Childcare options in Silverdale

About us

Set on the ridge on Stanmore Bay Road, with stunning views of the harbour, we are lucky to provide beautiful outdoor and indoor space for our tamariki to explore and learn in.

Our space

Our outdoor area provides a varied terrain with a spacious shaded sandpit, swings, a fort to climb, hills to roll down and a  bountiful veggie garden. Our large light indoor space accommodates for the varying interest of children of all ages from babies to five-year-olds . We have a quiet baby room and baby area, a library, music and blocks corner,  areas for collage and playdough exploration, as well as a spacious kitchen.

Welcoming

We pride ourselves in having a welcoming family atmosphere with dedicated whānau and happy tamariki supported to follow their interest and learn in a stimulating environment in line with Te Whariki. Our tamariki are supported to become confident, competent self-directed learners through play based around their interests. Our tamariki gain knowledge through play, participation and positive guidance. Our children’s curiosity and creativity is nurtured through the fun range of experiences provided … no two days at Playcentre are the same.

Relationships

Our tamariki develop nurturing and social skills which have lifelong benefits. Siblings attend together, allowing older children to mentor younger children and practice empathy and caring. Our parental relationships developed through Playcentre provide support from parents and help them develop new parenting and life skills.

Whānau are actively involved in providing our children’s learning programmes. The high adult to child ratio allows a good balance for group and individual support during each session.There is no other organisation for early childhood education and family development quite like it in the world. Thousands of kiwi children, and their parents too, have grown up with Playcentre.

Welcome to Stanmore Bay 

Kindergarten Stanmore Bay Kindergarten is proud to offer a fun, richly resourced, educational learning environment. Our fully qualified and registered teachers are committed to building learning power amongst kindergarten-aged kids. We are located next to Stanmore Bay Primary School in Waiora Road, Stanmore Bay. Opened in 1979, Stanmore Bay was the first public kindergarten on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

Our Philosophy 

We aim to meet the individual needs of every child; physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually. We believe by creating an environment that fosters fun, curiosity and exploration, children have the opportunity to actively engage with each other and the environment. By sharing and fostering childrens’ interests in different activities we are ensuring there are opportunities for moments of wonder. Working and learning together helps us to get to know the children on an individual basis.

We encourage family/whanau to share their knowledge and experiences with us and be a part of their child’s learning journey. Some learning is self-directed by the child and at other times initiated by the teaching staff. Families are always welcome to come and spend time with us at kindergarten and share the kindergarten experience.

Our Purpose

To provide effective early childhood education services to ensure every child leaves kindergarten with the foundations of personal development and a love of life and learning

Your Child, Your Place

At our centres your child will learn:

• How to relate to other children and their teachers
• How to take responsibility, develop independence and self-confidence
• How to share and explore their understanding of people, places and things
• How to express ideas and acknowledge feelings
• Negotiating, turn taking, cooperation and conflict resolution
• Respect for other cultures, languages and traditions
• How to better interact with family and the wider community
• Hauora (the four dimensions of health), physical, mental, social and spiritual health
• Sustainability and the natural environment

Our History

Kaitiaki Kindergartens were originally known as the East Coast Bays Free Kindergarten Association. Torbay was the association’s first kindergarten which opened in 1954 and it is still a very active kindergarten to this day. As we grew we became known as the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association. Today, we go by the name of ‘Kaitiaki Kindergartens’. Kaitiaki means, “a guardian or trustee, typically of an environmental area or resource.” This change reflects our responsibility to each and every child, community member and kindergarten in the Kaitiaki wider family.

We’re about:

• children, families and whanau
• quality early childhood education
• a qualified and registered workforce
• community
• not-for-profit
• home grown
• kiwi owned

Kindergarten is a partnership between:

• Teachers
• Qualified, registered teachers provide and deliver educational programmes under the guidance and support of the Professional Practice Leaders.
• Our communities
• Support teachers and the Association to help raise funds to ensure it has the resources required by the teachers and staff and to build community relationships.
• Board of management
• Elected by the community by members (parents/whanau) to govern the Association. The board sets policies and the strategic direction of the Association and appoints the General Manager to manage the Association on their behalf.

The indoor to outdoor flow is ideal for children with a range of areas available for play activities from baking, to painting, woodwork, games and reading. Each space has been created with best teaching practice in mind, and supervision is made easy. Well resourced, the core curriculum offered daily overflows into extension activities and provides for a diversity of ongoing learning opportunities. 

