BestStart Te Aroha

ERO has rated BestStart Te Aroha in the top 7% of NZ childcare centres providing positive learning outcomes for children.

He waka eke noa - We're all in this together

At BestStart Te Aroha we pride ourselves on embracing and respecting each and every individual for the value they bring to our centre whanau – including our differences and how meaningful learning and understanding comes from these. 

Our team at BestStart Te Aroha is a group of passionate and skilled kaiako (teachers) who share leadership across the centre and are committed to supporting each other, the tamariki and their whanau. 

The kaiako have trusting and close knit relationships with every whanau in our centre.  Our whanau are often invited to join in with special celebrations and are  encouraged  to share their unique skill sets to support the learning and growth of others. We are committed to reflecting the aspirations of our parents to ensure consistency is evident in the home and centre life and that we are working on goals for children’s learning and development together.

We have strong reciprocal relationships with our community which is very important to us.  We are well connected with our community and enjoy very regular excursions to the local kura and library.  We have had visits from the local mayor, librarian and Plunket nurses and encourage consistent engagement with the community that will support children to develop to their full potential.

BestStart Te Aroha is a quality childcare and education centre which provides full-day or sessional bookings from 3 months until children are ready to go to school. We have two separate buildings at one location. A sunny renovated villa for our home-like Pepi Room and a purpose built building for our children aged 2.5 years and over.  

At Beststart Te Aroha children will experience a free play environment which is set up to provoke learning and a commitment to growing  lifelong learning dispositions. A variety of learning opportunities are offered daily where children are able to engage in new and challenging experiences as well as having the opportunity to revisit and extend prior learning.

We provide a nurturing and supportive learning environment where the individual needs and interests of children are affirmed and extended by caring, qualified teachers and motivated caregivers.

We are extremely proud to have received a Pa Harakeke Healthy Heart Award from the Heart Foundation for the amazing things we do to promote healthy food and physical activity at our centre. We are helping our tamariki to have healthy habits and healthy hearts for life.

We welcome your visits to our special centre. Come and join our BestStart Te Aroha 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.