52 Vautier Street, Napier South, Napier
View on mapCity Childrens Centre
City Childrens Centre
1 ERO’s Judgements
Akarangi | 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 (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for City Childrens Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whakaū Embedding |
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whakaū Embedding |
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
2 Context of the Service
City Childrens Centre is one of two community-based services governed by the Napier Community Childcare Centres Trust Inc. A centre manager leads the service, supported by team leaders across three age group areas. The centre philosophy prioritises working in partnership with whānau to support tamariki.
3 Summary of findings
The core values of the centre philosophy are clearly evident in the daily curriculum. Strong care-based relationships and ongoing conversation support learning and exploration. Tamariki interests and strengths are well known and responded to by kaiako throughout the centre. Kaiako use what they know about tamariki to inform their developing local curriculum. Tamariki experience a strong sense of belonging that supports their learning.
Māori tamariki and whānau see their language, culture and identity valued in the centre environment and programme. Kaiako seek and use the views of tamariki, parents and whānau about their language and culture to inform some planning and curriculum. Experiences and assessment practices for tamariki are enhanced by kaiako strengthening how they seek and utilise whānau aspirations to determine priorities for learning.
Barriers to participation are effectively identified and removed to support positive experiences for tamariki. There is a clear focus of equity in relationships and communication for the diversity of tamariki and whānau in the centre. The governing board plays an important role in ensuring there is a lens on equity in systems and processes. Tamariki benefit from a team and leadership structure that is cohesive and improvement focused.
High levels of relational trust amongst the team promote collaboration. A distributed leadership approach by re-establishing team leaders has had a positive impact on outcomes for children. Leaders have identified the need to strategically grow capability across the centre to support growth in evaluation practices to support outcomes for tamariki. Learning for tamariki is enhanced through a cohesive approach by kaiako that contributes to ongoing improvement.
4 Improvement actions
City Childrens Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
- develop a strategic approach to internal evaluation that is clearly linked to positive outcomes for children and impacts on teachers’ professional growth cycle
- embed the individualised planning process across the centre and evaluate its effectiveness on equitable outcomes for children that reflect individual language, culture, and identity
- develop the cultural competence of the team to establish and deliver a rich local curriculum.
5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements
Before the review, the staff and management of City Childrens Centre 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.
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:
- 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 registration; ratios)
- evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Shelley Booysen
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
20 December 2021
6 About the Early Childhood Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
City Childrens Centre |
Profile Number |
55087 |
Location |
Napier |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2. |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80-99% |
Service roll |
52 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 18, NZ European/Pākehā 24, Other ethnic groups 10. |
Review team on site |
October 2021 |
Date of this report |
20 December 2021 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Assurance Review, November 2019; Education Review, October 2017. |
City Childrens Centre - 27/11/2019
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 found the service was taking reasonable steps to meet regulatory standards.
Background
City Childrens Centre is a community-based service governed by a parent board of trustees. A newly appointed centre manager oversees management of the service.
Teachers have been involved in professional learning to address the issues from ERO’s 2017 evaluation and the provisional licence issued by the Ministry of Education in 2018. A full licence was re-issued in April 2019.
Summary of Review Findings
The service’s curriculum is informed by revised systems for assessment and planning that are consistent with the principles of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. Parents and whānau are involved in decision-making about the service and their child’s learning.
An annual plan and philosophy guide the service’s operation. Health and safety procedures are monitored and changes made when required. Premises and facilities are resourced to provide for the learning and abilities of the children attending.
Key Next Steps
A key next step for the centre is to strengthen the extent to which information about children’s learning reflects their identity, language and culture.
Next ERO Review
The next ERO review of City Childrens Centre is likely to be an Education Review.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
27 November 2019
Information About the Service
Early Childhood Service Name |
City Childrens Centre |
Profile Number |
55087 |
Location |
Napier |
Service type |
Education and care service |
Number licensed for |
50 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 |
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
Reported ratio of staff to children under 2 |
1:3 - Better than regulatory standards. |
Reported ratio of staff to children over 2 |
1:6 - Better than regulatory standards. |
Service roll |
40 |
Gender composition |
Male 23, Female 17 |
Ethnic composition |
Māori 18 |
Review team on site |
October 2019 |
Date of this report |
27 November 2019 |
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, October 2017 |
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.