The structure of the day is organised in such a way as to maximise a variety of learning experiences and to support individual styles of learning. Each day we have a time together on the mat where stories and songs are shared, and at the end of the day music and phonics. Each mat time is highly interactive and creates a platform for relevant activities to follow. 

We include all ages in one learning space as we believe this encourages children of different ages to learn from each other. It also means children don’t have to transition through different classes as they grow. We provide a high level of flexibility and options available for families. Choose your session times, take children out of preschool for the school holidays with no charge, and we allow for two makeup sessions per term.

🌟 Welcome to Early Years: Your Trusted Partner in Childcare! 🌟

Are you seeking exceptional childcare services in Red Beach or Stanmore Bay for your precious little one? Look no further! At Early Years, we're dedicated to providing a nurturing, supportive, and stimulating environment for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

In these challenging times, we understand the pressure on young families with the rising cost of living. That's why we're here to help! Take advantage of our exclusive Autumn 2024 deal and enjoy 6 months of FREE childcare at Early Years! *conditions apply, limited spaces available.

Our local community is drawn from diverse cultural backgrounds, generations, and walks of life. We are passionate about this community and its whānau. With teachers who have specialised their training in early childhood education operating the centre, you can be assured of a high-quality early childhood centre.

At Early Years, we embrace the theories of Constructivism and Progressive Education as the basis for our educational approach. This means we use a variety of learning resources and highly personalised learning based on the interests of the children. The mixed-age area provides open spaces that offer our children more choices and experiences than smaller classrooms do. We also provide a safe space in a separate classroom for infants and toddlers who are not yet ready to join the main spaces.

Our professionally researched education approach draws upon several educational methodologies, including Intergenerational Centres, Nature and Forest Kindergartens, Reggio Emilia, and Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE).

We aim to grow a community culture that values families and our local community. We want to involve the local community in positive ways as much as possible and also find ways for Early Years to have a positive impact within the community and environment.

Join our Early Years family today and give your child the best start in their educational journey! Contact us now to learn more about our programmes and enrolment options.

#EarlyYears #Childcare #RedBeach #StanmoreBay #QualityEducation #NurturingEnvironment #PlayBasedLearning

BestStart Silverdale is a brand new early learning centre, is now open in Silverdale, Auckland. The centre will provide quality education and care for children aged between 3 months to 5 years old.

Our indoor spaces are built to support the learning and development of every age group – Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. Each room is equipped with high quality, focused resources designed to spark curious minds.

We have an expansive outdoor where children can challenge themselves on the playground equipment while building their independence and self-confidence.

Healthy, nutritious meals and snacks are provided throughout the day.

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

Your child’s learning journey and milestones will be captured and shared through one-on-one communication and our online learning portfolios on Storypark. This is a great way to keep up to date with what your child is doing while at the centre. 

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.

As one of the area's best-kept secrets, it is located only 3 km's from Silverdale Town Centre along Wainui Road, but well and truly in the country.

Set on one hectare of land nestled between farmland, it provides a perfect setting where there is enough (real!) grass for children to run, play, have fun, explore and learn.

Offering the opportunity of regular walks in the paddocks and picnics under the trees, the children absolutely love the rural setting.

Our generation and those past, did not sit as much as children do today in our more sedentary lifestyle. Research shows that auditory, visual and tactile skills depend on movements. Academic success depends on having these basic physical skills in place for efficient learning to occur.

The very best place for children to get moving and master their emerging physical skills is outdoors. It is outdoors that children can fully and freely experience motor skills like running, leaping and jumping.

Playing outdoors also helps children with cognitive, social & emotional development. It is here where children are more likely to invent games, they are able to express themselves and learn about the world their own way. They feel safe and in control, which promotes autonomy, decision-making, and organisational skills.

Although the children are only playing to have fun, they're actually learning lifelong skills! In conjunction with age-appropriate child-led learning, our specialised school readiness program for pre-schoolers, the Fantail Flyers, is where special attention is given to not just word recognition, numeracy and vocabulary but also concentration, working in a group and routines. Our aim is to build confidence so children can move comfortably into 'big school'.

From under the loving care & supervision provided by our under 2's teachers to the fun-loving pre-schoolers, everyone enjoys the outdoor environment and learning opportunities here at Fantails.

