Peachgrove Playcentre

Here is the latest report for the Governing Organisation that this service is part of. 

https://ero.govt.nz/governing-organisation/te-whanau-tupu-ngatahi-o-aotearoa-playcentre-aotearoa

1 Evaluation of Peachgrove Playcentre

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

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

Background

Peachgrove Playcentre is a family cooperative early childhood service where parents and children from diverse cultures learn alongside one another. It provides education and care for children from birth to school age in both mixed-age and extension sessions for older children. At the time of this ERO review there were 46 children on the roll including 12 Māori children.

The service promotes an expectation that members take collective responsibility for centre leadership. Centre leadership is promoted and fostered through a well-planned and supportive mentoring and education programme. A high proportion of parents participate in advanced courses that contribute to high quality sessions and the ongoing sustainability of the service. Centre members express appreciation for the support they receive in order to grow their parenting skills and knowledge, and the strong and meaningful relationships they have developed with other families.

The centre philosophy emphasises the importance of parents engaging in meaningful learning and play alongside children. The service embraces the Playcentre Aotearoa principles of whanaungatanga, aroha, manaakitanga and the promotion of te reo and tikanga Māori.

The association’s strategic commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi is evident in its bicultural leadership model. High value is placed on productive partnerships with Māori whānau. The association’s commitment to Ka Hikitia has resulted in clear expectations for supporting and developing members’ understanding, confidence and competence in te ao Māori.

Since the 2012 ERO review, the centre has made substantial improvements to the building, grounds and resources. A particular feature of these improvements is the interior acoustic panels that have reduced noise levels, and have created a calm and peaceful learning environment for children and adults. In addition, the centre has made very good progress in addressing the area for development related to strengthening Te ao Māori, which is now strongly evident in the environment and centre programme.

The New Zealand Playcentre Federation and the Waikato Playcentre Association (WPA) continue to provide effective governance, strategic direction, management support and adult education programmes for the centre. This support and training is underpinned by the WPA philosophy 'Whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together'.

This review was part of a cluster of 8 reviews in the Waikato Playcentre Association umbrella organisation.

The Review Findings

Children are empowered to take responsibility for their learning and well-being. They experience warm, positive interactions with each other and adults. Older children are developing tuakana/teina leadership skills and are encouraged to guide, support and involve their siblings and other toddlers and infants in their play.

Babies and toddlers enjoy secure family relationships, familiar routines and are included in all aspects of the curriculum. Flexible routines and rhythms of the day provide babies with a secure, predictable and a calm environment that effectively supports them to develop socially, emotionally and physically.

Children demonstrate high levels of confidence and well being as they explore and learn in a spacious environment. They have easy access to a range of equipment and natural resources that they use in interesting and creative ways to extend their learning. Children are well supported to express their ideas and opinions, develop an understanding of early literacy and mathematics concepts, take risks and build their physical competence. A particular feature of the centre is the way families frequently capitalise on the potential of outdoor adventure camps, marae visits and local parks to enhance children's understanding of the environment, te ao Maori and the natural world.

Planning and assessment is strongly focused on developing children's strengths and emerging interests. The centre philosophy and Te Whāriki are effectively used as a framework to support and guide planning and assessment practices. Members are highly collaborative in their approach to assessment and planning where more experienced members support newer members to build their understanding about documenting children's learning and development. There is a strong culture of growing professional and reflective practice amongst parents.

All children benefit from the diverse cultures represented in the centre. This diversity is enriching the curriculum by sharing festivals and celebrations with all playcentre families. Children from other cultures are able to communicate with their parents in their own language during sessions and learn English as a second language.

Māori whānau and tamariki are benefitting from the value placed on culturally responsive practices that promote their success. Centre members should now consider deepening their knowledge about the rich Tainui iwi history and integrating this into the curriculum and life of the centre. Extending the curriculum is likely to ensure the children and adults are able to regularly share and celebrate the language culture and identity of Tainui iwi.

Self-review systems and processes are well developed, embedded and contribute to continuous improvement and development of the service. In response to the area for development in the previous 2012 ERO report, centre leaders have worked effectively to develop a coherent and simplified strategic plan that is clearly aligned with centre goals and operations. A next step is for members to regularly document the outcomes of these goals.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Peachgrove 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 Peachgrove Playcentre will be in four years.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

10 June 2016

The Purpose of ERO Reports

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.

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.