New Sprout In-Home

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

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed non-compliances and is now taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

New Sprout In-Home is a privately owned service that opened in 2020. The owner works with two visiting teachers to oversee the delivery of education and care by home educators. Most of the home educators are the children's family members, such as grandparents. The majority of children attending are Chinese. This is the first ERO review of the service.

Summary of Review Findings

The service’s curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures. There are a range of opportunities provided to enhance and extend children’s learning and development.

Parents are involved in decision-making about their child’s learning. They have regular opportunities to communicate with adults providing education and care about their child, and to share specific information about their child’s learning.

A philosophy and annual plan guide service operations. Consistent implementation of practices and systems is required to maintain regulatory standards.

Compliance

During and since the onsite review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it had addressed the following non-compliances:

• Ensuring outdoor activity spaces are designed so that children cannot leave the premises without help or knowledge of the educator (PF11).
• Maintaining a first aid kit that complies with the requirements of Appendix 1 (PF15).
• Ensuring emergency supplies and resources are sufficient for the age and number of children and adults present in the home (HS4).
• Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
• Undertaking emergency drills on at least a three-monthly basis (HS7).
• Ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked every day of operation for hazards to children (HS11).
• Ensuring that whenever children leave the premises on an excursion, records include the names of adults and children involved, the time of the excursion and evidence of parental permission for special outings and excursions (HS14).
• Ensuring processes for human resource management include a definition of serious misconduct (GMA6).
• Ensuring safety checking processes include completing risk assessments of staff only once all relevant information is obtained (GMA6A).

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

2 February 2023

Information About 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 regulatory 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; safety checking; teacher certification; ratios)
• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

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.