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)
4 Reviews on “The Ridge Childcare”
We changed centers at the beginning of the year and have not looked back.
Every time we pull in the drive way my eldest daughter yells “We’re Home!”
You have to be comfortable and confidant in the people who are caring our children and to say we are happy is an understatement.
The way I have seen the Kaiako interact and care for each and every child is impressive. The Ridge is a second family to my girls and for them to have the encouragement and support to grow, be creative and let loose whilst having boundaries is second to none.
I can not recommended The team and the center enough.
I absolutely love The Ridge. My son arrived from another country to a completely different environment and April and the team have gone over and above to love and care for him. The staff are always warm and kind to us as a family. We love the whole team.
Love the atmosphere here and all the hands on activities they set up for the kids.
Lovely teachers who are kind a patient with our kids.
My child has complained for months about being bullied by a member of staff – shouted at and intimidated.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. I’m truly sorry to hear that your child had a negative experience at our centre. We understand how concerning it must have been for you, and we take all feedback seriously as it helps us improve.
As the centre is now under new management with a fresh team of dedicated staff, we are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for all children. We have implemented new policies and training to ensure that every child feels valued and respected, and we actively foster positive relationships between staff, children, and whanau.
I understand that this may not change the experience you had, however we sincerely hope that you find peace of mind knowing that we work hard to ensure every child is treated with kindness, respect, and care.
If you have further concerns or feedback, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly.
Thank you again for your review, and we wish you and your family all the best.