Papatoetoe Kids 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

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

Papatoetoe Kids Early Learning Centre is one of five services that are part of Community KIDS Early Learning Centres (Fruition Education Limited). Two directors/owners and an operations manager work closely with the centre manager and teachers. The community is ethnically diverse. The majority of children are of Pacific heritages, and about a quarter are Māori.

Summary of Review Findings

The service’s curriculum is aligned to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. It is informed by assessment, planning, and evaluation that demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau, and life contexts.

Teachers engage in meaningful, positive interactions and nurture reciprocal relationships. A language-rich environment supports children’s learning and their developing social competence.

The design and layout of the premises support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences. This includes space for a range of individual and group learning experiences.

Consistent implementation of health and safety practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are to:

• Strengthen the extent to which information documented about children’s learning reflects their identity, languages and cultures.

• Increase the visibility of how kaiako are responding to children’s interests and dispositions, and to parents’ aspirations, in assessment, planning and evaluation information.

Actions for Compliance

Since the onsite visit, the service has provided ERO with evidence to show the following
non-compliances have been addressed:

• Ensuring heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured (HS6).

• Ensuring food records are completed with the type of food provided and available for inspection for 3 months after the food is served (HS19).

• Maintaining a record of training and/or information provided to adults who administer medicine to children (other than their own) while at the service (HS29).

Next ERO Review

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

17 October 2023 

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.