BestStart Doncaster Drive Kindy

At BestStart Doncaster Drive Kindy we love to see our children soar, to find their wings, to reach beyond the clouds and to know they are surrounded by encouragement, support and love! We offer a range of full and part-time spaces for children aged 2-5 years old and are open from 8am to 4.30pm right through the year, only closing for public holidays.

Step Boldly! Leap High! Soar Freely!

Our vision embraces the important journey of learning, looking not only at the outcomes, but celebrating all the exciting and important steps along the way.

At Doncaster Drive Kindy we are excited about learning! Our passion lies in nurturing our children’s natural curiosity about the world around them…….a world of unlimited, exciting opportunities and possibilities. We recognise that learning occurs in stages, through active ‘hands on’ exploration and that we, as teachers and parents collectively play an important role as facilitators, guides and supporters.

How do we learn?

Our curriculum: Our curriculum gives careful, caring consideration to children’s interests and the specific way they learn through play.  Therefore, we have created a stimulating environment with specifically designed learning spaces that entice discovery and add depth to learning possibilities. 

Our environment: We are blessed to live in an amazing coastal area and this is reflected within a beautiful learning environment that embraces links to our beach community and surrounding whenua. We also view our community as an extension of our learning environment! This is where our children live, where they play and have extended relationships, so it makes perfect sense that we embrace and celebrate the unlimited learning potential of community connections, knowledge, and spirit.

Our teachers: As teachers we see the potential in each child and believe that this is something to cherish, nurture and grow. One day our children will the ‘movers and shakers’ of their world, therefore the role we play in building their self confidence and sparking a love of learning is a fundamentally important one. Here we engage in trusting relationships that are built on respect, love, compassion and fun. Our teaching revolves around growing the ‘mana’ of the child, building their spirit, nurturing their dreams and empowering them to ‘Step boldly, leap high, and soar freely'.

What do we learn?

Relationships - Social Connections: It's important our children feel safe, secure, supported and loved. Our teachers lead by example, showing love, empathy, consideration and compassion for others. We guide children through role modelling, supporting them to learn important dispositions, skills and attitudes so they can have positive, respectful interactions with their peers and build amazing friendships. Being part of such a special place supports a connectedness to each and our surrounding environment. Our children learn about kaitiakitanga, guardianship, where they develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for our environment, community garden and each other.

Independence: All children are naturally curious and inquisitive!  They love to explore, try new experiences, gather knowledge and take on challenges. Here at Doncaster Kindy, challenges are seen as exciting opportunities to explore, learn, grow and we love the sense of achievement and pride that children’s independence brings. 

Sense of belonging – Culture: Every child deserves a place where they can be themselves and be proud of who they are and where they come from.  We celebrate our children’s individuality, embracing diversity, nurturing a positive awareness of their own culture and developing strong respect for the culture, values and beliefs of others. Our children feel a strong sense of belonging, this is ‘their’ place, a safe place where everyone is accepted for who they are.

Communication: We believe all children are precious individuals who have an important voice!  We absolutely love listening to our children share their ideas, understanding, knowledge and we thrive on engaging in conversations that support our children in becoming confident and capable communicators.

Inquiry learning: We are passionate about inspiring our children to become motivated explorers and discoverers!  Our children have endless questions about the world around them, they are confident researchers, who gather knowledge, share their own ideas and, simply, love to learn.

What can you expect from our centre?

• A team who puts the children at the heart of everything we do.
• A solid and experienced team (over 30 years of experience) who have worked together for many years.
• A commitment to building strong, collaborative and trusting relationships where you have an important ‘voice’.
• A happy, friendly and welcoming team who values your aspirations and dreams for child’s future.
• Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga and Aroha!
• Acceptance for all and a celebration of diversity
• A lovely environment where children can explore and learn at their own pace.

Come and see our beautiful centre, meet our amazing team and be part of something extremely special!

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.