Typically responds within
A few hours
Vacancies
Limited availability
BestStart Montessori The Gardens offers quality childcare and education in Dunedin’s North East Valley. We are conveniently located close to the CBD, Otago University and the Polytechnic, with plenty of parking, perfect for commuters.
We nurture kind and respectful independent learners
The unique Montessori learning philosophy encourages a love of learning and builds healthy self-esteem and social competence in our children. Our programme fosters independence and self-discipline and teaches solid math and language skills. By becoming part of our community you also become a member of MANZ – Montessori Association New Zealand and receive quarterly magazines that are informative of Montessori practice.
Our environment - We are lucky to have three, character buildings which provide spacious indoor and outdoor learning environments for our children. Our large, well established and sunny garden provides am expansive space for our tamariki to explore, challenge and learn. Our thoughtfully resourced, prepared environment with specially designed materials creates a respectful learning environment promoting inclusiveness and a strong sense of community.
We have a rich and diverse cultural make-up in our centre. We celebrate and acknowledge all the unique qualities of our children and whanau. At Montessori the Gardens children learn from each other. Children learn respect for themselves, their peers and their environment and in doing so children develop a self-confidence, concentration, a sense of order and harmony.
Our programme - We offer a Montessori programme focusing on the child’s potential with an emphasis on learning through self-discovery. Staff engage with pepe and tamariki and follow their interests and needs to create a programme that is engaging, relevant to each individual and values whanau aspirations for their child. Our well-resourced, prepared environment with specially designed materials creates respectful learning environment promoting inclusiveness and a strong sense of community.
Our teaching team - We are a passionate, qualified and experienced Montessori teaching team, committed to encouraging a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. We also have our very own centre chef who provides children with delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals.
What you can expect from our centre:
- Spacious and thoughtfully prepared Montessori learning environment
- Nutritious vegetarian menu provided by a qualified Chef
- Nurturing staff in a homely environment where children can be involved in food preparation and care for their learning environment
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us today. We would love to show you around.
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.
