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At BestStart Glenfield our priority is to recognize and nurture each child so that they may achieve their full potential. This journey starts with our youngest learner at 3 months and extends to school age. BestStart Glenfield takes pride in our strong links between the centre, home, and the wider Glenfield and Bayview community.
Nurture the nature of the child and watch them grow
Our environments are challenging and thoughtfully prepared to support creativity and age appropriate learning. We celebrate diversity and acknowledge that every tamariki brings their own interests, experiences, and strengths to the centre. Our team is passionate about early childhood education and take part in regular professional learning opportunities to continue their own learning to provide our children with the very best education and care.
Te Atawhai and Te Pihinga Rooms are designed for tamariki from 3 months to two years. Our philosophy in our infant’s area takes inspiration from the RIE philosophy, meaning our Kaiako respect our infants and trust that they are natural inventors, explorers, and self-learners. We provide an environment that is strong in respect, belonging and exploration. We follow a primary caregiving approach with the aim of providing a seamless transition for both tamariki and whanau. Each child’s development is captured through beautiful stories which form their individual learning journey. Our environments are beautiful, carefully curated spaces and our sleep area is a star filled wonderland.
Te Puawai Room is an area for tamariki, from 2 to around 3 years to blossom. This area supports tamariki as they grow and develop their communication and social skills. The classroom is designed for open-ended exploration and the development of relationships with kaiako and peers, giving the opportunity for our tamariki to learn with and alongside others. Our teaching approach is very relationship led as we work closely with our tamariki and their whanau to provide meaningful and authentic learning experiences that provoke investigation and problem-solving. Within this year we see our tamariki nurturing so many different skills and getting ready for the years ahead, we feel this is a great time to extend on their self-help skills, nurturing confident and independent tamariki.
Te Whakakaha and Te Tutika Rooms are designed for supporting tamariki 3 years and over. We believe our tamariki are confident and capable learners and we therefore set up our environment to nurture curiosity through loose parts. Loose parts are any objects that can be used and moved around with no set purpose in mind. We foster friendships as tamariki work alongside kaiako who encourage them to grow their skills to be independent and confident in all areas of the curriculum. Our unique Be School Ready initiative has been developed to ensure that tamariki leave our centre as confident, capable learners who are prepared for the next step in their education journey. The tamariki in this area have the opportunity to experience primary school before they start with regular visits to Bayview and Manuka Primary to spend time in the new entrant classroom, library, attend jump jam, and use the playground.
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.
