Kiddie Garden Learning Corner

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 are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. Judgements are made in relation to the Outcomes Indicators, Learning and Organisational Conditions. The Evaluation Judgement Rubric derived from the indicators, is used to inform ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.

ERO’s judgements for Kiddie Garden Learning Corner are as follows:

2 Context of the Service

Kiddie Garden Learning Corner is owned by a qualified service provider who works with a centre manager to lead the teaching team. Small numbers of Māori children and children with Samoan heritage are enrolled. Other children attending reflect the ethnic diversity of the local community.

3 Summary of findings

Children’s wellbeing is supported through caring and responsive relationships with teachers. They have opportunities to choose where to play and explore. Teachers know children and their families well, and this is evident in displays and assessment documentation.

The environment reflects aspects of te ao Māori. Children have opportunities to hear and use te reo Māori during centre routines. Teachers create relevant cultural displays that celebrate the diverse cultures of the centre community, including for Pacific learners. Children are encouraged to make connections between their home, centre, and the local community. Teachers actively promote children’s language learning.

Curriculum planning is aligned with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and teachers record children’s learning using an established assessment process. These records show teachers’ encouragement of children’s investigation and exploration. Teachers plan activities and experiences in response to children’s interests. Parents share their aspirations for their children’s learning with teachers. and are encouraged to contribute to the curriculum.

Leaders foster positive working relationships with parents, and amongst the teaching team. There is evidence that internal evaluation processes lead to improved teaching practices. Having a more intentional focus on improving equitable outcomes for groups of children enrolled at this service is an area for development.

4 Improvement actions

Kiddie Garden Learning Corner will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:

• To increase teachers’ documented responses to children’s learning, within assessment, planning and evaluation, to align more closely with the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. 

• To build the evaluation capability of leaders and teachers, by using and evaluating quality indicators, to show the impact of improved teaching and curriculum practices on outcomes for children.

5 Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Kiddie Garden Learning Corner completed an ERO 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; safety checking; teacher registration; ratios)

• relevant evacuation procedures and practices.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

6 Action for Compliance

During the review, the service provided ERO with evidence that shows the following non-compliance has been addressed:

• All practicable steps are taken to get immediate medical assistance for a child who is seriously injured or becomes seriously ill, and to notify a parent of what has happened. This includes information on the recording of illnesses, including action taken and by whom, and evidence that the parents have been notified or informed (HS27).

Patricia Davey
Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

21 September 2023

7 About the Early Childhood Service