Typically responds within
A few hours
Vacancies
Limited availability
Taking enrolments
Our journey begins in our Tui's Nest (3months – 2 years) where you'll be on your way to seeing great sights, you will join the highflyers and begin to soar to great heights. We are very lucky to have a separate area for our non-moving babies to provide opportunities for them to move, roll, and explore together.
As our children grow so does the learning, the laughter, and the exploration of the world. We develop warm, responsive relationships with our children and our practice in this room is responsive and respectful of children’s autonomy, competence, and capabilities. The learning and development opportunities provided are personalized to each child’s specific, individual needs.
As we continue through our journey into our sessional space Kiwi Cove (2 years to 3.6 years), you will not lag, because you will have the speed. You will pass the whole gang and you will soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you will be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. As soon as you enter this room the energy is alive and these children have their hearts set on exploring the world through play. We have a natural environment that offers a variety of natural experiences that engage children in critical thinking, problem-solving, working by themselves, and cooperatively with other children. We value and promote a learning program that enables children the space and opportunity to explore, experiment, and take risks when engaged in play.
As we move on through the world of places to get to the magic, we invite you to continue the journey into our Kea Forest (3 years to 5 years). You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. YOU are the one who will decide where to go. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
Our Kiwi Cove and Kea Forest rooms are full of magic as the children turn dreams into reality, nothing is impossible, and learning is taken to new heights. The teachers in both rooms support opportunities for all children to be involved in independent research with and alongside their friends. Your child will have endless opportunities to grow and explore in a child-led program which encourages all children to investigate and explore their interests and theories with the guidance from passionate teachers.
Our environment sparks the natural curiosities of all children and encourages them to discover and develop their individual skills to succeed in school. It is a wonderful learning space that invites children to run, climb, jump and develop the foundation skills needed for formal school learning. You are off the Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... Get on your way! We look forward to welcoming you to BestStart Onslow to see which places your child will go.
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.
