Small Miracles Pre-School

Small Miracles endeavours to create a nurturing, safe and inclusive learning environment where tamariki are treated with dignity and respect. Tamariki will be given opportunities to empower themselves to develop physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

We believe in learning through play: Our teaching philosophy follows the New Zealand Early Childhood Education Curriculum, Te Whariki. We believe that tamariki learn through play.  We see play is empowering, builds resilience and provides tamariki with opportunities to discover, question, theorise and co-operate.  Play also builds social and emotional development which are necessary for growth and their own view of self-worth.

Kaiako foster warm and respectful relationships with tamariki and whanau: Kaiako will build and maintain warm and respectful relationships with tamariki and their whanau and continually provide opportunities for them to contribute to the life of the centre. Parents and whanau are recognised as key stakeholders in the early education of their tamariki and their aspirations for their tamariki will be valued and evident within the curriculum.

Kaiako are facilitators for both teacher led and child led learning experiences: As kaiako and educators our approach including planning and assessment will be a balanced mix of free play, rhythms and routines which will be both teacher and child led learning experiences. We believe learning is a reciprocal process – we all learn from each other in both spontaneous and planned experiences.  Kaiako will act as facilitators, to provide tamariki with opportunities and experiences to encourage and empower tamariki to make decisions and challenge themselves to problem solve therefore setting the crucial foundations for lifelong learning.

We celebrate cultural diversity: We are committed to the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa and we will endeavour to incorporate Te Tiriti o Waitangi through te reo and tikanga Māori practices. We celebrate cultural diversity fully at Small Miracles through music, language and cultural events.  We believe, to know the culture of tamariki and whanau is to fully understand the whanau/families aspirations, needs and beliefs for their child.

We foster and apply Christian values: Our Christian Philosophy is woven through our daily routines of the centre and our integral relationship with St Heliers Presbyterian Church. It is also evident when we interact with our families and whanau. We endeavour to foster and apply Christian values and qualities of peace, love, sharing and tolerance.