Overview

The centre’s Kaiārahi Mārautanga (curriculum leaders) hypothesised that strengthening and extending the approach would impact positively on relationships, documentation, and assessment practices.

The idea that anyone in any whānau is valued and is valuable. And so, when one part of that whānau is about to transform into something else or is about to go through some change, everyone is part of that journey. No one is left behind; you move through it together. It is called pā harakeke and it is often looked at as an intergenerational thing, everyone is part of that. Not just the kaiako, but the whānau and the wider whānau. I really love that; you never leave home in other words.

Māori Advisory Group member

Central to the change was a shift from a ‘key kaiako’ system to a ‘wraparound’ system that meant each tamaiti and their whānau has a consistent and developing relationship with a small group of kaiako throughout their time at the centre. Additional innovations included use of WhatsApp to augment face-to-face communication, the introduction of home visits, and a more thorough settling-in process.

The inquiry achieved all that was hoped for in terms of relationship-building, smoothed transitions, and assessment practices that reflect in-depth knowledge of each tamaiti and are inclusive of whānau. Unexpectedly, there was also a positive impact on team cohesion and on people’s understanding of and commitment to the centre’s shared philosophy. Across the centre, there is a sense of manaakitanga, and people feel that they belong.

The inquiry story

The project involved all the parents, tamariki, and kaiako at Childspace Ngaio. It also involved the centre’s Māori Advisory Group and kaiako at a local school. The inquiry team was made up of the centre’s Kaiārahi Marautanga.

What was the focus?

The purpose of this inquiry was for kaiako at Childspace Ngaio to implement a ‘continuity of care and learning approach’ and examine its impact on the wellbeing and learning outcomes for tamariki. By ‘continuity of care and learning’ they meant an approach that is sustained and consistent throughout a child’s time at their centre.

Kaiako recognised that each tamaiti experiences five significant transitions during their time at the centre:

• from home to centre
• between four different age groups in four separate physical rooms
• from centre to school

The centre had already established what it calls a ‘continuity approach’ between the infant and toddler rooms and it had a ‘key teacher’ system in place, so that each tamaiti had a primary caregiver. But those leading this inquiry felt the approach could be strengthened and extended throughout the centre, and into the relationships between the centre, home, and local school. In sum, the inquiry team hoped to:

• create bridges between home and centre so that tamariki could see that their centre was inclusive of their parents and whānau and part of the wider world
• smooth transitions through learning by ensuring that each tamaiti had a consistent relationship with at least one kaiako as they moved along their learning pathway
• explore how to continue with a ‘wrap-around’ approach to care and learning through into the first six months at school.

The team developed the following inquiry question: How does the implementation of a wrap-around continuity of care approach throughout the whole centre impact kaiako practice in relation to: (1) coherent pathways; (2) consistent relationships; (3) whānau involvement; and (4) planning and assessment to improve learning outcomes for tamariki?

What did the teachers try?

The following strategies were tried:

