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BestStart Pipiwai Kindy is a top-quality Enviroschool Early Learning Centre, nestled in a semi-rural setting surrounded by hills, natural bush and farmland. We provide the very best education and care for tamariki in the greater Whangarei area, having recently won an “Innovation Award” for our links to our community.
Our natural, spacious centre allows for excellent indoor-outdoor flow, giving the children a choice of different learning environments. The outdoor area consists of natural gardens that the kaiako and children care for, a large sandpit, water play area, large open spaces and an adventure playground, which promotes active movement. We also have a Community Garden called Te Koha (The Gift), which supports us to provide vegetables and fruit to our whanau and local community. A major focus of our curriculum is to support our tamariki to learn about caring for their world and everything in it, including “Sustainability” and“Contributing to their Community”. Our centre is recognised as an “Enviroschool” with a Bronze Award. We are currently working towards our Silver Award, as we work to ensure a better future for our tamariki.
We cater for tamariki between the ages of 2 – 5 years of age. Our kaiako provides a programme that supports and encourages young growing minds with the aim of transitioning to Kura as positive contributors to society. We focus on school readiness by providing experiences for small and large groups of tamariki that cater for emerging interests. We are a project-based centre where we provide our tamariki with the skills to research, inquire and problem solve through their investigation of natural loose parts. All areas of learning are accessible for our tamariki throughout the day and children are encouraged to participate in all activities across the curriculum.
Our unique Be School Ready initiative has been developed to ensure that children leave the centre as confident, capable learners and prepared for the next step in their education journey. We are very involved in our local Kahui Ako, this includes developing close relationships with our local schools.
At BestStart Pipiwai Kindy, the team prides itself on the quality and experience of every staff member and the warm, safe and fun learning environment we provide for tamariki. It is our desire that you and your child experience the happy, fun learning opportunities on offer at BestStart Pipiwai Kindy.
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.
