A

Adequate access

Adequate access in this context means that the facility: 

• can perform its function to the same level as if it were located on the premises
• can be used by the service whenever they require it
• is located close enough to the premises to ensure that people who need to use it can do so without difficulty, taking into account distance and comfort (such as not getting wet in bad weather), and
• if it is to be used by children, may be used by them in a manner that ensures their safety, supervision, and dignity can be assured.

Adults providing education and care

Kaiako, teachers, supervisors, parent helpers, kaiawhina, fa’iaoga, or other adults who have a designated role of providing education and care to children at a service and are included in required adult:child ratios.

Assessment

The process of noticing children’s learning, recognising its significance, and responding in ways that foster further learning. It includes documenting some, but not all, of what and how children are learning in order to inform teaching and make learning visible.

C

Culture

The understandings, patterns of behaviour, practices and values shared by a group of people.

E

Excursion

Excursion means being outside the licensed premises whilst receiving education and care from the service but does not include an outing for the purposes of:

• emergency evacuations
• drills or
• the receipt of urgent medical attention.

Regular excursion

Excursions that parents have agreed to at the time of their child’s enrolment, that are part of an ongoing planned and consistent routine of education and care.

Special excursion

Excursions that parents have agreed to prior to the excursion taking place, that are not a regular excursion.

M

Medicine

Any substance used for a therapeutic purpose and includes prescription and non-prescription preparations having the meaning assigned to these under Appendix 3.

Appendix 3: Categories of medicine for criterion HS28

N

Non-porous material

A material which does not allow water to pass through it.

P

Parent

• The person (or people) responsible for having the role of providing day-to-day care for the child.
• May include a biological or adoptive parent, stepparent, partner of a parent of a child, legal guardian or member of the child’s family, whānau or other culturally recognised family group.

Philosophy

Philosophy means a statement that:

• outlines the fundamental beliefs, values, and ideals that are important to the people involved in the service:
  • management
  • adults providing education and care
  • parents
  • whānau | families and
  • perhaps the wider community
• identifies what is special about the service; and
• is intended to be the basis for decisions about the way the service is managed and about its direction in the future.

Policy

A statement intended to influence and determine decisions, actions and other matters.

Premises

The land and buildings (or parts of buildings) intended for the exclusive use as a licensed early childhood education and care centre during hours of operation.

Procedure

A particular and established way of doing something.

Process

A goal-directed, interrelated series of actions, events, procedures or steps.

R

Records

Information or data on a particular subject collected and preserved.

Regulation

A regulation under the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.

Required adult:child ratio

The adult:child ratio with which the service provider is required to comply under regulation 44(1)(b) or any direction by the Secretary under regulation 54(2).

S

Service

An early childhood education and care centre.

Service curriculum

All of the experiences, interactions, activities and events – both direct and indirect, planned and spontaneous – that happen at the service. Teaching practices including planning, assessment and evaluation form part of the service curriculum.

Service provider

The body, agency or person who or that operates the early childhood education and care centre.

Shared facilities

Some facilities that can be located outside the premises, if services can demonstrate they have adequate access to them. For example, 2 separate ECE services located in the same building can share the same centrally located adult toilet, workspace, art sink and bodywash facilities.

This clarification of the Ministry of Education’s position on what ‘shared’ facilities are acceptable is also relevant for ECE services sharing tenancy with a non-ECE enterprise such as a school, business or church.

Allowing these shared facilities will save unnecessary duplication of expensive facilities while still achieving health and safety outcomes for children.

Specified agency

Any government agency or statutory body that an early childhood education and care service is required to notify if there is a serious (or as defined) injury, illness, incident or allegation. This may include but is not limited to:

• the New Zealand Police
• the Ministry of Health
• Oranga Tamariki
• WorkSafe New Zealand
• the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

T

Tempering Valve

Tempering Valve A tempering valve is a safety device fitted by a plumber designed to provide water to taps at a consistently controlled temperature. It works by mixing hot and cold water between the hot water source and the outlet.