Beststart Melling

BestStart Melling early learning centre is located within the exciting Lower Hutt business hub, providing many valuable learning opportunities - our neighbours are an extension of our centre! Our centre is perfect for busy, working families as we are open from 7.15am to 6pm and provide delicious, nutritious meals for our children. We care for children from 3 months up to 6 years old in three specially designed learning environments.

Our Community, Our Whānau

Working in partnership with kaiako, whānau, the community and tamariki to create a holistic learning environment, where everyone has their place.

Connections - We are proud of the rich diversity we have in our centre and the strong relationships we develop with families.  We celebrate our unique cultures and come together regularly with fun events. Being connected with the community is also very important for us.  We go on regular excursions to local businesses, the retirement home, pet shop, supermarket, café, medical centre and dentist to name a few! This provides our children with fun, real-life experiences that help them feel connected to the wider community.

Ready for School - Our preschool teaching team lead our Be School Ready initiative. They draw on their knowledge to plan and implement experiences that support children’s readiness for school. We have a generous outdoor play area which provides children space to actively explore and gain confidence in a safe and fun environment.

Healthy Eating - We have our own dedicated centre cook who prepares healthy and delicious morning and afternoon tea and a lunch each day for the children, in line with healthy heart menu recommendations.  Individual requirements are catered to.

We would love for you to come and visit us soon!!

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.