Community Ownership: Parents likely have a strong say in how the service operates and what happens to children, all money earnt stays within it, and teachers may be paid better and childcare charges may be lower compared to most (but not necessarily all) private and corporate owned services. (Ask: Is it an Incorporated Society? Does it also have charitable status?)
Small Boutique Centre: Centres with 50 or fewer children make it easier for staff to provide a warm and nurturing environment, for children to have their individual needs met and skills, knowledge, and competencies extended. (Ask: For continuity of care and relationships, do children stay with the same group of children and teachers throughout their time at the service?)
100% Qualified Teacher Funded: All staff counted toward meeting the minimum adult-child ratio requirement must hold a practising certificate as a teacher if the service receives this level of Ministry of Education funding. (Ask: Does the service count teachers trained in the ECE of children birth to 5 years and not primary or secondary school trained teachers?)
Men Included on Teaching Staff (as at last year): There are strong benefits of having both men and women on the teaching team for the quality of care and education a service provides to children. Additionally, gender bias in staff recruitment and employment is not generally acceptable in society today. (Ask: How many teaching staff are employed and what proportion are men?)
(as at last year):
Clean Licence Record (last year and the year before): To be licensed a service must comply with regulations that help ensure children’s safety, care, and a suitable standard of education. When requirements are breached the Ministry of Education may downgrade a service’s licence to provisional or issue a suspension. (Check the lists of services placed on a provisional or suspended licence https://oece.nz/public/information/standards/ published each year)
(last year and year before):
Recommended Highly by 80% or More Families: At least 80% of families recommend the service and rate it as being very good to excellent on a range of aspects of quality. (Note that a response rate of at least 51% families on the OECE parent survey https://oece.nz/public/information/resources/parent-survey/ research instrument within the last three years is necessary here)
3 Reviews on “Barnardos Early Learning Centre Hastings”
We absolutely LOVE Barnardos Hastings. I have 2 tamariki who attend/ed, so we’ve had experience in both the Under and Over 2 spaces. The staff have been great with all the kids- it’s so lovely to see them interacting. My girls’ interests have been cultivated and their skills have grown so much.
We picked Barnardos because the location was great, the gardens are lovely, and their mission is inspiring. They’ve been flexible in scheduling as my girls have grown and have been very proactive in supporting the whānau since day 1.
We love how much communication there is about the kids, and our kids really enjoy all of the different ways they’re engaged and loved. The pets are a hit and my little one was been there since she was tiny, so she absolutely adores going to see her friends and “Aunties”. Messy play, water play, gardening, delicious (nutritious) snacks, art, music, NZSL….just a few things we’ve enjoyed.
We chose Barnardo’s for both of our children because of the nurturing, caring staff. It feels more like taking your children to family which is very reassuring. We like the garden and stimulating activities. We appreciate the exposure our girls have to different cultures and the emphasis on Maori culture, language and values. Both of our children have thrived there and that is down to the environment created by the fantastic staff.
Fantastic friendly caring and experienced staff. Homely environment. Both of my children have loved their time at the centre