Welcome to Busy Bees Silverdale Central, where we embrace Reggio Emilia-inspired philosophy to cultivate curious minds! We take great pride in providing a safe and empowering environment for tamariki to learn and grow. Our centre features six classrooms specifically designed for different age groups, fostering Tuakana/teina relationships and engaged tamariki. Our focus is empowering tamariki to direct their learning while ensuring they feel supported and safe. We offer diverse open-ended and natural resources to encourage teachable moments and create happy, learning-focused experiences.

Our Fern room (Ages 0 - until walking confidently) is based on building loving, respectful and trusting bonds, our kaiako work closely with families to understand cues and develop a routine that supports children’s natural rhythms. The RIE philosophy underpins our teaching philosophy where every tamariki is treated authentically.  When tamariki are ready to progress, they will head into the Nikau room (when they are walking confidently - 2 Years), and utilise sensory play, outdoor exploration, music, and movement to create a fun, interactive atmosphere whilst maintaining a focus on the love and care that infants need to thrive.

The Kowhai room (Ages 2 - around 2.5 Years) is designed to help our tamariki balance the desire to be independent with the need to be nurtured and cared for through rituals throughout the day. Our next room is Manuka (2.5-3.5 Years), where our kaiako support the unfolding autonomy of the older tamariki to encourage the child’s emergent personality to blossom.

Our Pohutukawa room (3-4 Years) supports the tamariki with social and emotional competence at a time when they are ready to engage in meaningful play with others. The Kauri room (4-5 Years) is where tamariki start to become more aware of their upcoming transition to school, our resources are reflective of the medium’s children will be using at school. Kaiako observe and converse with children to develop projects based on their interests.

Nurture Early Learning Red Beach is located on Hibiscus Coast highway next to the Fire Station.

It is a stunning building with incredible spaces, and views of the beautiful coastline.

This Centre is licensed for 80 children, and the building is designed to allow children access to multiple spaces throughout the day. Like our homes, the kitchen and dining area is a central focus of the Centre and children eat in this space throughout the day, while their dedicated chef prepares their food in front of them.

The four separate rooms are designed for small group sizes, and we also have the additional Treetops space for our Moving Smart program.

This space is also used for a community yoga class for our local mums and dads

We're a boutique Early Childhood Education Centre for Tamariki from 0-5 nestled in the heart of Red Beach on the Hibiscus Coast with a BIG passion for Reggio-based teaching while focusing on caring for our environment. NZ owned & operated | Licensed for 34 children with up to 15 under two's.

Reggio Emilia Approach

• Discovery & play-based learning. Like Te Whāriki, Reggio Emilia's pedagogy is child-centred and focuses on the idea that the child is inherently creative and intelligent, capable of exploring and discovering for themselves, with both the intention and the right to make meaning in many different ways.
• Intimate Learning Your second home and whānau. Our centre welcomes pēpi and tamariki from 0-5 years old and has a license for up to 35 children. It is our desire to keep relationships authentic and to create meaningful learning experiences with your child. Our practices reflect and celebrate the cultural heritage of our community. Sustainable Philosophy
• Caring for our Taiao. We're proud to run environmental programmes where children and whānau can explore the importance of sustainable practices. Learning the art of the "3 R's" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) starts with us and we will encourage your family to come along for this educational journey.   

Located on five acres of rural land near Stillwater, Aubrey Early Learning Centre is a home away from home for children and families in the surrounding areas.

Our centre is staffed by a dedicated team of ECE teachers and is based on a child-led, play-based learning philosophy. Our rural location has enabled us to develop a fantastic outdoor environment where the children can regularly be found playing.

At Aubrey ELC we believe that children learn best when they learn through play. Our teaching programme and centre philosophy is based on this thinking. We follow children's interests, providing support and resources to help them develop.

Our dedicated team of qualified early childhood teachers provide amazing care to the children at our centre. Our team are there to support children in their learning and provide the right development opportunities. We regularly up-skill to ensure our teaching practices are up to date.

Welcome to the Red Beach Playcentre page! We are a relaxed, friendly, multi-cultural early childhood education centre where you and your children learn through play. We respect and hold highly the importance of parents as first educators and this is reflected in our sessions which are run by and involve all attending parents and whānau.

