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BestStart Buchanans Road in Yaldhurst is an early learning childcare centre designed with children in mind. Our centre has a warm and welcoming environment with happy children who experience quality care and education. We are conveniently located on Buchanans Road which makes us a perfect option for families commuting into the city for work.
We are open from 7am to 6pm and only close for public holidays. We offer 6 hour sessions, as well as half-day sessions and full time care for children aged 3 months to 6 years. We really can cater for any family’s needs!
Our learning environment - We believe that every child deserves the best care and learning opportunities, within a carefully planned environment. This ensures children can grow in a supportive atmosphere. We have created a well-balanced and safe environment for children and their families/whanau to ensure they feel relaxed and secure. Our physical environment provides both indoor and outdoor excitement, enabling children to grow and learn to their full potential. Our large outdoor play areas provide children with opportunities for exploration, building co-ordination and developing their gross motor skills with challenging interchangeable equipment.
Our learning programme - Our early learning centre has a passionate teaching team who provide a programme that is child initiated, based on current individual and group interests, needs and developmental stages. Teachers stimulate children’s play and learning creating the opportunity to not only have fun, but to enhance the total development and skills of each child and build a sense of belonging. We encompass the rich diversities within our community, believing that everyone brings something unique and exciting to our centre.
Our relationships - We are proud of the excellent relationships we have developed with our families as well as the close, trusting bonds we have formed with our children. We respect and encourage families/whanau to share their beliefs, values and traditions to ensure that we are an inclusive environment where everyone is valued. Our dedicated teachers are passionate about building relationships with all children.
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.
