Childcare options in Glenview

BestStart Dixon Heights, a beautiful new centre in Glenview Hamilton, provides quality education and care for children aged between 3 months to 6 years old where the latest resources are designed to reflect our centre vision Nurture through Nature.

Nurture through Nature

At BestStart Dixon Heights our centre vision Nurture through Nature is strongly embedded in all that we do.  Our unique curriculum is inspired by the wonders of the natural world, creating deep rooted connections with Papatuanuku.

Regular excursions within our local community make up a huge part of our curriculum including farm school, walks around Lake Cameron, trips to the library and our local schools.  In partnership with the local council, we have taken on the role of kaitiaki or guardians of Te Inuwai Park.  This gives our tamariki the opportunity to make a real difference in Aotearoa ensuring our lands are cared for today and generations to come.   

Our Values / Philosophy:

Mana Whēnua - At BestStart Dixon Heights it’s important our centre family  experience an environment that supports and nurtures mana whenua (a sense of belonging).  We develop warm trusting relationships that we nurture over time and are meaningful for tamariki, whanau, and kaiako.     

Manaakitanga - Tamariki are our future leaders. We provide opportunities for our tamariki to practice manaakitanga, showing love, compassion and support for others. This encourages them to care, respect and be generous to each other and all living things – important skills for future leaders.  

Kaitiakitanga - As kaitiaki we all have a responsibility to care for and nurture Papatuanuku. Through kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land) our tamariki develop the knowledge and expertise to protect Aotearoa and acknowledge our whenua as a taonga. Manaakitanga guides our caring practices, reaffirming our vision to Nurture through nature.

Whānaungatanga - We acknowledge the uniqueness of self-identity, diverse backgrounds, and whakapapa.  Through whanaungatanga we endeavor to achieve mana whenua, belonging for tamariki, whānau, kaiako, and our community. 

Learning spaces - We have two separate learning spaces designed for children to support them as they grow and develop.

Who is BestStart?

BestStart is for families who want more from early-childhood education. Safe, nurturing and educationally focused, we’re committed to growing caring people with curious minds.

Together we teach, learn and nurture.

Our vision is to work in partnership with families, whanau and communities to enable children to achieve their learning potential.

Ko tō mātou tirohanga hei mahi ngātahi i te taha o ngā whānau me ngā hāpori, kia āwhinatia ngā tamariki, kia tū pito mata ai rāatou, hei rangatira mō āpōpō.

We are committed to being a progressive and responsive leader in early-childhood education. We do this by enhancing our services, investing in our people, developing our support structure and continuously improving the educational outcomes and experiences of our children, families and the communities we serve.

Some facts:

• We’re licensed to educate and care for 15,000 full-time children daily.
• 18,000 families use BestStart services annually.
• We have over 270 centres nationwide located from Whangarei to Invercargill.
• Each centre is managed by a Centre Manager who is supported by a local Area Manager. This gives our centre teams ongoing quality training and support.
• Te Whāriki, the world-wide acclaimed national early childhood education curriculum, is used in all centres.
• We have over 4500 permanent teachers nationally. Over 90% of our permanent teaching staff are either fully qualified with a diploma or bachelor of teaching (ECE) or higher, or are in training. These figures are very high by national standards within the ECE sector.
• We provide a two-year Advice and Guidance Programme for all recently certified teachers, providing further mentoring and training. This gives strong support for teachers from provisional registration to full teacher registration with the NZ Teachers Council.
• We regularly spend around $4 million on teacher training per annum.

We’re for children

At our heart is our commitment and passion for children. Central to this belief is our focus on the holistic development of children. We support children to explore the world around them, learning through relationships, creating a love of learning in an ever-changing world. Exploration, friendship and fun are part of the journey.

We’re for good

BestStart is a registered charity owned by the Wright Family Foundation. We support initiatives and programmes within BestStart and the wider early-childhood education sector (ECE) that support good outcomes for all children. We do this because we want to make a positive difference to the lives of all children.

Innovation leads us

At BestStart, innovation guides our thinking. We advocate positive change for learners through our research and practice. We’re proud to be thought leaders within ECE, openly challenging ourselves to think differently to provide the best for our children, families and staff.

We’re responsive

Our centres reflect their children, staff and communities. We celebrate individuality, uniqueness and diversity, encouraging a spirit of empathy, understanding and collaboration. Through our responsive relationships and our curriculum, we support learners to choose their own path.

Our people matter

At BestStart people come first. When we grow and develop our people, everyone benefits. We strive for whakamana/empowerment, nurturing a culture of excellence with engaged, talented professionals. Their commitment, skill and passion light our way.

About us

Tiny Nation is home-based care and education with a difference.

