Tiny Nation Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast 2

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

At the time of the review, ERO found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.

Background

Little Red Fox Rua is one of two networks in this home-based education and care service. The owner and the leadership team manage the day-to-day operation of the service. This Nelson network has two qualified early childhood teachers, who work alongside a regional manager, to support educators with the wellbeing and learning of children in their home-based setting. ERO visited a sample of educator homes as part of this Akanuku | Assurance Review.

Summary of Review Findings

The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, in the home settings, and within the local community. Visiting teachers oversee the education and care arrangements, provide leadership and support to educators and implement the requirements of the service provider.

Annual and strategic planning guide the operation of the service. A range of strategies are implemented to assure the service provider that health and safety, and regulatory requirements are met. Suitable human-resource management practices support the selection and induction of educators into their role and responsibilities as home-based educators.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are for visiting teachers to further develop educator knowledge and practices including:

• integrating te reo me ngā tikanga Māori in daily experiences in ways that are meaningful for children and educators
• deepening understandings of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, to inform the local curriculum and planning for children’s learning over time.

Next ERO Review

The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

8 November 2021 

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 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.