Matakana Playcentre - 15/11/2013

• On this page:

• 1 Evaluation of Matakana Playcentre
• 2 Information about the Early Childhood Service
• 3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

1 Evaluation of Matakana Playcentre

How well placed is Matakana Playcentre to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Matakana Playcentre is a parent-led cooperative which operates within the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association provides support, personnel and organisational frameworks for parent education programmes and to guide centre operation and management.

The playcentre, situated on its own site in Matakana township, is an attractive and well-resourced centre. It is open two mornings a week, providing an open session for children up to 6 years of age. The centre recently experienced a decline in membership as children moved onto school.

This review was part of a cluster of twelve playcentre reviews in the North Shore Playcentre Association.

The Review Findings

The current members are working hard to attract new families to the centre. They are united in their endeavour to maintain the effective operation of this valued community resource. Members have collectively developed a shared vision for the future development of the centre to help ensure that it meets the aspirations and needs of parents/whānau and children. The playcentre philosophy is one of families learning and growing together.

Children of all ages happily play alongside each other and confidently interact with all adults in the centre. Older children respond well to the encouragement to support younger children in their play. Adults are attentive to children’s needs and interests and some are very skilled at extending children’s thinking and exploration. The ongoing redevelopment of the outdoor environment to support more natural encounters and exploration for children is an exciting prospect for families and their children’s education.

The programme is planned by adults in response to children’s interests. Adults identify programme themes and provide a range of group activities to foster and extend children’s enquiry and learning. They maintain a daily record of activities to support the development of records of learning for each child. Experienced members support each other to identify the learning that is happening and how they can encourage further learning.

Bicultural practices are respectfully integrated in the programme and environment. Members acknowledge the need to continue to develop their confidence in the use of te reo Māori. They have also identified the need to establish more deliberate ways of supporting children’s transition to school.

Adults work together collaboratively to share management roles and responsibilities. Centre members have maintained a commitment to involvement in education courses. They benefit from focused training workshops and appreciate in-house training provided by the association. Annual planning goals are under review to more clearly focus on improving education for children. Centre members continue to build their self review capacity using review formats provided by the Association. More formalised review processes would help members to evaluate their progress towards identified goals.

The centre is well supported by the local community and the North Shore Playcentre Association. The association is providing targeted support and development as needed by Matakana Playcentre members.

Key Next Steps

ERO and the centre members agree that improving parent training levels will further strengthen:

• planning to identify and extend children’s learning and progress over time
• the quality of interaction to challenge and extend children’s thinking and exploration.

ERO also recommends that centre members are supported by North Shore Playcentre Association to improve their understanding, documentation and use of self review.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Matakana 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:

• 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.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Matakana Playcentre will be in three years.

Dale Bailey

National Manager Review Services Northern Region

15 November 2013

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

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:

• Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
• Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
• Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
• Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

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.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

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:

• Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
• Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
• Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
• Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

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.