MyKindy Ōtara - Tiny Stars

Pacific early learning at its best.

More than 20 years ago there was a vision - a bilingual Punanga Reo in Otara. Today our committed long serving  puapii/staff provide for 100 Pacific tamariki/children and anau/families. Tucked in neatly behind the local East Tamaki shops, the neighbourhood facade conceals the amazing and dynamic Tiny Stars centre. Just metres away from the local primary school Tiny Stars excels in leading a bilingual Cook Islands curriculum for Pacific and Maori tangata/peoples. At Tiny Stars everyone is welcome.

BestStart Dannemora is conveniently located off Te Irirangi Drive, down a quiet street with plenty of car parking. The centre is easily accessible for parents travelling through Dannemora, Flat Bush and Botany Town centre. Our centre is vibrant and spacious, and we are proud of our stimulating learning environment.

Leading their own learning

We nurture children to become confident in leading their own learning by supporting them to think independently and solve problems, to have the confidence to ask questions and expand their knowledge. We have 5 different rooms, each tailored to meet the needs of children at every age and stage of learning. We work with you and form partnerships that support your child’s growth and learning.

Pukeko Room: Our centre starts off with our calm and nurturing babies’ room. Resources are carefully chosen for our babies to discover as they begin to play, create, investigate, and explore, using their senses.

We know the importance of making special time to build strong relationships with lots of cuddles, smiles and songs. This sets the foundation for learning at a young age, building confidence and a sense of trust with our teachers as they introduce your baby to music, movement, art, and language.

Our teachers know routines are important. They work with you to ensure your baby’s routines are maintained.

Kea & Kiwi Rooms: Our busy toddlers’ rooms are on a journey to explore the world around them. Our toddlers need to be challenged physically and socially in an environment that is nurturing and safe and filled with exciting resources to keep them captivated.

Our programmes for toddlers are built with a balance between care moments and the philosophy of ‘play with purpose’. Our teachers set up activities such as dressing up, painting or an obstacle course, playing alongside your toddler to teach them skills such as turn-taking.

We work with you to discover what your toddler likes to do; the stories and songs they love even the things they are less confident about; to create a programme which is focused on them and getting the most out of their learning.

Tui Room: In our preschool room the children are becoming more independent. They are starting to contribute to the world around them and grow to be more confident in themselves and their abilities.

Our teachers create moments that will spark the imagination of your pre-schooler. We will support your child to investigate their own ideas and interests. We will challenge them to think, reflect, problem solve and work cooperatively.

You will see your child learn life skills such as taking responsibility for their belongings, making friends and being confident and comfortable with trying new things as they prepare for the next step in their learning journey.

MoreporkRoom: Our Kindy room prepares your child for primary school. Learning is all about risk taking and sense-making! Kindy room teachers make sure the curriculum stretches your child’s learning skills. We have a Be School Ready initiative so that children are confident, excited, and prepared for continuous learning.

Our teachers support children in creative and critical thought processes throughout their day. Through play we provide experiences that introduce children to early concepts of maths, science, art, reading and other curriculum areas.

We are proud to be part of a multi-cultural community. We can learn about, respect, and celebrate the exciting cultural diversity within our centre and in our community.

Part of the award winning BestStart family, we have been voted the Most Trusted early childhood education provider in NZ. BestStart Dannemora is your child’s destination for early learning.

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.

Set in the middle of Highbrook business hub, our centre was purpose built in 2008, with eight vibrant rooms catering for each age and stage. Like an extension of your own home, our one of a kind Nursery keeps our under 1s safe from walking feet and all our rooms are well-resourced and staffed by highly experienced teachers who genuinely love what they do.

Our job is to ensure your child is cared for in a safe and nurturing environment, to provide them with exceptional learning opportunities to help them grow and thrive, and to equip them with the skills they need to succeed in their lifelong learning journey. That’s a job we take very seriously.

Give your child a flying start.

Our philosophy

Active Explorers Highbrook is a place of...

• Acceptance and Appreciation of our Diversity
• Cuddles, Caring and Compassion
• Teaching Social Competencies for the Future
• Individuality and Uniqueness that is Celebrated
• Voice's that are Listened to and Heard
• Energy, Motivation and Resilience
• Empathy and Understanding
• Expressing yourself Confidently
• Playful learning through Inquiry
• Love and Laughter
• Open-ended Intentional Teaching
• Relationships built with Respect
• Empowerment
• Reflection, Reflection, Reflection
• Safety and Security to Thrive

Our rooms

Active Explorers Highbrook has eight separate rooms, so children can enjoy age appropriate activities and learning opportunities. Our amazing facilities also include a wharekai (dining room) where our preschoolers all come together to dine as a community.

Nursery

Active Explorers Highbrook is extremely fortunate to have a dedicated Nursery room for our 0 – 1 year olds. Designed to be an extension of your own home, it feels like a warm and welcoming lounge room.  No walking feet are allowed in here, just babies, so it is safe and secure for even our very youngest Active Explorers.

Tui Infants & Kakapo Infants

Our Infants rooms are dedicated spaces for our 1 to 2 years old.  An environment which is supportive and nurturing and equipped with everything they need to thrive.

Kiwi Toddlers, Tui Toddlers & Kakapo Toddlers

These three vibrant rooms cater for our toddlers aged 2 to around 3.5 years old. They are inspiring, and engaging spaces with plenty of fun filled activities and meaningful learning opportunities.

Kakapo Young Children and Kiwi Young Children Rooms

Our pre-schoolers are 3.5 to 5 years old, who are well catered for here with plenty of activities that challenge and extend their interests.  We have an excellent transition to school programme, and our famous wall of graduates leave the centre as confident little learners ready to start their next chapter at BIG school.

Why choose us?

There are a host of reasons why so many families choose Active Explorers Highbrook. Here are just a few of them:

• Three Healthy Heart meals a day
• Free nappies
• Extended hours great for working parents (7am to 6pm)
• Age appropriate resources in each room
• Creative, innovative programmes
• Exceptional resources
• Our amazing Nanny Deb teaches children to recycle resources and unleash their creativity
• Highly regarded transition to school programme
• Weekly dance classes
• Regular celebrations (eg. graduations, cultural events, grandparent days)
• Wharekai – a dedicated dining room where our preschoolers dine each day, just like at home
• Awesome playground and garden – we’ve even built a hotel for bugs!
• Diverse, multicultural community of staff, children and families
• Strong community focus including visits to our local retirement village