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BestStart Lynmore is a quality early learning centre committed to bicultural development and supporting our children to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Learn today, lead tomorrow
Here at BestStart Lynmore, we welcome children/tamariki, their families/whanau into a safe, trusting and respectful environment, where they are loved and acknowledge with warmth, friendly caring professional kaiako/teachers.
Bicultural development - Our teachers at BestStart Lynmore are committed to bicultural development. We honour Māori ways of doing, being and knowing. Sharing the stories of Māori orally, through books, waiata and karakia. The story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui is an important one for Māori as it explains how the world came to be and links Māori to the earth and nature by right of their whakapapa. Teachers acknowledge family and community literacies and invite whanau to share this with them through korerorero and/or written form through the child’s individual portfolio.
Specialised care - We have a specialised baby room with experienced and professional teachers. Children learn best by doing, through their senses they smell, taste, listen, feel and explore with their eyes. Teachers respond to babies with expression language, a contextual language which involves eyes, hands and body language. We sign with our hands, our eyes and our voices and children learn actions which help them to be heard. Engagement is by choice so the teachers regularly offer new and inviting activities.One on one time is spent communicating and building confidence within the babies. Teachers offer comfort through stories, building a strong relationships and by offering the children choices.
Ready for school - We offer a Be School Ready initiative for our older children which incorporates a transition programme with Lynmore Primary School – every Tuesday, a small group attend a class to experience the school environment. Literacy and learning are present throughout the day in many forms.
We offer 20 ECE hours for 3-5-year olds, with morning and afternoon sessions as well as full day care to suit the needs of our community. We hold a healthy heart award and provide healthy, nutritious morning and afternoon tea for our children.
Come and visit us to find out how we can best support you and your family.
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.