Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2

Education institution number:
55481
Service type:
Homebased Network
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
25
Telephone:
Address:

23 Northumberland Street, Waipukurau

View on map

Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2

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 Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2 are as follows:

Outcome Indicators

(What the service knows about outcomes for learners)


Whāngai Establishing

Ngā Akatoro Domains

 

Learning Conditions

Organisational Conditions

Whāngai Establishing

Whāngai Establishing

2 Context of the Service

Previously known as Bright Futures CHB 1, this is one of three services governed by Napier Family Centre. Homes are situated in Waipukurau and surrounding areas. Approximately a quarter of enrolled children are Māori. Significant staff and leadership changes have occurred since the 2018 ERO report.

3 Summary of findings

Respectful relationships clearly underpin the service’s operation. Intentional strategies are used to establish and foster relationships between visiting teachers, educarers, children and their whānau. A range of services provided by Napier Family Centre are accessed to support children with additional learning needs. Children’s wellbeing and sense of security are nurtured.

Visiting teachers and educarers are in the early stages of responding to children’s cultural identities. Te reo Māori and celebrations such as Matariki and Pacific language weeks are promoted at playgroups and through resource packs provided to educarers. Some children hear and see aspects of their culture in educarers’ homes.

Children benefit from a curriculum that is responsive to their interests. Assessment information is affirming, celebrating relationships and children’s participation in the programme. Visiting teachers and educarers are building their understanding of how the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, are used in assessment. Assessment information does not yet reliably:

  • identify learning progress over time

  • draw on parents’ knowledge and contributions to inform the curriculum

  • reflect children’s cultural context or include culturally valued knowledges and attributes.

Significant staff changes have impacted on the service’s capacity to undertake evaluation for improvement and progress other key next steps identified in the 2015 and 2018 ERO reports. A strategic plan, recently reviewed philosophy and newly developed professional growth cycle prioritise the wellbeing and learning of children. Leaders and visiting teachers are not yet aware of how improvement actions or the enacted curriculum are helping them to achieve their priorities for children’s learning.

4 Improvement actions

Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2 will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

  • Leaders and visiting teachers will develop and implement a shared commitment and clear expectations of culturally responsive practices for all children.

  • Draw on knowledge of children’s cultures to inform how visiting teachers and educarers assess and plan for children’s learning and show progress in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.

  • Engage in professional learning that builds leaders’ and visiting teachers’ understanding of the purpose of evaluation, and their capability to do and use evaluation for improvement.

  • Implement the newly developed professional growth cycle for visiting teachers.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

10 November 2022 

6 About the Early Childhood Service

Early Childhood Service Name

Bright Futures Hawkes Bay 2
Profile Number 55481
Location Waipukurau

Service type

Home-based service

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2

Service roll

19

Review team on site

September 2022

Date of this report

10 November 2022

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review, November 2018; Education Review, March 2015

Bright Futures CHB 1 - 27/11/2018

1 Evaluation of Bright Futures CHB 1

How well placed is Bright Futures CHB 1 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Bright Futures CHB 1 is a community home-based education and care service operating under the governance of the Napier Family Centre. In-home childcare is offered by educators who work in their own homes for children aged from birth to five years. This is a quality funded network, licensed for 80 children including 80 up to two years old. Of the 64 children currently enrolled, 11 identify as Māori.

The recently reviewed philosophy emphasises the importance of relationships, community connections and supporting children's identity and culture.

There are four Bright Futures home-based education and care networks. These operate in Napier, Hastings and Central Hawkes Bay. A service manager is responsible for oversight of these services and oversees the work of visiting teachers. She reports to the Napier Family Centre chief executive officer (CEO) and board of governors.

Two qualified visiting teachers have responsibility for this network. Their role is to support educarers to implement suitable early childhood programmes. They also provide a community playgroup in Waipukurau that many educarers and children attend.

Since the March 2015 ERO report, there have been significant changes in the management team, including the appointment of a new home-based service manager and the disestablishment of the divisional manager role. The service manager now undertakes the duties and responsibilities of this position, alongside the manager of the Napier Family Centre Sunny Days service.

The previous ERO report identified areas for network improvements in: self review; educarer development; parent partnership; bicultural practice; and provision for children up to the age of two. Good progress has been made in these areas. Key next steps for governance around strategic planning, curriculum leadership and appraisals have also advanced.

The Review Findings

Children engage in a curriculum that is responsive to their interests and dispositions for learning. A wide range of opportunities to explore the local community is a regular part of the programme. These provide meaningful experiences for children to make connections with the world around them.