One of the life-long benefits of being involved with your children at pre school level is discovering and enjoying your child’s strengths and interests. Explore your child’s world by joining in with them in their water, painting, playdough, craft, building, and sandpit play, along with all the many other activities that we offer.

From the 2017 Education Review Office report: “Warm and respectful relationships between families contribute to the strong sense of community evident in the centre. … Children have a strong sense of belonging and a very positive attitude to learning. “

We provide a complete early childhood education for our children from birth to school age. 

Here are some of Playcentre‘s key points of difference:

• Families learning together, 
• Adult education programmes, 
• Child initiated play, 
• Co-operative, 
• We are unique! 

And most importantly, Playcentre is FUN!

Playcentre families become friends for life. We work as a team, and value everyone’s input. We also go on plenty of trips together as a centre, where we all have the opportunity to experience new and interesting places and activities. We follow the same school term and holidays as Primary Schools. 

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Silverdale Playcentre

At Playcentre, families come together and lifelong friendships are formed.  We welcome families with children aged 0 – 6 years.

Playcentre is unlike any other early childhood education organisation. At Playcentre, kaiako (teachers) are our parents and caregivers.  The curiosity and creativity of our tamariki is nurtured in a way that allows them to learn about themselves and their world through child-led play.  Playcentre parents all bring different skills, interests, and cultural backgrounds to add to the rich learning environment.

Sessions run at our centre on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9.00am to 12.00noon.

‘E tūtaki ana ngā kapua o te rangi, kei rung ate Mangōroa e kōpae pū ana’. The clouds in the sky gather, but above them extends the Milky Way’.

Busy Bees Silverdale is a newly purpose-built, homely-style modern villa.

We are a privately-owned centre, located on the beautiful Hibiscus Coast. Our Centre is open 7.00am until 6.00pm and we are licensed for 78 children. At Adventure Kids we cater for 20 under two year old children and 58 over two year olds, split under different areas.

We pride ourselves on developing strong, solid relationships with our families and we believe communication is vital to the care and education of their child. At Busy Bees we recognise and value the environment as a 'third teacher'. Through our home like country setting, filled with natural open spaces, vegetable gardens and fantastic outdoor opportunities, we strive to provide an environment where our tamariki develop as confident, competent learners who communicate and express themselves as individuals.

At Bsy Bees, we believe that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, and you know your children best.

Prior to your child joining us we encourage short pre-visits to assist with the settling in process. You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Parents’ know their children best and how long it will take to settle them into a new environment.

Fees

At Busy Bees we offer competitive rates, flexible hours and government funded free hours to keep childcare costs as affordable as possible for our families.

Opening Hours

The centre is open 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday. We are open all year round including the Christmas/New Year period (closed stat days only) for your convenience.

Extra-Curricular Activities

We offer Playball and Yoga. Playball is specialised sport coaching programme for preschoolers. While our Yoga programme aims to strengthen balance, flexibility and stamina that brings a positive change in mood and attitude, increased energy levels and the ability to focus. Both programmes are held at the centre once per week for a small charge. Because it is more important for young children to learn confidence and how to play well with others, the sessions are non-competitive and designed to provide all children with the opportunity to participate at their own level and have fun! As well as with other forms of exercise, Playball and Yoga helps the tamariki to improve their physical health and general wellbeing. Children learn social skills such as cooperation, communication, listening, sharing, teamwork and sportsmanship. The sessions also promote life skills such as a having a balanced lifestyle, a positive attitude and increased self-esteem, increased confidence and motivation, focus and listening skills, fair play, independence, persistence and leadership.

Storypark

To help parents, grandparents and other family members to follow the child's early learning journey we use an awesome online portal and phone app called Storypark. We capture your child's learning through videos, audio and artwork. This way you and your family are able to stay engaged in your child's development. The stories are shared only with those you approve. Although we love to use Storypark to communicate with parents as an online platform, we still use paper portfolios available for each child. We believe this is important as children thoroughly enjoy the task of finding their own portfolio and reflecting on their past activities at Busy Bees Silverdale. It's a great way for children to engage in self recognition and their own personal development.

Nutrition

At Busy Bees we provide healthy and nutritious home cooked meals (included in your fees) that incorporate all the food groups necessary for a healthy diet. We believe that this is essential for growing minds and bodies and helps with children's development and learning. This also means, that as a busy parent, you don’t have to prepare lunchboxes everyday, or worry too much about what you serve for dinner, as you can rest assured that after a day at Busy Bees, your children have had all their nutritional requirements. All our meals are prepared by our onsite chef, with seasonal menus designed and rotated on a 4-weekly basis.

