Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre

Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre provides dedicated early childhood care to families living and working in Albany.

Choosing the right early childhood care for your family is important. If your child will be spending time in childcare, then you want to know they are being cared for and educated in a way that matches your families values.

Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre is a privately owned and operated early childhood centre run by hands-on owners Karyn and Bruce Poole. Karyn comes from a teaching background while Bruce has experience of running his own business as well as working in service industries.  The couple are frequently at the centre, with Bruce acting as centre handyman and cook when needed, and are backed by a team of dedicated early childhood teachers.

At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre we empower our children to become confident, independent lifelong learners by providing an engaging learning environment where children are given every opportunity, encouragement, guidance and support to ‘reach for the stars’, and to develop to their full potential.

Our philosophy

Our centre’s educational philosophy is based on three pillars of education.

Te Whāriki

Te Whāriki is the name of the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. It provides guidelines for education and care of children from birth to six years of age and is based on the aspirations that children grow up:

as competent and confident learners and communicators healthy in mind, body and spirit secure in their sense of belonging secure in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society

Te Whāriki follows four basic principles of Empowerment, Holistic development, Family and Community and Relationships and five strands of learning - Well being, Contribution, Belonging, Communication and Exploration. Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre also supports the bi-cultural heritage of New Zealand and Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

R.I.E /Magda Gerber Philosophy

The foundation of the R.I.E. Philosophy and its principals is RESPECT.  We honour each child’s unique capabilities and encourage them to reach developmental milestone as they are ready. This philosophy includes 10 principles of caregiving including modelling the behaviour you want to teach, learning each child's unique way of communicating and letting children try to solve problems on their own. Young children have a primary caregiver to build a relationship with.

Reggio Emilia Approach

Probably the most well-known aspect of this approach is the concept of a Hundred Languages. This is the belief that children use many different ways to show their understanding and express their thoughts and creativity.  A hundred different ways of thinking, of discovering, of learning.  Through drawing and sculpting, through dance and movement, through painting and pretend play, through modelling and music, and that each one of these Hundred Languages must be valued and nurtured.

Why choose us?

Here are 10 great reasons why our daycare is right for your family.

• We are a privately owned centre with hands-on owners. Unlike some centre owners, we are actively involved and know the children who attend our centre.
• We have great teacher-child ratios. Our ratios exceed the minimum Ministry requirements, ensuring children always have a group of caring teachers on hand to help them.
• A large proportion of our staff are qualified. We have over 80% qualified teachers and our non-qualified staff are all working towards qualifying.
• Our centre is small. Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre is licensed for just 85 children with a maximum of 25 under-2s. This combined with our room structure means your child will never get lost or be overwhelmed and contributes to our family feel.
• Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre is in a great setting. Our centre is located in a quiet crescent with plenty of easy parking but away from the traffic and fumes of the main road. Our indoor and outdoor areas are well equipped and maintained.
• Children are provided with freshly cooked meals. These are prepared each day by our centre's cook.
• Hygiene is a high priority. Babies and toddlers spend a lot of time on the floor, so we make sure our carpets are thoroughly cleaned regularly as well as the rest of the centre being kept clean and tidy.
• Parents are fully involved. At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre we encourage parents to be involved in their child's learning. Children have learning journals, we run social media pages, parent's evenings are held two or three times a year and family events are often held.
• Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre offers competitive fees. We know childcare can be expensive so our fees are competitive. The 20 hours subsidy is available for 3-5-year-olds.
• All cultures are celebrated. Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre is a multi-cultural centre with families and staff from many backgrounds. We are also committed to New Zealand's bicultural heritage and include Maori culture within our centre's routines