BestStart Mangorei Road

See Me, Know Me, Teach Me

At BestStart Mangorei Road we really get to know each child as an individual, unique in character, interests, culture and spirit. When we know our children well we connect, engage and inspire, supporting them to be all they can be.

See me:  For who I am, my culture, my whanau, my traditions, my celebrations, values and beliefs, what’s important to my whanau. 

Know me: What is my personality, my likes and dislikes, my strengths and uncertainties. Embrace and celebrate me for who I am. 

Teach Me: Now you can see me and you know me, how can you teach me? 

Relationships - Building relationships with our families at BestStart Mangorei Road is at the heart of what we do. Knowing our families’ background, culture and aspirations enables us to take the best approach to teaching each child. We build respectful relationships through open communication which reflects the deep sense of care and kindness that is at the heart of everything we do. We have regular family events and activities to make sure whanau are at the heart of centre life. 

Belonging - Children feel a sense of belonging with us because of the time we take to know them. Feeling sure of themselves and their environment helps them be confident to try new things and challenge themselves. They know that they are supported, know that they can try again. We foster a strong sense of self belief in our children so they always make the most of the opportunities life presents and the resilience to overcome challenges.  

Community connections - Children gain real life experiences through regular planned and spontaneous excursions into our community, utilising local public transport, building on their sense of belonging in our wider community. 

School preparation - Ensuring children are ready for the next step in their educational journey is important to us. We have a focus on the social and emotional growth of all our children. This ensures they are ready and eager to learn when they start school, curious about the world around them and confident to ask questions about things they are unsure of. Children learn to play independently, alongside and with their peers, sharing ideas and concepts that strengthen their knowledge. We celebrate  with a special ceremony where children wear our centre Korowai and are gifted a putiputi. Read more about this in our Be School Ready blog.

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.