Heart and Soul 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

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

This is the second ERO review of Heart and Soul Early Learning Centre since a change of ownership in 2019. An owner and assistant manager lead a team of eight qualified teachers and nine staff. The centre’s philosophy promotes nature-based learning. Twenty percent of children in attendance are Māori.

Summary of Review Findings

The service curriculum is informed by assessment and planning that demonstrate an understanding of children’s learning, their interests, whānau, and life contexts. Adults providing education and care engage in meaningful, positive interactions to enhance children’s learning and nurture reciprocal relationships.

Teachers respect and support the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourage children to understand and respect other cultures. Children’s preferences are respected, and they are involved in decisions about their learning experiences. The learning environment provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities to enhance and extend their learning.

Consistent monitoring of systems and practices is required to maintain regulatory standards.

Key Next Steps

Next steps are to:

• Evaluate the extent to which curriculum documentation, including assessment records, demonstrates what children are learning at the service.

• Increase opportunities for children 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:

• Ensuring the premises is located in a building that has a current fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (HS4).

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

• Maintaining a record of the time each child attending the service sleeps, and checks made by adults during that time (HS9).

• Ensuring the temperature of warm water delivered from taps that are accessible to children is no higher than 40°C (HS13).

• Ensuring water stored in any hot water cylinder is kept at a temperature of at least 60°C (HS14).

• Having written permission for the proposed adult: child ratio and parental consent for regular excursions at the time of enrolment (HS17).

• Having written authority from parents for the administration of medication appropriate to the category of medicine given, and maintaining a medication register that accurately documents when medication was administered (HS28).

   

• Implementing a procedure for safety checking of all staff that meets the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 (GMA7A).

• Maintaining an attendance record that meets the requirements outlined in the Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook (GMA11).

Next ERO Review

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

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

28 June 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.