Childcare options in Kumeu

Jojo’s Childcare is a family owned and run Early Learning Centre licenced for 100 children from birth to six years old. Our five unique and well-resourced areas support the age-related needs of your child, from quiet spaces for wee babies to stimulating activities for active five year olds.

Children grow and learn when they feel safe and have built strong relationships with the people around them. That’s why our families, children and teachers become part of the Jojo’s whānau. Our team of over 20 teachers each bring their own diverse backgrounds and ideas, and our amazing indoor and outdoor spaces support safe, child-led discovery through a range of fun activities.

We are proudly bi-cultural and inclusive of many different cultures. Our excellent learning environment incorporates Te Whāriki which encourages our children: “to grow as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society”.

To nourish our children, we provide healthy morning and afternoon teas and lunches. Our food is all prepared onsite and is made up of delicious whole ingredients that are low in sugar. We also teach children where food comes from with our own veggie garden and fruit trees.

Giving back to the community and looking after our environment is also very important to us. We support local charities and run fun, family friendly events. We are also a plastic bag free centre.

At Heart and Soul Early Learning Centre your child will experience a stimulating, balanced and fun learning environment. Our solid learning program is aimed at helping to prepare your child for life, not just school. The program consists of self-initiated discovery and planned activities in balanced blocks throughout the day. The children are encouraged to take ownership for their environment and their learning through active exploration and inquiry.

Children will be able to experiment with new activities and skills, practice familiar ones, explore their creativity, develop ideas and communicate them freely, learn about their physical and emotional self and learn to become independent as well as knowing it is OK to ask for help.

The program is planned and evaluated on an on-going basis as or when the needs and interests of the children change.

The teachers have clear guidelines and expectations which will enable children to be responsible for themselves and encourage them to take care of each other and children younger than themselves (Tuakana Teina). While developing and practicing the social and language skills that are so important for a happy and satisfying life, your child will learn to respect the rights of others and the value of co-operation. Teachers work hard to establish positive, meaningful relationships and interactions with the children. We like to focus on the journeys children take, the thinking that takes place, not necessarily the end ‘destination’ or product. These are all key parts of our philosophy.

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.

Opposite the Huapai District School on Station Road, and on the boundary of the safe and new Huapai Triangle development, sits Kiddywinkles, a beautiful new childcare centre which caters for children from 3 months to 6 years old.

Replicating the philosophies and high quality care of the Kiddywinkles in Westgate, our Huapai centre is a second home for your little one, a place where you immediately feel part of our extended family.

Away from the extremely busy and chaotic State Highway that runs through Kumeu and Huapai, you will feel comfortable in parking and walking your child through the doors where their magic journey begins.

Our Philosophy

The way we see it, open-ended play brings endless opportunities for discovery and learning. Our approach aligns with the principles of Reggio Emilia and the Magda Gerba, Resources for Infant Educators (RIE) approach.

For us, it’s less of an educational framework, and more of a set of values that guide our approach in helping your child discover and embrace their potential.

To do that, we encourage children to explore their innate sense of curiosity by interacting with their surrounds, to find their own voice and express themselves, and to learn and grow through their relationships with others.

Country Bears was established in 1993, by Rita and Shaun Eastell who are longstanding Kumeu residents having lived on this rural property since 1981. Rita and Shaun recognised the need for something new during their involvement with play centre. It’s from this experience that they then went about designing and building a place where children could grow healthfully, supported within the local community.

Still owned & operated by Rita & Shaun, over the last 26 years Country Bears has earned the respect of the greater early childhood sector, as well our own local community for its innovation and commitment to providing the highest standard of care and education for children, their families and their teachers.

Country Bears strives to maintain it’s reputation that sets the standard for a safe and stimulating environment, whose care and education is a large part of your child’s social, physical, emotional and intellectual development. The memories your child creates at Country Bears Nature Childcare will last a life time.

With a history that spans almost three decades, the team is very proud to have had generations of children come through the centre that are now bringing there very own young ones to experience the Country Bears way.

THE VALUE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

It is widely researched and acknowledged that quality early childhood education gives children a great start in life and lays the foundations for future inquiry and an appreciation for learning. We work to ensure that children moving from the centre to school possess the skills they need for learning and participating in a larger and more complex environment thus successful transition and learning progression in the new school. We work with the local schools and new entrant teachers to make sure we are aware of their needs and can build them into our programmes.

Being in an early childhood environment also means the children spend one to one time with qualified teachers who are skilled in educating and helping children to develop their knowledge. It is also recognised that qualified ECE teachers provide the best learning experience for children. The minimum qualified teacher ratio is 50% and an expected level is 80%. We are pleased to say that our qualified teacher ratios are consistently at 100%. This is something many centres do not achieve.

CHILD TO TEACHER RATIOS

While we have achieved high qualified teacher ratios, we have also made a commitment to overall staffing to ensure we exceed Ministry of Education guidelines for child to teacher ratios. The guidelines are 1 teacher to every 10 children over the age of two. Once again it is widely researched that the smaller the group size per teacher the better the learning outcomes are for the children. We are really pleased that the average teacher to child ratios that we have been achieving over the past year is 1 to 7 for this age group. This is very much at the higher end of teacher to child ratios in New Zealand and helps provide the best possible outcome for your child at The Kumeu Village Kindergarten.

FREE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

The government has been working to increase the number of children in early childhood education for the past eight years by way of the 20 ECE hours for children over the age of three. This is based on the value of early childhood education outlined above. This covers the basic cost of early childhood education for up to 20 hours per week. Where centres exceed the basic standards for teacher ratios and resources they are able to apply a small surcharge. In our case the centre provides over and above the minimum teacher ratio and qualification standard to achieve smaller group sizes and more one to one teacher time as they are key indicators of quality early childhood education outcomes.

20 ECE hours is available on the basis of a minimum of four hours per day, morning or afternoon for up to 6 hours per day as this is the maximum number of hours the government will fund per day. Any time over six hours a day or more than 20 hours per week incurs additional charges. WINZ subsidies are also available in some cases to assist with attendance fees. There are still some children in our community who are not participating in early childhood education who may benefit from time in a quality early childhood environment. If you or anyone you know wants to learn more about 20 ECE hours please come and talk with Gabriella or the team to discuss how we can help.   

Come in anytime and visit us. You can give us a call or send an email with any questions. We look forward to meeting you and your child soon!

At Kid Country Kumeu, we believe in giving your child the very best start, for a brighter future. 

Science shows that 90% of the brain's development happens in these first five years, so the experiences and interactions your little one has during this time are incredibly important, as they form the foundation for future health, happiness, growth, development, and learning success in school.

Our philosophy

The Kid Country approach is a proven and personalised one, where collaboration with family and whanau is key. We work closely with you to determine the needs and aspirations you have for your child. Then we follow through with a safe, stimulating, and joyful environment that gives them the freedom to grow at their own pace >> learning through exploration and play >> allowing them to develop their social, emotional, intellectual, and physical skills >> alongside their peers and kaiako >> with active, hands-on involvement in the local community. 

Happy, healthy development comes naturally, though our professionally designed, play-based educational programmes >> grounded within New Zealand (Te Whariki) and international curriculums >> tailored to each of the age-groups and the individual child >> delivered by an exceptional team of teachers >> and working to enhance the five key focus areas, below.