YMCA Community Early Years 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

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

YMCA Community Early Years Learning Centre is a community based service, administered by YMCA Central. An area manager and centre manager oversee day to day operations. At the time of the review approximately a third of children enrolled identify as Māori and a small number as Indian.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is inclusive and responds to children as confident and competent learners. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Adults providing care and education engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships. Adults demonstrate an understanding of children’s developing social competence.

Children develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritage of both parties to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The curriculum supports children to be confident in their own culture and encourages them to understand and respect others.

Actions for Compliance

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

• furniture and items intended for children to sleep on are securely covered or made of a non porous material

• parents/caregivers have given prior written approval for their child’s participation and of the proposed ratio for regular excursions at the time of enrolment

• the services current licence certificate is prominently displayed

• a written procedure for safety checking all children’s workers including checks being undertaken by someone other than the person concern is completed before they have access to children and meets all the safety checking requirements of the Childrens Act 2014.

[Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education & Care Services 2008; PF30, HS17, GMA1, GMA7A]

Next ERO Review

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

24 May 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.

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

YMCA Community Early Years Learning Centre is a community based service, administered by YMCA Central. An area manager and centre manager oversee day-to-day operations. The 2019 and 2020 ERO reports identified a significant number of regulatory standards that were not being met. Progress is evident.

Summary of Review Findings

Children’s preferences are respected and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. Positive interactions with adults nurture reciprocal relationships. Children are encouraged to understand and respect other cultures. The curriculum provides children with a range of opportunities and a language rich environment that supports their learning.

The philosophy statement is guiding the service’s operation. Organisational systems provide ongoing support to manage and monitor health and safety requirements. Clear processes ensure human resource management and workforce safety checking requirements are met.

Key Next Steps

Next steps include:

• improving the extent to which assessment shows the impact of whānau aspirations
• improving the extent to which assessment shows children’s progress over time in relation to the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
• increasing children’s opportunities to hear and speak te reo Māori in meaningful learning contexts.

Actions for Compliance

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

• review of the service’s emergency management plan and implementation of improved practices as required (HS7)
• adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry these out with children on an at least three-monthly basis (HS8).

Next ERO Review

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

Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

24 February 2022 

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 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.