BestStart Oraha Road

BestStart Oraha Road is located in the Kumeu/Huapai area, providing quality education and care for tamariki (children) aged between 3 months and 5 years old.

Going above and beyond

Motivated by love and respect, we put relationships at the heart of everything we do.

From the moment you walk through our doors, you will feel a sense of aroha (love). You will be greeted by the smiling faces of our caring kaiako (teachers) and staff and will see and hear happy, engaged tamariki.

Our five indoor rooms are built to support the learning and development of each age group. Our well-resourced learning environments create a space where tamariki feel safe and secure to explore new and exciting wonders.

Our expansive outdoor areas are surrounded by established trees which provide a naturally beautiful backdrop for growth and development.  Our interactive riverbed flows under a bridge into a huge sandpit where the only limitation is the imagination.

Tamariki can challenge themselves on the playground equipment while building their independence and self-confidence.

The learning journey and milestones of each tamaiti (child) will be captured and shared through one-on-one communication, learning adventures, and our online learning platform, Storypark. This is a great way to keep up to date with what your tamaiti is doing while at the centre.

Our vision for our food philosophy is based on ‘garden to table’. Our seasonal menus offer a variety of healthy, nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day.  Achieving the gold Healthy Heart Award, established by the Heart Foundation, is something our centre is striving for with great enthusiasm.

Our team of passionate kaiako works hard to ensure that respect is at the heart of everything we do. Our kaiako are selected for their knowledge, experience, professionalism, and their love for teaching.  Our excellent teacher-child ratios support high-quality care and learning and ensure needs are met and responded to in a way that shows respect and fosters trust. You will feel a sense of belonging in a place where tamariki and whānau are cared for, supported, and respected.  A place of calm, but fun too, where tamariki are loved, encouraged and empowered.

At BestStart we work under the National Early Childhood Curriculum of Aotearoa, Te Whāriki. The principles of Empowerment, Holistic Development, Family and Community, and Relationships underpin our practice and tie in with the RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) approach that influences our daily practice and centre philosophy.  We create an environment where the needs of tamariki are put first.

We offer BestStart’s ‘Be School Ready’ initiative for our preschool tamariki, which is incorporated into everyday practice, assisting with the next step in their learning journey. The initiative encourages tamariki to use their developing self-help skills and provides a range of opportunities to extend their independence.

A range of enhancement programs are offered throughout the week, including Māori education, cooking, carpentry, and music and movement sessions.  BestStart Oraha Road will provide your tamaiti with the foundations they require to be lifelong learners.

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.