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BestStart Totara Street is located in the business area of Totara Point. We are just a stones throw away from Taupo Bungy and the Spa Park. Our centre caters for children from the ages of 3 months until they are ready for their next journey at school. ERO has rated us one of the top childcare centres in NZ.
Getting to know you, to grow you!
Drop into BestStart Totara Street and you will be warmly welcomed by one of our dedicated staff and all our smiling tamariki. As you walk into our beautiful sun filled learning environments you will meet the rest of our dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable teaching team and support staff.
We have age appropriate learning spaces so our tamariki have the freedom to actively experience the area, with free and easy access to all resources.
At BestStart Totara we provide a secure space for our not yet moving tamariki. We have implemented the free movement philosophy as this is something we feel strongly about. We believe the children will meet their developmental milestones in their own time.
For our older children we have implemented a programme that supports them to develop at their own pace. We entice exploration and create individual plans that support our children to ensure the best possible learning outcomes are occurring for them.
We recognise that tamariki learn though play and support their development and learning by implementing intentional teaching. Our Be School Ready initivate ensures all children are surrounded by literacy and numeracy in all areas of their play so they are ready for life long learning.
Our teaching team is full of experienced, passionate teachers who thrive on supporting tamariki to achieve milestones and develop in all areas of their lives. We believe teaching is a vocation and all our teachers have followed their calling to work alongside children.
We look forward to welcoming you to BestStart Totara soon.
"Every child is gifted, they just unwrap their packages at different times"- Author Unknown
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.
