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BestStart Whangaparaoa is a brand new early learning centre in The Coast, Whangaparaoa. The centre will provide quality education and care for children aged between 3 months to 6 years old.
BestStart Manly has moved to the new centre, bringing with them the much-loved Tallulah the rabbit and the centre’s fish, Mr Fish and Chips. We will nurture our tamariki to be bold, courageous, and confident every day and support tamariki to use their curious nature to explore our environment within the centre, as well as within our local community.
Our indoor spaces are built to support the learning and development of every age group – Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. Each room will be equipped with high quality, focused resources designed to spark curious minds. We'll have an expansive outdoor where children can challenge themselves on the playground equipment while building their independence and self-confidence.
Exploring our Community will be a significant strength for BestStart Whangaparaoa, allowing our tamariki to become competent and confident learners in exploring people, places and things. Local excursions are a part of our curriculum on a regular basis with the knowledge and understanding of a child connecting their worlds between home and centre.
Our close proximity to all things Coast related means the supermarket, library, Arkles Bay Beach, Whangaparaoa College, and main bus route are at our doorstep for us to explore! Healthy, nutritious meals and snacks will be provided throughout the day.
We will offer BestStart’s Be School Ready initiative for our preschool children, which will be incorporated into everyday practice, assisting with the next step in their learning journey.The initiative encourages children to use their developing self-help skills and provides a range of opportunities to extend their independence.
Your child’s learning journey and milestones will be captured and shared through one-on-one communication and our online learning portfolios on Storypark. This is a great way to keep up to date with what your child is doing while at the centre.
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.
