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=EF=BB=BFDargaville Free Kindergarten 25/05/2009

=EF=BB=BFCommunity Page

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Dargaville Kindergarten operates under the = umbrella=20 of the Northland Kindergarten Association and staff are offered = professional=20 advice by Association representatives. A very enthusiastic and effective = parent=20 group has provided valuable financial support to sustain the operation = of the=20 kindergarten. Centre managers report that the Government subsidy for 20 = hours of=20 early childhood education has considerably relieved day-to-day financial = pressures on the centre.

Since the 2006 ERO review, improvements to = the=20 building have benefited children, teachers and parents. Painting has = brightened=20 the interior environment and the centre layout has been successfully = changed.=20 The children's bathroom has been upgraded. The kitchen has been = refurbished and=20 the office has been extended. Plans are gradually being worked through = to=20 address an ongoing problem of land subsidence.

Children are independent learners who = explore=20 activities with interest and enjoy creative and imaginative play. They = engage=20 well in the programme and have developed close relationships with their = peers=20 and teachers. Children readily access and fully use the wide variety of = learning=20 experiences available to them.

Parents express satisfaction with the = education and=20 care that their children receive at the kindergarten. Warm reciprocal=20 relationships between parents and teachers are evident. Parents, = including the=20 M=C4=81ori parents who spoke to ERO during the course of this review, = report that=20 their children are thriving in the positive learning environment.

Teachers' interactions with children are = positive,=20 frequent and purposeful. Teachers provide high levels of child-centred = learning=20 opportunities that extend children's thinking. They use open-ended = questions=20 skilfully to guide children's learning and exploration of ideas through = play.=20 Staff turnover has slowed the development of assessment and evaluation = of=20 children's learning. Teachers have continued to develop self-review = procedures=20 and some further refining of these practices should ensure the regular = review of=20 all areas of centre operations.

Since the 2006 ERO review, staff turnover = has made=20 it difficult for the new head teacher to build a cohesive team. An = increase in=20 staff numbers has been a direct result of the lengthening of the = kindergarten's=20 operating hours. This diversification has also resulted in improved = teacher to=20 child ratios. Now staff, under the guidance of the head teacher, should=20 establish stronger team relationships and work together on improving the = learning programmes for children.

The teachers and ERO have agreed that = further work=20 in the areas of programme planning and self review should improve the = quality of=20 education and care provided for children.

Future Action

ERO is confident that the service is being = managed=20 in the interests of the children. Therefore ERO is likely to review the = service=20 again as part of the regular review cycle.

When ERO has reviewed an early childhood = centre we=20 encourage management to inform their community of any follow up action = they plan=20 to take. You should talk to the management or licensee if you have any = questions=20 about this evaluation, the full ERO report or their future intentions. =

If you would like a copy of the full = report, please=20 contact the centre or see the ERO website, http://www.ero.govt.nz.

Elizabeth Ellis

Area Manager

for Chief Review Officer

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT REVIEWS =

About ERO

ERO is an independent, external evaluation = agency=20 that undertakes reviews of schools and early childhood services = throughout New=20 Zealand.

About ERO Reviews

ERO follows a set of standard procedures = to conduct=20 reviews. The purpose of each review is to:

=C2=B7 improve quality of education for = children in=20 early childhood centres; and

=C2=B7 provide information to parents, = communities and=20 the Government.

Reviews are intended to focus on outcomes = for=20 children and build on each centre's self review.

Review Focus

ERO's framework for reviewing and = reporting is based=20 on four review strands.

=C2=B7 Quality of Education - including = the quality of=20 the programme provided for children, the quality of the learning = environment and=20 the quality of the interactions between staff and children and how these = impact=20 on outcomes for children.

=C2=B7 Additional Review Priorities - = other aspects of=20 the operation of a centre, may be included in the review. ERO will not = include=20 this strand in all reviews.

=C2=B7 Areas of National Interest - = information about=20 how Government policies are working in early childhood centres.

=C2=B7 Compliance with Legal = Requirements - assurance=20 that this centre has taken all reasonable steps to meet legal = requirements.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews do not cover every aspect of = centre=20 performance and each ERO report may cover different issues. The aim is = to=20 provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for = children and useful to this centre.

Review Recommendations

Most ERO reports include recommendations = for=20 improvement. A recommendation on a particular issue does not necessarily = mean=20 that a centre is performing poorly in relation to that issue. There is = no direct=20 link between the number of recommendations in this report and the = overall=20 performance of this centre.

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Disclaimer

Individual ERO school and early = childhood=20 centre reports are public information and may be copied or sent=20 electronically. However, the Education Review Office can guarantee = only=20 the authenticity of original documents which have been obtained in = hard=20 copy directly from either the local ERO office or ERO Corporate = Office in=20 Wellington. Please consult your telephone book, or see the ERO web = page,=20 http://www.ero.govt.nz, for ERO office addresses. =

This report has been prepared in accordance with standard procedures = approved=20 by the Chief Review Officer.

Download = Report=20

Related=20 reports:
Education=20 Review (23/02/2006)

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=EF=BB=BFDargaville Free Kindergarten : Education = Review=20 25/05/2009=20
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