BestStart Leeds Street

BestStart Leeds Street is conveniently situated in the Wellington inner city, our extended learning environment. We provide opportunities for children to develop their independence, building self-esteem and pride in themselves.

Urban Explorers

We extend our learning and sense of belonging to Wellington City, through being urban explorers in our neighbourhood 

We are seen out and about the central city every week. We explore the city for art whether it be the streets, art galleries or museums, we photograph it, draw it and have discussions about it.

We also leave the city to go on our weekly Nature Connection Programme where the children head to the bush for the morning to discover nature at its best,  giving them opportunities to be active and adventurous.

Richard Louv who founded the Children and Nature Movement said, “The child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable” (2005).

Alongside our Primary Caregiving practice, which is inspired by the RIE philosophy, we believe partnership with whānau is important in providing quality care and holistic education for our children.  We believe our children’s home culture is an important part of a child’s developing identity as they bring with them new language, knowledge and experiences to share with us and guide their learning.  

We provide opportunities for our children to develop their independence, building their self-esteem and pride in themselves.  Our programme also fosters children’s communication and sense of expression through implementation of baby sign language.

Literacy and numeracy is incorporated through the daily programme with opportunities for children to explore and understand in a supported environment.

We have our own resident cook who prepares healthy and delicious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for the children each day.

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.