Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Kaiwaka Playcentre is a parent cooperative, in which parents and whanau take responsibility for their children’s education and for centre operations. The Playcentre is part of the Northland Playcentre Association. The Association provides support personnel and organisational frameworks for parent education programmes and to guide centre management.
Kaiwaka Playcentre is open four days a week, providing two open sessions for children up to six years of age. The Playcentre is also open for two extended sessions which cater specifically for children over four years of age. A supervisor is employed for the extended sessions. This report is based on observations of an open and an extended session. Good practices identified in ERO’s 2010 report remain evident.
This review was part of a cluster approach to reviews of eight Playcentres within the Northland Playcentre Association.
The Playcentre philosophy of parents/whānau and children learning, playing and growing together is highly apparent. Respectful relationships are a feature of the programme. Adults value children’s knowledge and take the time to listen to children. They make purposeful responses to extend children’s learning in meaningful ways. Infants and toddlers are well provided for, with a specific area for these younger children, as well as opportunities to play in mixed-age groups. Older children are well supported to take the lead in their learning as decision-makers and investigators.
The supervisor models effective teaching practices. She is responsive to children’s ideas and skilfully prompts extension of learning through creative and imaginative play scenarios. She promotes use of te reo Māori in the context of children’s learning. Children confidently use te reo Māori during group times.
The programme is jointly planned by adults and children. Adult led extension activities are skilfully integrated alongside child-initiated learning. Individual records of learning are well developed. The supervisor and experienced Playcentre members clearly identify the learning that is happening in play and plan next steps for children’s individual learning.
Many members are involved in ongoing education courses. Adults share their learning and continue to improve the quality of the learning programme. They work together to collaboratively manage the centre.
Centre members continue to build their self-review capacity using review formats provided by the Playcentre association. Long-term planning is currently based on property development. Members are considering ways to focus these goals on improving learning outcomes for children.
ERO and centre members agree that key next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Kaiwaka Playcentre 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:
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.
The next ERO review of Kaiwaka Playcentre will be in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
27 September 2013
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
Location |
Kaiwaka |
||
Ministry of Education profile number |
16765 |
||
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
Number licensed for |
25 children, including up to 16 aged under 2 |
||
Service roll |
30 |
||
Gender composition |
Boys 16 Girls 14 |
||
Ethnic composition |
Māori NZ European/Pākehā Other |
8 19 3 |
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Meets minimum requirements |
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Meets minimum requirements |
|
Review team on site |
July 2013 |
||
Date of this report |
27 September 2013 |
||
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
April 2010 |
|
Education Review |
February 2007 |
||
Education Review |
February 2004 |
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.