Leaders and educators are growing their knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori concepts. The use of te reo Māori is increasingly visible within children's documentation. Regular excursions in the community provide plentiful opportunities for children to connect with significant landmarks. Leaders have identified that strengthening relationships with local iwi is a key next step.

Meaningful strategies are in place to support Māori learners to achieve educational success. Leaders agree with ERO, that it is timely to evaluate the effectiveness of practices on improving outcomes for Māori children.

Educators are proactive in extending their own knowledge to support and respond to the individual needs of children. Documentation shows they engage in regular conversations with visiting teachers and families about children's interests. Leaders provide ongoing professional learning opportunities and use strategic modelling of practice, to respond to children’s needs and parent aspirations.

Children’s profile books effectively record their interests, participation and progression of learning over time. Visiting teachers and educarers work collaboratively to reinforce sound assessment, planning and evaluation. To strengthen practice, visiting teachers should clearly show their contribution to assessment documentation to demonstrate how:

  • parents aspirations’ are responded to

  • the use of children’s culture language and identity is used to inform planning.

Children with diverse learning needs are well supported. Visiting teachers and educators work closely with parents to access appropriate external support if required. A collaborative approach to supporting children's individual strengths, interests and needs is promoted between the educator and parents.

Visiting teachers and educators work collegially to provide suitable resourcing that is responsive to the individual needs of infants and toddlers. This supports them to participate in a broad curriculum alongside of their peers.

Transitions into and out of the service are well considered and responsive to the children’s needs within their whānau context. Relationships with local schools continue to be strengthened.

Systems and processes that guide the networks operation have been strengthened and are regularly reviewed. Health and safety in homes is sufficiently monitored during regular checks by visiting teachers. The service manager and visiting teachers work collaboratively to improve practice and the board is well informed of outcomes for children.

Governance values the strengths and knowledge of staff, specifically in relation to Pacific children and bicultural practice, and they are encouraged to take on leadership roles. Visiting teachers are growing their understanding of teaching as inquiry as a tool to improve teaching practice. Leaders have identified that formalising the observation of teachers' practice is a next step to meet Educational Council expectations.

Self review contributes positively to organisational improvement. Leaders continue to develop their understanding and use of internal evaluation, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for children. A next step is monitor, evaluate and report on the extent to which children outcomes are improved through systems, processes and initiatives. This should include consideration of the impact of the curriculum on specific priority groups.

Key Next Steps

Leaders and ERO agree that they should continue to strengthen:

  • the visibility of parents' aspirations and children’s culture, language and identity and how this is responded to within assessment documentation

  • monitoring and evaluation to further inform decision making, with a particular focus on Māori learners

  • appraisal to meet Education Council requirements.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Futures CHB 1 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.

To improve current practice, visiting teachers should consistently:

  • include the ratios of adults to children on all permission slips and ensure that parents acknowledge this before children attend special excursions.

Managers should:

  • formalise observations of certificated teachers' practice to meet the requirements of the Educational Council.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Bright Futures CHB 1 will be in three years.

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

27 November 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

Location

Waipukurau

Ministry of Education profile number

55481

Institution type

Homebased Network

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2

Service roll

64

Standard or Quality Funded

Quality

Gender composition

Girls 35, Boys 29

Ethnic composition

Māori
Pākehā
Other ethnic groups

11
50
3

Number of qualified coordinators in the network

3

Required ratios of staff educators to children

Under 2

1:2

Over 2

1:4

Review team on site

October 2018

Date of this report

27 November 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

March 2015

Education Review

March 2011

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.

Bright Futures CHB 1 - 20/03/2015

Evaluation of Bright Futures CHB 1

How well placed is Bright Futures CHB 1 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

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

Background

Bright Futures operates under the umbrella of the Napier Family Centre, a not-for-profit community based organisation which offers a range of support services in Hawkes Bay.

There are six Bright Futures home-based education and care networks. These operate in Napier, Hastings and Central Hawkes Bay. An early childhood education manager is responsible for oversight of these services. She reports to the Napier Family Centre chief executive officer (CEO) and board of governors and oversees the work of the visiting teachers. Their role is to support educarers implement suitable early learning programmes for children in their homes. The CEO, manager and one of the visiting teacher have been appointed to their present roles since the 2011 ERO review.

Bright Futures Central Hawkes Bay CHB 1 operates alongside Bright Futures CHB 2, the other Family Centre network, situated in Waipukurau. The majority of the children attending the service are aged two years and under.

