Junior Junction (Kumeu)

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

Junior Junction Kumeu is one of four privately owned early childhood services in the Junior Junction group. The centre manager leads a team of 10 qualified teachers, five unqualified teachers and a cook. Approximately a tenth of enrolled children are of Māori heritage.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive, and responsive to children as confident and competent learners. Their preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Children are provided with a range of opportunities to enhance and extend their learning and development, indoors and outdoors, individually and in groups. 

Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions to nurture reciprocal relationships. They provide a language-rich environment that supports children’s learning.

Leaders need to monitor the implementation of operational systems to maintain regulatory standards.

Key Next Steps 

Next steps include:

• Increase the visibility of each child’s cultures, languages and identity through curriculum documentation.
• Strengthen how parents goals for their children are responded to, and documented, through assessment and planning.

Actions for Compliance 

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence that shows it has addressed the following non-compliances: 

• Having a first aid kit that complies with the requirements of Appendix 1.
• Ensuring that heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured. 
• Providing evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service’s emergency plan.
• Having a procedure for monitoring children’s sleep that ensures children are checked for warmth, breathing, and general wellbeing, and sleep times are recorded.
• Ensuring equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children, consideration of hazards must include hazards in kitchen and laundry facilities. 
• Keeping a record of the written authority from parents for the administration of medicine in accordance with the requirement for the category of medicine outlined in Appendix 3.
• Ensuring all children’s workers are safety checked as core workers and a record of all safety checks and the results is maintained.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF28, HS6, HS8, HS9, HS12, HS28, GMA7A]

Next ERO Review 

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

31 January 2024 

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.