• Authentic partnerships with whānau: The centre developed a flexible approach to settling in tamaiti that focused strongly on helping whānau to feel comfortable, relaxed, and that they belonged. On average, whānau made over ten settling visits to the centre before their child’s first day. Kaiako took time to get to know whānau at a personal level. Some whānau wanted clarity as well as flexibility, so the kaiako developed a booklet with pathway guidelines explaining the teaching philosophy and what to expect as tamaiti moved through the centre. The aim was to create a triadic relationship between kaiako, tamariki, and whānau that would be maintained through to the transition to school.
• Home visits: Each tamariki had two key kaiako. The centre offered home visits by these kaiako as part of the settling in period. The visits were offered towards the end of this period, were not mandatory, and could take place at an alternative venue (such as a café or park). Kaiako took a small koha, such as a resource the tamaiti had enjoyed playing with.
• Avenues for communication: The centre formed WhatsApp groups for key kaiako, parents, and other significant adults to share and celebrate moments of learning and care. They were clear about its purpose as an addition to face-to-face communication, and not a replacement.
• Whole team approach: The key kaiako system was changed to create four layers of support: a key kaiako wraps around a tamaiti and their whānau during the settling-in period; two more kaiako wrap around this unit and have equal responsibility with the key kaiako for relationships, information sharing, and response to learning; the whole team wraps around to support all tamariki, whānau, and kaiako through all their pathways.
• Whanaunga wrap-around kaiako: When a tamariki moves rooms, their key kaiako or one of the wraparound kaiako now moves with them.
• Pathway rituals: Nuances in daily rituals (such as those around toileting, eating, and sleeping) were made explicit to whānau, including through a handout. The team develop a pathway ritual that would be the same in each room. This includes a tour of the room for parents and a welcoming hui for tamariki.
• Continuity cycle and pathway kaiako: A ‘gap in the system’ was closed by having a kaiako who works with the centre’s oldest tamariki work with them on the transition to school while also spending time in the infant room as a wrap-around kaiako. They would then move on to become a key kaiako in the infant room.
• Consistent philosophy: The team investigated how the centre’s philosophy was being enacted in the daily rituals in each room. It found a great deal of consistency, but also some differences, such as in the heights of changing tables and the ways hui were conducted in one room. With the support of the Māori advisory group, the team considered how better to integrate the home cultures and identities of tamariki into the centre, for example, in the approach to kai time. A decision was made that while most kaiako would rotate thought each of the rooms, the four Kaiārahi Mātauranga would remain in their rooms to mentor their colleagues and maintain continuity.
• Strengthened pathways to school: The key kaiako now accompanies tamariki and whānau on school visits and regular small group visits to the local school have begun. Some of the language of The New Zealand Curriculum is being used at the centre.
• Documentation and assessment practices: The team compared learning stories from before and after implementation of the continuity approach to assess the impact on coherent pathways, consistent relationships, and whānau involvement. They wanted to see whether documentation would be more in-depth and supportive of their intended outcomes.

What happened as a result of this innovation?

The outcomes were as follows:

• Authentic partnerships with whānau: When whānau were surveyed, they said that the time spent building relationships with kaiako had given them a sense of trust and belonging and that these relationships played an important part in ensuring their tamariki transitioned comfortably from home to centre. The pathway guidelines proved to be useful conversation starters during other ‘settling in’ times, such as when tamariki moved between rooms or on to school. The triadic relationship between kaiako, tamariki, and whānau was mana-enhancing for tamariki and enabled open conversations between the adults.
• Home visits: The parents of all but two of the tamariki took up the opportunity for a home visit. Whānau said that the visits built trust and made them feel more comfortable. They enabled them to show kaiako what they really cared about and made them feel that the kaiako cared about them and their tamaiti. Relationships were strengthened, and whānau seemed more willing to open up with questions or concerns. Kaiako noticed that the two tamariki whose whānau had chosen not to have a home visit took longer to settle in and found it more difficult to make connections to their home environment, rituals, and culture.
• Avenues for communication: The vast majority of both parents and kaiako said that their preferred means of communication was through the combination of face-to-face communication and the WhatsApp groups. The Whats App groups, along with the home visits, worked to strengthen whānau involvement with and collaboration on curriculum planning and assessment.
• Whole team approach: The whole team approach means tamariki always have familiar kaiako in the room with them – there is less disruption when their key kaiako is not there. The team and advisory group developed a new image to capture the concept of tamaiti residing within the loving arms of their whānau, key kaiako, wraparound kaiako, and the whole centre. The images also represents the key values the centre community identified: aroha, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, whakaute, kaitiaki, kotahitanga, and hononga.
• Whanaunga wrap-around kaiako: Tamariki have a key kaiako who is with them through all their learning pathways. They also have the support of familiar wrap around kaiako who move just ahead or after them. The system also helps kaiako through their transitions, so that their well-being is also enhanced. Kaiako are gaining the flexibility to work in all four rooms, learning the nuances of how the centre’s philosophy is expressed in each of them.
• Pathway rituals: The pathway ritual helps ensure everyone knows what is happening during a transition and fosters a sense of connection. Whānau and tamariki feel more comfortable entering a new room when they know where things are and how things are done.
• Continuity cycle and pathway kaiako: Kaiako who teach the oldest tamariki are still those who work with them to support their transition to school. But now they also spend time building relationships with kaiako and tamariki in the infant room and reacquainting themselves with the rituals there. This prepares them to transition full-time into the infant room, stepping into the role of key kaiako.
• Consistent philosophy: There are shared understandings of the centre’s philosophy, and the rhythms and rituals of each room are familiar. Tamariki have a sense of belonging as they move through the rooms. The rooms are opening up to each other, physically and through greater collaboration between kaiako. A sense of manaakitanga throughout the centre means whānau know they have a place wherever they are.
• Strengthened pathways to school: This is an area of work that has just begun. However, whānau and tamariki have said that they appreciate having a familiar person with them on the school visits, and kaiako at school have been glad of the additional information and support offered by the centre kaiako.
• Documentation and assessment practices: The document analysis revealed greater continuity in tamariki learning and assessment and increased whānau involvement. Kaiako know tamariki better and can reflect on past interests and strengths to look forward to new possibilities.

