Childcare options in Mt Wellington

Choosing a centre for your child is exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time, we understand; choosing Mighty Minds means your child will be in a loving, caring and safe environment where their learning is nurtured in an environment that is encouraging to them. We place a strong focus on LISTENING; listening to children’s experiences from home and the world around them and encourage them to participate and share their knowledge with others; through this process, a child’s dispositions are nurtured and this contributes to positive moulding, defining the adults they become.

Tui Room

(0 - 2 years)

Our practice in the nursery room is greatly influenced by the Pikler Approach to raise healthy babies. This approach is based on renowned Hungarian paediatrician Emmi Pikler’s research into gross motor development and emphasizes treating babies with respect. Here are our guiding principles:

• We give our full attention - especially when involved in a Caring Activity.
• Slow Down.
• Build Trust, and your Relationship, during the Caring activity times.
• Babies are never put into a position which they cannot get into by themselves.
• Allow babies uninterrupted time for play.
• Babies send us cues all the time. Tune in respectfully.

Simply said; Dr. Pikler reminded us that babies are unique individuals and we should treat them as such

Kea Room

(2 ~ 3 1⁄2 years)

Toddlers are naturally inquisitive and busy; our programme for toddlers have taken into account for them not being fully independent, curious, their short concentration span and their love for getting involved. Inspired by the Reggio philosophy, children in this room will be encouraged to make decisions for their own learning, they will be encouraged to communicate their ideas and will be given the opportunity to test their own hypothesis. Through this, toddlers will communicate and test their own ideas and gain confidence in the process.

We also understand that toddlers are still young, that’s why it is still important for us to be there for them and support them in situations that they are unable to resolve yet. We will encourage them to develop friendships and try new things. We will also ensure that we are there to support them when they need us.

How do we achieve this?

• We listen and observe before interacting
• We provide opportunities for spontaneous play
• We give children time to practice what they know
• We are there to support when they need help
• We provide a wide range of opportunities and experiences
• We encourage children to express their ideas
• We praise them for their effort
• We have lots of magical cuddles to give away for those who need it

Pukeko Room

(3 1⁄2 ~ 6 years)

Preschoolers come in all shapes and sizes; they are full of ideas and energy and they have an eagerness to discover new things. At this age, they are hungry for new information and experiences and the opportunity to try out their ideas. They are also eager to show us what they understand about the world and what they can do, and they often need recognition for their effort.

Inspired by the Reggio philosophy, children in this room will be encouraged to make decisions about their own learning journey, they will be encouraged to communicate their ideas and will be given the opportunity to test their own hypothesis. We also encourage our preschoolers to share their knowledge with peers or someone younger, we believe that when they are passing on their knowledge, they will gain recognition and self-confidence.

How do we achieve this?

• We listen and observe before interacting
• We provide opportunities for spontaneous play
• We give children time to practice what they know
• We encourage children to share their knowledge with others
• We are there to support when they need help
• We provide a wide range of opportunities and experiences
• We encourage children to express their ideas
• We provide opportunity for children to test their ideas
• We praise them for their effort
• Most importantly; we have fun while doing it

Our Motto

We focus on children’s contribution to their own learning and encourage them to share their knowledge with others. We believe that educators are children’s partners in learning and that children have the ability to plan and direct their own learning. So listening, observing, interacting, and learning is at the centre of our programme.

BestStart Mount Wellington is an established early learning childcare centre located close to Sylvia Park in Mt Wellington. We're conveniently open from 7am to 6pm and offer a range of childcare options to suit your family’s needs.

Learning areas - Our diverse teaching team are experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.  We have created individual learning areas to inspire our children as they grow. Rooms have resources and activities specific to each age group, supporting them to gain confidence and develop in their own time. Our warm, loving environments ensure all children feel safe and nurtured, leaving them free to explore and discover though child-centered learning.

Inclusive and respectful - We are fortunate to be nestled within a multicultural community and regularly celebrate cultural events and celebrations alongside our children and families. We work closely with our parents and encourage them to be part of our wonderful centre. We have an open door policy and also endeavour to be part of the wider community.

Community connections - We have close connections with a number of primary schools in the local Mt Wellington/Panmure community. We have regular school visits to support a positive transition to school for our older children. As well as our connections with primary schools, we also offer our unique Be School Ready initiative which has been developed to ensure that children leave the centre as confident, capable learners and prepared for the next step in their education journey.

We welcome all whanau and children to come visit us and become part of our well-resourced, quality learning environment.

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.

At our centre we believe that each and every child is a unique individual, and each needs to be treated equally and with respect.

At Piccolo Park we believe that a child’s’ play makes a big impact on their development and learning. A child’s play is very important and begins at the very early stage of their development therefore at our centre we believe in extending their play, based on Te Whariki, the NZ early childhood curriculum. We believe that Te Whariki will provide a quality and stable curriculum framework in our centre.

We believe that all children should be independent and should be respected and encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas.

We believe in providing a safe environment where the children can discover, learn, create and explore safely on their own and alongside other children and teachers.

We believe in setting up the environment to create an opportunity for the children to acquire the skills that are needed to become confident and competent learners in their learning journey ahead.

At Piccolo Park we value the importance of the family/whanau and working in partnership with each child’s family. We promote ongoing communication between families, whanau and teachers to ensure their child’s needs and aspirations are met.

We believe that all children should be given the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritage of both partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Together we also celebrate and embrace the multicultural diversity of our families and children at Piccolo Park. We are committed to ensuring that every child and family feels welcomed, respected and valued.

We strive to provide a childcare environment where children can develop to their full potential. In partnership with the children’s families it is our vision that we are creating confident and competent lifelong learners.

Scribbles Mt Wellington is located at Sylvia Park and conveniently close to both the Northern and Southern Auckland motorways .

Our Philosophy

Management and educators are committed to providing the highest quality childcare and education for our children. We strive to provide an environment where all children’s cultures are respected, celebrated and they are able to develop to their full potential as unique individuals who are confident in their sense of belonging at our Scribbles childcare centres in Auckland. Our cultural values are underpinned and influenced by our understanding of tikanga and the Treaty of Waitangi.

It is our aim to provide the foundations of a developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Education programme which is underpinned by the principles and strands of Te Whariki. We believe that through child initiated activities children will be given opportunities to explore the world around them, becoming active and involved learners. In addition children will feel empowered when at Scribbles day care centres, viewing learning as fun and exciting in a safe and secure environment.

Scribbles' management and educators are dedicated to ensuring that parent/whanau involvement is encouraged in all decision making, in particular, guidance when seeking goals and aspirations for their children. It is our aspiration to ensure that these relationships are respectful, reciprocal and responsive. Therefore we are committed to creating a meaningful learning community for our children and their families.

Each of our childcare centres consistently promote a holistic approach to the health and wellbeing of all children and their families. This is achieved through developing strong relationships with each other as a team, with children their families and the wider community. Our aim is to give children the tools and confidence to become competent and confident lifelong learners.

Lightbulb Learning is owned by Anna Jones an experienced Childcare operator who focuses on providing quality childcare for each individual child. Anna has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and after having her own children, realised how vital the first 5 years are for each child. The biggest brain development of our lives happens in our first 3 years of life and it is so important to support this time by providing rich and meaningful learning experiences. At Lightbulb Learning the environment is designed specifically for this – creating fantastic environments to support children’s exploration of the world around them, fostering their curiosity, supporting their interests and dispositions, and challenging them to take the next step. Children learn by doing, watching, trying, failing, and having fun.

We are family orientated and love spending time getting to know you and your child. Come in and visit us. We would love to show you around our beautiful new environment.