Deciding on which Early Learning Centre to entrust your child with is probably the most important decision you will make for your child. You want your child to be safe, happy, well cared for and taught in such a way it gives them the best possible start in life.

Here at Fantails Childcare our experienced team provide sound educational programmes and professional care for your child, with plenty of natural educational opportunities to develop their confidence, friendships and self-awareness along the way.

Located in the heart of Silverdale at the corner of Millwater Parkway & Totara Views drive, it offers modern purpose build facilities with an environment that match the quality of education and care provided.

Divided into four more intimate settings for groups of up to 25 infants, toddlers, juniors and pre-schoolers, each with access to age-appropriate resources and teacher-child ratios exceeding Ministry of Education standards. Large sliding doors on the north facing side create a seamless indoor/outdoor flow to landscaped grounds featuring both natural environments and play structures, including a fort, a bike track, and a separate outdoor play area for infants. Inside, modular furniture creates flexible play spaces and comfortable spots for parents to spend time with their children.

As part of our Healthy Heart Award accreditation Fantails offer fresh food prepared on the premises for morning and afternoon snacks and a hot lunch, saving parents the need to prepare a main meal for children in the evening.

Here at Silverdale Kindergarten we take pride in our Enviroschool focus/the Maori concept- kaupapa (foundations, principles and philosophy).

We are creating a healthy, peaceful, sustainable world through people teaching and learning together.Together the children and teachers are on a journey learning the art of sustainability through growing vegetables, gardening, being plastic bag free, worm farming and composting fruit and vegetable scraps. We reduce, reuse and recycle. 

Teachers have created a welcoming environment for Māori children and their whānau that strongly reflects the centre’s bicultural focus. Māori perspectives are woven through the programme and teachers naturally integrate te reo Māori through the use of short phrases, words and waiata. We also partake in an annual Maori kapahaka festival. We have many cultures represented in our kindergarten. 

Our team works closely with our families to understand the different cultural needs of each child. We use greetings in various languages and have a specific cultural area. Families are encouraged to share their culture with us through stories, songs and cultural celebrations. Each week we take a group of children out into the environment. Often into the bush behind the school next door we go eeling, exploring and learning about our natural environment. We require parent support for these amazing adventures where curiosity and exploration are a key component.

Our Purpose

To provide effective early childhood education services to ensure every child leaves kindergarten with the foundations of personal development and a love of life and learning

Your Child, Your Place

At our centres your child will learn:

• How to relate to other children and their teachers
• How to take responsibility, develop independence and self-confidence
• How to share and explore their understanding of people, places and things
• How to express ideas and acknowledge feelings
• Negotiating, turn taking, cooperation and conflict resolution
• Respect for other cultures, languages and traditions
• How to better interact with family and the wider community
• Hauora (the four dimensions of health), physical, mental, social and spiritual health
• Sustainability and the natural environment

Our History

Kaitiaki Kindergartens were originally known as the East Coast Bays Free Kindergarten Association. Torbay was the association’s first kindergarten which opened in 1954 and it is still a very active kindergarten to this day. As we grew we became known as the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association. Today, we go by the name of ‘Kaitiaki Kindergartens’. Kaitiaki means, “a guardian or trustee, typically of an environmental area or resource.” This change reflects our responsibility to each and every child, community member and kindergarten in the Kaitiaki wider family.

We’re about:

• children, families and whanau
• quality early childhood education
• a qualified and registered workforce
• community
• not-for-profit
• home grown
• kiwi owned

Kindergarten is a partnership between:

Teachers

Qualified, registered teachers provide and deliver educational programmes under the guidance and support of the Professional Practice Leaders.

Our communities

Support teachers and the Association to help raise funds to ensure it has the resources required by the teachers and staff and to build community relationships.

Board of management

Elected by the community by members (parents/whanau) to govern the Association. The board sets policies and the strategic direction of the Association and appoints the General Manager to manage the Association on their behalf.

As you walk in to our Red Beach Centre you will be warmly greeted by our kind caring teaching team and administrator. As you explore our environment, you will just love the huge outdoor all-weather play area. 

