BestStart Kapiti Road

BestStart Kapiti Road provides a Reggio Emilia inspired curriculum for tamariki aged 2-5 years in the beautiful township of Paraparaumu Beach. We are conveniently located on Kapiti Road and open from 7.30am to 5.30pm, with full and part time sessions available, making us perfect for commuting families and those needing flexible care.

Poipoia te kākano kia puawai – Nurture the seed and it will blossom!

Our learning approach

Here at BestStart Kapiti Road we want our tamariki to have fun, to be happy, to be heard, to have an input into making decisions, to be socially and emotionally  competent. We also want them to be proud of who they are, who they bring with them and where they come from. We aim to create an environment which fosters whanaungatanga/relationships, aroha, connectedness, creativity, expression and wonder.

Our programme is child centred. We plan activities that build upon and extend your child’s skills, knowledge and interests through short and long-term projects. We aim to provide a holistic approach to learning so that all areas of the curriculum can be experienced through meaningful and intentional activities and experiences. We also involve our whānau too through regular whānau events as “it takes a village to raise a child”. 

Healthy eating and physical activity

We know that for children to grow and develop into confident learners it is important that they regularly eat healthy and nutritious food.  Therefore, we provide a variety of delicious nutritious vegetarian meals throughout the day which include morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack.  Special dietary requirements are also catered for.  We also provide regular daily physical activity in our outdoor environment and the children engage in helping to maintain our vegetable gardens where they grow and harvest their own food.

Flexibility

We offer 4 hour sessions, all day care with a short day of 7 hours and all day care with a full day of 8 hours or more. We are open from 7.30am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday.  

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.