BestStart Pukuatua

BestStart Pukuatua is convienently located close to Rotorua's CBD. We're open right through the year, only closing for public holidays and care for children aged 3 months to 6 years old, supporting them to gain the skills to be successful, confident life-long learners.

Leaders of our own learning

Kaitaki akoranga

At BestStart Pukuatua, our vision is about fostering self-belief and developing a sense of empowerment in every child.

We empower our tamariki to design their own learning with teacher and whanau support. Children make their own decisions, learning in their own style and at their own pace. They connect with the people, places and things around them, developing an understanding and respect for the diverse cultures we support here at BestStart Pukuatua.

Tikitapu Room

In our infant and toddler room for children under 2 years old you will find our youngest tamariki engaged in a variety of learning experiences. Music and movement, messy play, exploring our indoor and outdoor environment help children develop new skills and the confidence to explore the world around them, nurtured and supported by our kaiako.

Okareka Room

In our 2 to 3 year old space our tamariki are developing their self-help skills by learning to serve their own kai. Their social skills are growing as they build positive friendships through play, creating their own style of learning with a variety of experiences. Kaiako observe and support this learning, using the natural rhythms and routines of the day.

Rotoiti Room

In our 3 to 4 year old space, our tamariki are really driving their learning. They learn through trial and error, creating masterpieces, becoming more independent through play, self-help skills, and leading their own learning at their own pace.

Tarewera Room

In our 4 year old space becoming a leader is established and fostered through group learning, independent learning, and developing essential skills for school and for life long leading.

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.