The facility can cater to up to 30 children. With best teaching practice in mind, the space is child-focused and functional.The structure of the day is organised in such a way as to maximise a variety of learning experiences and to support individual styles of learning.

Each day we have a time together on the mat where stories and songs are shared, and at the end of the day music and phonics. Each mat time is highly interactive and creates a platform for relevant activities to follow. 

We include all ages in one learning space as we believe this encourages children of different ages to learn from each other. It also means children don’t have to transition through different classes as they grow. We provide a high level of flexibility and options available for families. Choose your session times, take children out of preschool for the school holidays with no charge, and we allow for two makeup sessions per term.

We aim to provide enriched and challenging learning choices in a creative and nurturing environment, where each child shall experience a high level of personal success as a valued and respected individual.

Teachers

The teachers at Starfish Early Childhood Centre believe in providing an environment that is welcoming, safe, nurturing and stimulating to children and their parents/whanau within our community.

Each child is unique

We believe that all children are competent and capable learners who have naturally inquiring, questioning minds. We value their uniqueness and will treat them with dignity and respect. We provide a programme that recognises the holistic way children develop and learn. Children will have equitable opportunities to develop within a child-initiated environment that supports self-motivated learning and peer collaboration.

We acknowledge and respect parents/whanau as first teachers, and value their contribution in the well-being and education of their children. Parent/whanau participation and their voice (whanau korero) will be encouraged and welcomed.

The service's philosophy promotes sustainable practices and respect for the environment. At the centre the children are also learning to care and respect their environment by trying to reduce their carbon footprint. The children are involved in recycling and identifying soft plastics has become part of the daily routine. The worm farm helps to minimize waste and is also helping to produce some healthy-looking vegetables in the garden. The children are keen gardeners and enjoy watering the plants, smelling the herbs and help to harvest the vegetables that are grown to eat. They are also involved in maintaining swan plants that attract monarch butterflies. They then follow the life cycle of the butterflies. 

A fundamental part of our programme is taking the children into the community (all age groups). Regular walks in the local bush feature in the programme. The neighbouring park is also used to extend opportunities for children's physical activity. We also have planned outings, which we love parents to participate in. These include trips to local schools, special events, the library or places related to our focus. 

Teachers have established relationships with local schools to support transitions for older children. They visit the local Silverdale Primary School each term and other neighbouring schools throughout the year. Activities are based around the children’s interests to make it meaningful and fun. Self- help skills, developing independence, learning how to pay attention and social skills are some key focus areas we work on. 

We believe that if we support children in a holistic manner then they will thrive, their self-confidence will grow, which will in turn give them an array of skills that they can utilise not only during their transition to school but also throughout their lives.

Your Place inspires and empowers everyone that walks through its doors. It is a place that feels, smells, sounds, looks and tastes like home. The practice at Your Place is based on Kotahitanga because without unity, a peaceful environment is not possible. Our ‘View of the Child’ is that all infants, toddlers and young children are competent, capable, curious and natural learners. Trusting, respectful relationships are at the heart of our every day practice with infants, toddlers, young children, colleagues, whānau and Papatuānuku (Mother Earth). The expectation at Your Place is that people, places and things are treated as we ourselves would like to be treated. Your Place prides itself on providing an authentic learning environment in which everyone feels safe and secure being themselves. 

Your place supports children (teachers and whānau) in developing at one’s own pace. Your Place is home to teachers who are passionate, present, and responsive to children’s needs. Teachers work in partnership with whānau to ensure home and centre aspirations are met. Your Place enables children to unfold as competent, capable, curious and confident learners, healthy in mind, body, spirit and soul. Harmony, fun and being joyful are central at Your Place. Play, as this is the vehicle through which children learn. A culture of Kindness. Being truly present for children. Observing, noticing, listening to and responding to children’s non-verbal and verbal communication. Establishing a deep sense of wonderment, with and alongside infants, toddlers and young children. Acknowledging children as free and equal human-beings, who have the same rights as adults to be treated with total and utter respect. Allowing children to learn and develop in their own way at their own pace. Providing opportunities for children to experience sheer joy and excitement. Time for children to build the knowledge and skills they require to live a safe and healthy lifestyle, in a world that is constantly changing.

We established Muddy Toes Early Learning Centre to provide a warm, natural, safe and welcoming environment.

