203 Howick Road, Witherlea, Blenheim
View on mapThrive Early Learning Centre
Thrive Early Learning Centre
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 |
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
Thrive Early Learning Centre is a small service that had a change of ownership in May 2021. The service was relicensed in January 2022 to extend care and education to under two-year-olds. At the time of the ERO review a small number of children attending were Māori.
Summary of Review Findings
Children are provided with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, both indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. 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. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning.
Children are given the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Strengthening aspects of health and safety practices and documentation is needed to ensure the service continues to meet regulatory requirements.
Key Next Steps
Next steps include strengthening the quality of planning and assessment for learning, particularly in relation to:
- continuing to strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation that includes integrating children’s cultures, languages and identities
- further developing the bicultural curriculum.
Action for Compliance
Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliance:
- Ensuring, furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review is likely to be an Akarangi | Quality Evaluation.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
4 December 2023
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Thrive Early Learning Centre |
Profile Number | 47119 |
Location | Blenheim |
Service type | Education and care service |
Number licensed for | 38 children, including up to 8 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80-99% |
Service roll | 60 |
Review team on site | September 2023 |
Date of this report | 4 December 2023 |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, October 2020 |
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.
Jan’s Preschool - 15/10/2020
ERO’s Assurance Review reports provide information about whether a service meets and maintains regulatory standards. Further information about 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 identified a non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
Background
Jan’s Preschool is privately-owned and opened in November 2016. Most teachers are qualified, and the day-to-day operation of the centre is the responsibility of the owner/operator.
The centre is licensed to provide education and care for up to 31 children, including five under two years of age. This is the first review of Jan’s Preschool. The service promotes the Montessori philosophy.
Summary of Review Findings
The service curriculum is inclusive. Children experience positive, respectful interactions with their teachers. They have opportunities to develop an understanding of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand and to share their own culture. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences that promote children’s independence.
Strategies are in place to involve parents and whānau in their children’s learning. Teacher appraisal and internal evaluation processes are established. Leaders should increase the level of monitoring of documentation related to health and safety practices.
Key Next Steps
Next steps are to continue to embed:
- assessment, planning and evaluation
- internal evaluation.
During the onsite visit the service provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the non-compliance:
- appropriate spacing of children’s mattresses to allow adult to have clear access to at least one side in the designated sleep space
Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, HS10.
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
15 October 2020
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name | Jan’s Preschool |
Profile Number | 47119 |
Location | Blenheim |
Service type | Education and care service |
Number licensed for | 31 children, including up to 5 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80%+ |
Reported ratio of staff to children under 2 | 1:5 - Meets regulatory standards |
Reported ratio of staff to children over 2 | 1:10 - Meets regulatory standards |
Service roll | 37 |
Gender composition | Male 15, Female 22 |
Ethnic composition | NZ European/Pākehā 26 Other ethnic groups 11 |
Review team on site | January 2020 |
Date of this report | 15 October 2020 |
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 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 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 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 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.