Playcentre Aotearoa’s
Review, Research and Evolvement Policy

Purpose
In order for Playcentre Aotearoa to deliver ongoing high-quality early childhood education, educator/kaiako development and community connections nationwide, we regularly review and evolve our practices – the way we educate and learn, the way we work together, and the way we govern and manage our Centres.

Playcentre Aotearoa does this collaboratively and we encourage our Playcentre people to be involved in developing our strategy and operational ways of working such as our philosophy, policies, and procedures which outline how our day-to-day operations are to be conducted.

Additionally, we sometimes fund and facilitate research into our services and programmes to continually learn and evolve what we do.

  • The purpose of this policy is: to effectively manage and evolve our ways of working in accordance with good professional inclusive practices
  • to comply with required education and early childhood service regulations

Internal Evaluation

We engage in professional and robust informal and formal internal evaluation practices which seek to maintain and improve the outcomes for our tamariki and their whānau.
We ensure the completion of all professional practice documentation required for licensing and other compliance as well as meeting good professional standards. This includes robust annual planning and budgeting.

Our curriculum is regularly reviewed at Centres, with regional guidance, to ensure our tamariki’s learning is well supported and resourced. This is documented in daily session evaluations, formal Centre planning discussions held at least once a term, and Centre Advisor visit reporting.

Centres regularly engage in internal evaluation to reflect on their teaching and learning practices. This will include shorter emergent reviews and longer term in-depth strategic reviews; focussing on the role of the adult and aiming to improve learning outcomes for tamariki.

Our policies and procedures have a one to threeyear scheduled review cycle to ensure they meet both Playcentre and Ministry of Education requirements and that they are current and achievable.

Our annual planning and budgeting programme is informed by the Playcentre Aotearoa strategic plan, recent internal and external performance and compliance reviews, for example Education Review Office reports, and guidance from National and Regional Teams. Plans and budgets are developed, delivered and monitored at each Centre, and in National Team portfolios. They include key goals and projects, and development areas which are regularly reported against to key Playcentre stakeholders such as our Centre members for Centre plans and budgets.

Our employees are engaged in regular performance and development conversations with their manager. The Trustee Board holds the performance conversation with the Chief Executive.

Involving our People

We acknowledge our people are an integral part of our decision- making process as outlined in our philosophy, governance and operating structures and decision-making framework.

Our Playcentre policies and procedures are made available to all people in Playcentre – online and at local Centres in print for at-hand Centre reference and sharing.

Our Centres keep our Playcentre people up-todate about the reviews being undertaken at Centre and more widely, and we expect them to be involved in curriculum planning and reviews. We encourage interested and representational input on new and updated plans, policies and procedures.

As an organisation, we are open to input, feedback and ideas from our Playcentre people to how we could improve on what we do.

Learning through Research

As a key New Zealand early childhood education provider and advocate of parent-led education, Playcentre Aotearoa often receives requests for research to be conducted amongst our Playcentre communities and in our Playcentre environments.

As a matter of principle, we support and will facilitate research into our services and programmes, where the research will have valued benefit to Playcentre and our whanau without disadvantaging or burdening our Playcentre people and resources.

We have an established Research Fund for the purposes of funding or supporting research to provide evidence of Playcentre’s effect in communities.

All research proposals and applications must follow our Research procedures for approval at the appropriate levels highlighting the purpose of the research, required involvement and participation, care of information, and
timeframes. Access to our information, our people and our environments will be determined as part of the approval process.

The Trustees oversee the use of any available research funding and the Chief Executive will consider on any research proposals and applications that initiate externally or have national or significant impact or importance.

Approval will be dependent on Playcentre Aotearoa’s strategic research priorities. We may withdraw approval at any time during the period of research should priorities change or the research programme not be progressing as
proposed or in a manner acceptable to Playcentre Aotearoa.

All research done will be in accordance with laws of privacy and confidentiality, and our expectation of respect and robust ethical considerations, such as the ethical guidelines set out by New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). All findings will be shared with Playcentre Aotearoa. It is expected that research founded in our Playcentre environments will provide us with new insight and understanding, allowing the continued
development of our Playcentre offering.

Independent research into our services will retain the intellectual property rights unless otherwise clarified at time of approval. Instead Playcentre Aotearoa expects to be credited in any published reports and articles for the support provided to the researcher, and to also share the ability to reference the research.