Childcare options in Paraparaumu

Warm, welcoming and family orientated, Lollipops Paraparaumu is committed to providing the very best quality care and education for your child. Well resourced, with excellent facilities, we are a home away from home where children learn – and thrive - through play.

Inspired by nature, we have outdoor spaces that invite adventure and exploration, along with three separate rooms specially designed for each age and stage. Excellent staff ratios and professional, passionate teachers ensure your little one will get the best possible start in their lifelong learning journey.

Set your child up for a bright future. 

Our Rooms

Lollipops Paraparaumu has three separate areas, designed to allow for smooth, worry-free transitioning for the children.

Nursery

Dedicated to our birth to 2 year olds, the Nursery has a quiet sleep room and its own lovely outdoor playground.

Toddlers

Our Toddlers space is specially designed for our 2 to 3 year olds, with its own age--appropriate outdoor playground, allowing the children to enjoy safe, fun activities that inspire discovery and learning.

Preschool

Our Preschool is our home away from home for 3 to 5 year olds. With its own age-appropriate playground and plenty of awesome indoor activities too, it’s the perfect place for children to gain independence and prepare for their transition to primary school.

Why choose us?

There are a host of reasons why so many families choose Lollipops Paraparaumu. Here are just a few of them:

• We have an open door policy and welcome input from parents and caregivers
• Healthy meals including a 5pm late snack
• Extended opening hours ideal for working parents
• Culture of fun
• Soft, welcoming and homely
• Te Ao Maori approach
• Celebrations include Mother’s Day Breakfast, Matariki Disco, Father’s Day Breakfast, Special People Days, Easter Hunt, Children’s Christmas Party, Parent Teacher Nights
• Regular community excursions including local rest home visits, nature walks, library visits
• Lots of activities (e.g. cooking, music therapy, yoga)
• Drive in coffee on the corner!
• Lots of professional development and in-house training for staff

BestStart Paraparaumu childcare centre is located between Paraparaumu Beach and Otaihanga on the Kapiti Coast, right on the corner of Percival and Mazengarb Roads. Our centre provides care and education for children from 3 months to 6 years old. We're open all day from 8:00am-5:30pm and offer a mixture of both full time care and sessions.

Passion for learning, passion for life

Our passion is for supporting all children to develop a passion for learning that will set them up to be confident learners with a passion for life.

Infants

Babies absorb and learn so much in their first years. Passion and confidence to learn can be nurtured almost from the moment a baby is born. As your child’s first teacher, you know your baby better than anybody else and through sharing your knowledge with us, we get to know their routine, likes and dislikes, comforts and what soothes them, helping them settle into centre life with ease. 

Our kaiako are passionate about 'serve and return'. This highly effective teaching strategy is about recognising and responding to your baby's cues to build trusting relationships, growing their confidence to lead the way in their play.

We love to share what your baby does when we spend time together. Not only do we talk to you about your child's experiences everyday, we also have regular updates in a special learning journal. We use Storypark, an online portfolio, that your family keeps forever. You can also include other friends and whānau members so they can contribute comments and photos to your child’s learning journey.

Toddlers

In essence a toddler is all about passion! Our teachers embrace this curiosity, adventure and enegry to bring learning to life. By observing what your child is passionate about we create learning experiences to engage their minds. We develop a learning plan for your child in consultation with you. 

Sandpit play, early ball skills, dramatic play, art, climbing and singing are all remarkably good opportunities to build a love for language, reading and writing, maths and science.  Even more important for this age group, your toddler will be supported to be a good friend, take turns, show patience and learn empathy.  We know that these skills will set your child up for a lifetime of success and fulfillment = A Passion For Life!

Preschool

Nurturing a passion for learning is critical at this age. Children who go to school confident in their ability to learn and excited to give things a go are more prepared than a child that is able to recite numbers and letters because they have been made to do so. Research tell us that having a mindset that 'new learning' is exciting, will reduce stress and encourage growth throughout life!

We know that technology is developing at a fast pace. This means that having the confidence in your ability to learn is more important than the ability to know. We offer a fun, enriched programme through a play-based learning environment where your child will gain the necessary skills to set them on their journey for life. We will encourage your child to be independent with dressing, toileting and looking after their belongings. Your child will be supported to manage their own emotions and care for others, preparing them for their next adventure in life…… primary school!

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.

Welcome to Little Earth - a warm and nurturing group of Montessori-based learning centres where children are inspired to unlock their potential through holistic, hands-on learning.

Why choose us?

Little Earth centres are inspirational places; welcoming, happy spaces that have the best Montessori materials to help our children learn and absorb, and nurturing their love of learning.

The Montessori education philosophy was developed by an Italian educationalist, Dr Maria Montessori. She pioneered a child-centric approach to education, discovering that teaching children was not about handing down information, but that children constructed their own knowledge from their experiences.

So, at Little Earth children learn in a holistic way, through hands-on activities, which they can repeat as much as they wish (repetition is important). They are encouraged to explore and experiment, they get to make decisions, use their judgement, think laterally and use initiative; all in a safe and encouraging environment where teachers guide the children onto the next level when they are ready.

Little Earth children learn skills such as caring for the classroom, managing zips and buttons, pouring drinks and setting the table to give them greater independence. These are activities we do at home, so children love learning them. They also refine children's fine and gross motor skills preparing them for later activities such as holding a pencil.

We introduce children to the many cultures and religions of the world and encourage respect and understanding of the many communities that make up our planet. Children learn to take care of animals, plants and the environment in general. They become independent, respectful and inquisitive individuals.

Inclusion is a big part of any Little Earth community, we involve whanau, they are a part of us and integral to our success. That openness promotes the connection between us that the children understand, which leads to fantastic outcomes.

Regardless of whether your child moves on to a Montessori primary school or not, the attendance of your child at a Little Earth preschool will have an enduring positive influence on your child, on both a social and intellectual level, for the rest of their lives.

Our philosophy

Little Earth nurtures great people to be their best.

Our children are happy, caring, respectful, independent, peaceful, purposeful souls, whose minds and bodies are ready for their next challenge.

The learning journey our children take is everything to us. We respect their abilities, their worth as human beings, and we recognise their individuality. Respect for each other and our environment underpins everything we do at Little Earth.

We provide the tools to inspire our children. Passionate and professional teachers, well-resourced and cared-for premises, a loving community of parents and family.

We learn with purpose in an environment of peace and we value harmony, that’s how Little Earth children blossom.