Unexpected outcomes include strengthened relationships between the Kaiārahi Mātauranga as they worked together towards a vision that was initially only shared by a few members of the team. All staff are now passionately committed to the new approach and can articulates its benefits. There is a sense of camaraderie and pride in what they do.

What did they learn?

The Kaiārahi Mātauranga can identify multiple positive outcomes from their inquiry but believe the most significant relates to the importance of relationships and their central place within the centre’s teaching and learning philosophy. The relationship is not just about the tamaiti and the kaiako though; it is an interwoven web of relationships that work together to create nurturing support for everyone who walks through the centre’s doors. By keeping relationships central to all they do, the centre has created a philosophy that upholds the mana of their unique and ever changing whānau through a pā harakeke approach.

Inquiry team

The project was led by Bobbi-Jo Burkitt. She was joined on the inquiry team by her fellow Kaiārahi Mātauranga: Bridget McBride, Ali Porteous, Heather Kerr, and Taylor-Jayne Heads.

The team was supported by Childspace’s principal, Lauren Ryan, and by its Māori Advisory Group.

The project’s critical Friend was Dr Janis Carroll-Lind (Te Rito Maioha │ Early Childhood New Zealand).

For further information

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact the project leader, Bobbi-Jo Burkitt, at ngaio@childspace.co.nz

Reference list

You can contact Childspace Ngaio for a much more  extensive bibliography.

Aguillard, A. E., Pierce, S. H., Benedict, J. H., & Burts, D. C. (2005). Barriers to the implementation of continuity-of-care practices in child care centers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 20, 329–344.

Christie, T. (2011). Respect: A practitioner’s guide to calm and nurturing infant care and education. Childspace Early Learning Institute.

Lang, S. (2014). Relationships between parents and early childhood teachers: The importance of cocaring for parents, infants and toddlers. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ohio State University.

Lyon, M., & Christie, T. (2019). Rituals: Making the everyday extraordinary in early childhood. (2^nd ed). Childspace Early Childhood Institute.

Ministry of Education. (2017). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

Sommer, D. (2012). A childhood psychology. Young children in changing times. Reflections on a paradigm shift. London: Palgrave-MacMillan.

White, J., Hansen, K., Hawkes, K., Redder, B, Lord, W., & Perks, N. (2018). Key teaching (primary caregiving?) practices during infant transitions to ECEC in Aotearoa New Zealand. The First Years: Ngā Tau Tuatahi. New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education 20, 5–13.

Winnicott, D. W. (2014). Through paediatrics to pyscho-analysis. New York: Routledge.