44A Smithfield Road, Tawhero, Whanganui
View on mapAkarangi | 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 First Years Baby Care are as follows:
Outcome Indicators(What the service knows about outcomes for learners) | Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Ngā Akatoro Domains | |
Learning ConditionsOrganisational Conditions | Whakawhanake Sustaining Whakawhanake Sustaining |
First Years Baby Care is one of two services under the same private ownership. The owner/manager is responsible for the governance. She is assisted in the day to day running of the service by an educational leader, and a second in charge, who work alongside the teaching team. At the time of the review a small number of children enrolled were of Māori and Pacific heritages.
Infants and toddlers are nurtured and cared for in a richly resourced and inviting environment. Their verbal and non-verbal cues are well responded to by key teachers who have in-depth knowledge of their interests, strengths and needs. Teachers’ interactions are respectful, focusing on ensuring a sense of belonging and well-being. They encourage children to lead their own learning and view them as capable and confident.
Curriculum planning and assessment of children’s learning is informed by the learning outcomes of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Individual learning journeys consistently emphasise children’s challenges, successes and show learning progress over time. Parent and whanau aspirations are intentionally planned for and enhance children’s mana and sense of identity as a learner.
Tamariki Māori and children of Pacific heritages benefit from culturally respectful and responsive practice. Māori concepts are purposefully woven through the centre’s priorities for learning, and the enacted ways of knowing, doing and being. Children confidently contribute to te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori rituals through karakia and waiata. Targeted professional development is building teachers’ knowledge of how to best support their Pacific learners.
Coherent systems and processes continue to guide an equitable focus on quality improvement. Embedded leadership structures greatly contribute to the establishment of clear and consistent expectations for the teaching team. Teachers regularly and intentionally grow their professional knowledge. They think about how they are responding to individuals and groups of children, using evidence of children’s learning progress as a basis for ongoing inquiry.
Leaders model professional accountability for the well-being and learning of all children in the service. Effective implementation of the services priorities, vision and local curriculum promotes the enactment of Te tiriti based practice.
First Years Baby Care will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of First Years Baby Care 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:
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:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
14 May 2024
| Early Childhood Service Name | First Years Baby Care |
| Profile Number | 47835 |
| Location | Whanganui |
| Service type | Education and care service |
| Number licensed for | 20 children aged under 2 |
| Percentage of qualified teachers | 100% |
| Service roll | 31 |
| Review team on site | March 2024 |
| Date of this report | 14 May 2024 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Akanuku | Assurance Review, March 2022 |
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.
Regulatory standards |
ERO’s judgement |
|
Curriculum |
Meeting |
|
Premises and facilities |
Not meeting |
|
Health and safety |
Meeting |
|
Governance, management and administration |
Meeting |
At the time of the review, ERO identified non-compliance with regulatory standards that must be addressed.
First Years Baby Care opened in 2020, the second of First Years privately-owned and operated education and care centres. The owner manages the centre with support from an educational leader and teachers. This is the first review of this service.
Children lead their own learning in a calm and nurturing environment. Teachers respond to children’s interests. Children’s social competence is supported in an environment that provides a range of experiences indoors and outdoors. Te ao Māori is integrated into daily practice and te reo Māori is heard and seen in the environment and within documentation. Assessment captures parent voice, aspirations and children’s learning progression over time. The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences.
Health and safety procedures are monitored and consistently implemented. Effective governance and management systems are in place.
ERO found an area of non-compliance in the service relating to:
the premises not holding a current annual building warrant of fitness.
[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, PF3]
ERO recommends the Ministry follows up with the service provider to ensure that the non-compliance identified in this report is addressed promptly.
The next ERO review will be in consultation with the Ministry of Education.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
16 March 2022
|
Early Childhood Service Name |
First Years Baby Care |
|
Profile Number |
47835 |
|
Location |
Whanganui |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
20 children, including up to 20 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
|
Service roll |
29 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 4, NZ European/Pākehā 23, Other ethnic groups 2. |
|
Review team on site |
February 2022 |
|
Date of this report |
16 March 2022 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
First ERO review of the service. |
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.
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.
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.