We believe that children have the best chance to flourish when they have secure attachments and a strong sense of belonging in their early years. This foundation is key to emotional, physical and mental growth and wellbeing. From this nourished beginning, happy, healthy and well-adjusted young adults can grow.

Enquire today

We would love to match you with the ideal educator in your area so send us an enquiry here and we’ll be in touch to provide you with all the information you need to make the best choice for your family.

How we look after our families

• High quality education and care using only trained educators and qualified teachers

Because we believe in quality, not quantity, we only work with trained educators and qualified teachers, who by completing their training have proven their commitment to nurturing and caring for children. We find the best trained teachers and educators and support them to deliver their own unique early learning programmes in their own homes. We hand-pick them for their passion, commitment, experience and qualifications. We know that qualifications are an indicator of quality when it comes to early childhood education and we’re proud to represent 100% qualified educators and teachers.

• Family and educator self-matches

When you enquire with us as a family, we support you to self-match with a Tiny Nation educator of your choice. The choice factor is huge here – you get to choose the person you leave your child with when you can’t be there. You will choose your educator based on the needs of your family and child, your values, your own early learning philosophy and, most importantly, your connection with them. This allows you to find the perfect educator for your family – someone who will become a part of your support village and who will advocate fiercely for your child when you can’t. Isn’t this what we all want as parents?

• Small ratios of no more than four children to one educator

By choosing home-based early learning, you are choosing small groups and responsive relationships. Tiny Nation educators have no more than four pre-school children in their care at any given time, with no more than two under the age of two. This allows them to engage with their care children in meaningful ways, dedicating time to support their development and getting to know them deeply. Having small ratios of children per educator enables respectful interactions and authentic connections. Your child is not just a number at Tiny Nation.

• Nurturing, natural and familiar home environments

Home environments stir up comforting memories for all of us. We make personal connections with this kind of environment because it represents our childhood. It provides a strong sense of security and safety as we are able to seek comfort through the familiar. Early childhood education in home environments provide a calm and settled foundation for learning to occur. Children have the space to explore the community around them in real and authentic ways.

Our vision

To empower a nation of children to reach their full potential

Our guiding principles

Leadership / Ārahitanga

We encourage, empower and inspire our educators and teachers to contribute to our thinking and re-define what leadership looks like in early childhood education.

Relationship / Whanaungatanga

We are founded on consistent, familiar and nurturing relationships. It’s vital to take the time to understand, relate to and acknowledge each other as relationships are the soil from which everything else grows.

Partnership / Whakahoahoatanga

We are collaborative and work in partnership with parents and whānau, educators, the community and other like-minded services so that they can participate in and contribute to our journey.

These are our values

Authenticity / Mana Pono

This means being real and accountable. We partner with people who are aligned with our principles, values and beliefs so that we can all show up for our children in meaningful ways.

Belonging / Nō Konei Hoki

We affirm the identity, culture and language of our community and ensure staff, children, families and whānau know they have a place with us. Our environments and programmes are inclusive and our transitions are thoughtfully planned.

Communication / Kōrero

Reciprocal and responsive communication allows us to express ideas and feelings. We’re as passionate about listening as we are about being heard. We model effective communication so that our children become capable and confident communicators.

Our commitment to families

“Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti aroha o tatou mahi.

Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work.”

When you enrol as a family with Tiny Nation, we make a commitment to you as we journey together to provide your child with the love and care that they need to grow and flourish. For us, early childhood starts with care and ends with education. We know that no significant learning can occur without there first being a significant relationship. Your chosen educator becomes your child’s special person – their ‘go to’ in times of triumph and trouble. Someone who loves them just like you do and an extension of your family.

As part of the Waikato Kindergarten Association, we are not privately run, we run as a Charitable Trust so all money is used for children's learning.

Glenview Kindergartens Waikato is a great place to start, where children are nutured and friendships begin. Your child reaching their full potential is at the heart of our learning programme. We provide a warm caring environment with trained teachers whom are highly experienced and will support you in meeting the needs of your child.

Glenview Kindergartens Waikato has a long history for delivering high quality, affordable education and childcare. All of our teachers genuinely love teaching and caring for children. We will ensure your time with us is filled with fun and learning!

• A safe back section site with a newly renovated outdoor play area with bike track to explore.
• Complete building upgrade, including a child-friendly kitchen for baking.
• Access to fantastic IT equipment, including ipads, cameras and microscopes.
• We value diversity and work together with family/whānau
• An exclusive early childhood partnership with the Enviroschools Programme (eg. recycling, composting, gardening).
• In Partnership with Sports Waikato Under5 Energize to eat healthy, be active & have fun! 
• Learning based on the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki.
• Transition to school programme, including visit to Glenview Primary School.