachers to support collaborative improvement efforts.
4 Improvement actions
Laugh and Learn will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
- Improve assessment practices to identify children’s learning progress in relation to the valued learning outcomes of Te Whāriki.
- Develop the understanding and capability of leaders and teachers to do and use evaluation for improvement that supports equitable and improved outcomes for all children.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of Laugh and Learn 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.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
21 October 2024
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Laugh and Learn |
Profile Number | 47785 |
Location | Pakuranga, Auckland |
Service type | Education and care service |
Number licensed for | 34 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
Service roll | 37 |
Review team on site | June 2024 |
Date of this report | 21 October 2024 |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, February 2022 |
Laugh and Learn
ERO’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.
ERO’s Judgement
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
Curriculum |
Meeting |
Premises and facilities |
Meeting |
Health and safety |
Meeting |
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
This is the first ERO review of Laugh and Learn Childcare, which opened in February 2020. The premises are designed for early childhood education. The centre has a shared outdoor area and two learning spaces to provide for different age groups. The centre manager/owner is supported by five qualified teachers and three support staff. Children come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Summary of Review Findings
The service curriculum is inclusive and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Teachers engage children in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance their learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.
Infants, toddlers and older children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to extend their learning and development, indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. Teachers support children’s developing social competence and understanding of appropriate behaviour.
A child-centred philosophy guides the service operations.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include strengthening documentation of the service’s curriculum to better inform assessment, planning and evaluation.
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
28 February 2022
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
Laugh and Learn Childcare |
Profile Number | 47785 |
Location | Pakuranga, Auckland |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
34 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers) |
80-99% |
Service roll |
38 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 8, NZ European/Pākehā 20, Pacific 5, other ethnic groups 5 |
Review team on site |
February 2022 |
Date of this report |
28 February 2022 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service |
General Information about Assurance Reviews
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.
ERO undertakes an Akanuku | Assurance Review process in any centre-based service:
- 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.
Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
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 regulated 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; police vetting; teacher certification; ratios)
- evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
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.