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BestStart Petone is a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered, tucked away in the heart of the vibrant and ever growing Petone community. Our centre is a place where children come to explore, research and investigate the world around them with teachers who are enthusiastic about supporting them every step of the way!
Where the wild things come to play
Create, play and discover your wild
Come journey down our wild things path
We create joyous smiles
And build courageous hearts
We will help you to travel life's long and winding road
And will support you with love and happiness as you go
Come in now and open the gate
For your future adventures do await
Our passionate team at BestStart Petone love to make learning fun! We get excited and inspired about children's learning and the endless possibilities of discovering where we can take this learning.
What you can expect from our Early Learning Centre:
- Your child will be part of a planned and exciting programme that supports their learning through adventure and discovery
- We will support your child’s development and life skills through hands on exploration of the world around them
- Our team of teachers will work with you to develop an individual learning plan that supports your hopes and dreams for your child and captures their learning journey in a meaningful way
- A fun, engaging and exciting learning space with teachers who will support and extend your child's learning
- A place where friendship, laughter, encouragement and fun a part of life
Do you have a Wild Thing looking for their new adventure?
Then get in touch with us today to experience the enchantment and excitement BestStart Petone has to offer!
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.