Our centres are small family run businesses which have been created with the help of our passionate Kaiako. We practice a forest-based philosophy. We will provide a loving, nurturing and stimulating environment which will enable children to feel a sense of belonging, whilst they engage in meaningful play opportunities. Our centre is designed for play; we welcome “muddy play” and provide a natural environment for our tamariki to explore.

We embrace Tangaroa, Papatunuku, Ranginui, Tawhirimatea and Tane god of the forest. M.U.D represents the core meaning behind our philosophy " make unique discoveries ". Our tamariki can make unique discoveries in our very own back yard, amongst nature. With smaller numbers of children our teachers are able to:

• Spend quality time with each child
• Develop close child/teacher bonds of affection
• Assess each child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth, whilst working to achieve the very best learning outcomes for each child.
• Respectful and trusting relationships.

We embrace the beautiful philosophical influences of Reggio Emilia and Montessori. Our overall learning objective is to let children lead us into a world of discovery. We encourage children to follow their own interests and take ownership of their learning. This freedom of choice promotes self-esteem and encourages children to become capable, confident and independent learners.

We encourage a love for learning and education. In our view this means fun, laughter and love. We let your children lead the way and respond by extending on from each individual interest. We encourage partnerships with all family / whānau through the concept of whakawhanaungatanga. Whānau are encouraged to share aspirations for their children.

Of course, we value Te Whāriki our Early Childhood Curriculum and weave this into everything we do here at Muddy Toes.

Our programme is a perfect combination of learning and play, based on your child's unique strengths, needs and interests, in a setting where each child can learn in a style and at a level that is just right for them. 

We believe children have staggering potential and we love to help them bloom. Fantastic teachers, gorgeous kids, a beautiful physical environment and the benefits of traditional Montessori education combined with the best of modern teaching methods. 

Coast Montessori Preschool is a boutique preschool for children aged two to five years, located in Silverdale on the beautiful Hibiscus Coast, North Auckland. 

In her time, Maria Montessori was at the leading edge of education. She created many of today's methods of teaching and contributed much to our understanding of how children learn. 

Coast Montessori Preschool offers an innovative approach that integrates her amazing insights with the best of modern teaching practices for 21st century kiwi kids. 

Love and care are our first languages. Diversity is embraced and everyone is valued, respected and heard. Our centre is a place where potential is nurtured and a child's natural sense of wonder is celebrated - a high quality learning environment where happy, confident and lifelong learners are created. 

Your child is unique, and will be treated as such. Our programme provides a tailor made education experience for each child that reflects their own needs and stage of development. Because one size doesn't fit all. Our priority is to create a place where your child feels safe, loved, happy and nurtured. The perfect preschool for your child, right here on the Coast. We want children to have fun at Coast and to look forward to coming...and we want you to know that your child is in good hands while you are not with them. 

We have a high quality of care ratio (teacher to child). Qualified and experienced teachers support children to follow their interests, from the simple through to the complex.

Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Kuaka is a centre-based kōhanga reo located in Silverdale-Hamilton and provides for up to 77 tamariki. Book a visit today to connect with our kōhanga reo and to learn more about the options for your whanau.

Te Kōhanga Reo

The kōhanga reo movement is a unique initiative based on total immersion in Māori language and values with the aim of passing on Māori culture to future generations.

Kōhanga reo emphasise the revitalisation of the culture through te reo Māori and are dependent on the active participation of the whole whānau. The kaupapa of kōhanga reo aims to strengthen whānau capabilities in cultural, social, economic, spiritual and political matters. Education, health and wellbeing are inherent within all aspects of the kaupapa. The prime focus is the whānau – its collective development, growth, accountability and wellbeing set within a Māori cultural context.

Kōhanga reo do not regard tamariki in isolation, but as important members of the whānau. The kōhanga reo philosophy is that tamariki will benefit when whānau successfully operate according to the kaupapa. Tamariki are an integral part of whānau development.

The following key goals are the foundation of te kōhanga reo kaupapa established in 1982:

• total immersion in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga in daily operations
• whānau decision-making, management and responsibility
• accountability
• health and wellbeing of mokopuna and whānau.

The key goals of te kōhanga reo assure that there will be:

• security in te reo Māori
• a supportive, caring environment for mokopuna
• whānau (collective) sharing of responsibilities, knowledge and expertise
• greater respect and appreciation of each other.