This review is one of a cluster of three home-based network reviews in the Bright Futures umbrella organisation. The other three Bright Futures home-based services were reviewed in October 2014. In these reviews ERO identified the need for a stronger focus on long-term planning and reviewing the effectiveness of practices to sustain and improve outcomes for children.

The Review Findings

Children participate in a wide range of learning experiences in educarers’ homes and the local community. Many attend playgroups, excursions, gym and music sessions which provide new challenges and opportunities for socialisation. Children's emerging mathematical and literacy skills are fostered through their play. Bright Futures provides a variety of equipment and resources to support educarers to implement care and education programmes.

Provision for children aged up-to-two years is carefully considered. Visiting teachers have identified the need for more professional development for educarers caring for children in this age group.

Visiting teachers and management articulate the importance of valuing children’s cultures, languages and identities, and developing partnerships with parents. This continued emphasis should contribute to practices that acknowledge and support children’s success as learners in their own culture and better identify and meet family and community needs.

The head visiting teacher is providing good leadership for the development of a more bicultural curriculum. Contact with local iwi has been made and Ministry of Education resources accessed to support this initiative. Continued support for educarers she works with to become conversant with te reo me ngā tikanga Māori is evident.

Relevant information is made available for educarers and parents to support children’s transition to primary school. Teachers agree that they need to continue to support educarers to build rapport with local schools and to increase their knowledge about the links between primary and early childhood programmes.

Visiting teachers promote an appropriate focus on child-led learning in homes and at Bright Futures’ playgroups. Their visit notes provide rich records of children’s experiences, developing interests and aspects of their learning. Planning for playgroup takes into account group interests. A service-wide review of assessment continues. Teachers are aware of the need to better promote educarers understanding of children’s learning linked to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and to improve support for them to recognise and respond to learning. Regular evaluation of the programme is not yet undertaken. The recently developed philosophy should provide a suitable basis for this.

Visiting teachers demonstrate high levels of commitment to their roles and support for each other. Access to professional development is strengthening aspects of their practice. They seek and value feedback from management, educarers and parents to inform decisions about their roles and development planning for the network. The manager should continue to seek ways of providing teachers with effective, constructive feedback that promotes continual improvement to their practice. The recently revised teachers' appraisal process aims to better support teacher development. This is not yet fully implemented.

The understanding and use of self review is developing. Recent professional development is supporting teachers to investigate their practice to improve outcomes for children. Using the review framework in a more defined way that helps determine the quality and effectiveness of specific aspects of their work, is a next step.

It is timely, with new managers in place, for the board to plan for improved governance, management and leadership for this service. The identification of strategic goals, more closely linked to outcomes for children, should provide a basis for planned self review and enhanced reporting to the board. More clearly defined expectations around curriculum leadership and management roles and responsibilities, and improved processes for policy development and review should support more consistent practice at all levels of the service.

The need for more rigorous quality assurance processes was identified in the Bright Futures March 2011 ERO reports. This continues to be an area requiring development.

Key Next Steps

Managers should continue development and embedding of practices that build capability and sustainable practice at all levels and result in consistently high quality outcomes for children.

At governance level, priorities are the development of: a strategic plan with quality outcomes identified; more clearly defined expectations around curriculum leadership; and the manager’s and teachers’ appraisal process.

At network level, priorities are the development of: visiting teachers’ understanding and use of review to evaluate the quality of practice; continued and effective support for educators to improve their understanding of early learning and planning suitable programmes for children; parent partnership; bicultural curriculum; and educarers' practice with children aged up-to-two years.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Bright Futures CHB 1 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.

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.

In order to improve current practice the service provider should ensure:

  • suitably rigorous quality assurance processes are in place in relation to visiting teachers' and educarers' practice

  • systematic procedures for undertaking and recording police vetting are implemented.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Bright Futures CHB 1 will be in three years.

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services Central Region

20 March 2015

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 Early Childhood Service

Location

Waipukurau

Ministry of Education profile number

55481

Licence type

Homebased Network

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

80 children, including up to 80 aged under 2

Service roll

73

Standard or Quality Funded

Quality funded

Gender composition

Girls 37, Boys 36

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

8

65

Number of qualified coordinators in the network

2

Reported ratios of staff educators to children

Under 2

1:2

Meets minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:4

Meets minimum requirements

Review team on site

January 2015

Date of this report

20 March 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

 

Education Review

March 2011

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.