Typically responds within
A few hours
BestStart Abacus is an established childcare centre situated on a large corner plot, a short drive from the Taupo CBD. We provide education and care for children from 3 months until they are ready for school. Our small centre creates a home-like, welcoming and relaxed family environment that helps your child settle in and get to know us.
Being, Belonging, Becoming and Growing Together
Our experienced team of teachers are dedicated to creating a warm, friendly and fun environment where you and your child feel safe and at home. Your child will be encouraged and supported to learn through their play experiences, and we set our environment based on these as we feel this will create genuine moments for curiosity and exploration. We understand that you know your child best and we value working alongside you. It is through getting to know you and your child that we can make sure we are creating a positive early learning experience for us all.
We are proud of our spacious and inviting outdoor playground with established trees which provide lots of natural shade. Outside offers a variety of areas for your child to explore including the sandpit, nature garden, vegetable/fruit/herb garden, chickens and climbing fort with swings. We even have heaps of space left for ball games, running and bike riding! This helps your child learn about the outdoors, get the fresh air they need and gives them the space to keep them busy as long as they need to.
Our Koru room welcomes children under two year’s old and we have a maximum of 10 children. This provides a cosy and comfortable space for your young one to settle. We believe it is important to develop close relationships with whanau and tamariki through providing lead carers. The environment is set to encourage natural movement, helping your child to meet milestones and grow in a natural, progressive way.
Our Be School Ready initiative is woven through our day to day activities, encouraging your child to develop the skills they will need when they start school through their everyday play and routine experiences. We encourage children to work together, learn alongside and from their peers and most importantly to enjoy being a child and have fun!
We love getting out into the community to visit interesting people and places as well as having visitors that will help your child understand how the world works. We regularly visit Primary School new entrant classes to support our 4-year olds with transition to school, helping them see what it will be like and become more comfortable with the change.
We welcome you to come and visit us at anytime to see what we can offer you and your child.
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.
