Childcare options in Te Atatu Peninsula

At BestStart Te Atatu Peninsula, we live by our vision Where Aroha Leads. When you first walk into the centre you will be welcomed by our experienced and inclusive team. Our team is here to support you with information, enrolment, and making the decision to partner with us on your child’s early learning journey.

Our environment is designed with separate indoor and outdoor areas for infants, toddlers and children to cater to their developing learning needs. This allows us to provide new learning opportunities for all age groups. Our families love that our teachers (Kaiako) have expertise in their chosen age groups. We offer sessions, short days and full days, both part time and full time over the week.

Our youngest children are nurtured in the Tui room. The peaceful and loving environment of Tui room helps children settle and develop a sense of belonging. We ensure the space is calm and by really getting to know each child and family, each child’s care routines are supported and their interests stimulated through many fun and exciting activities.

Walking into the Kea room you will see our curious and bright toddlers busy with their learning activities. Discovering with their senses means getting in there and messy – loving the waterplay, gardening exploration and art supplies. It may look like play however they are busy building social skills so they understand how their world works alongside others.  We plan, support and educate our curious group through an individual focus to allow children to grow and learn at their own pace.

You will hear the excitement from the Kiwi and  Moa rooms preschool as you approach. Working in groups on projects, our incredible preschoolers are becoming their own people, and discovering their own interests. Our Be School Ready initiative is carefully designed to support children’s next big learning step when they move to primary school. We support parents and children as they develop the skills and attitudes for being a lifelong learner.  We connect with them regularly to ensure children are familiar with staff and the transition to school is streamlined.

We invite you to come and see how we can help your child become capable, confident, independent and ultimately ready for school.

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.

Te Atatū Village Kindergarten is located right in the hub of our village and is an integral part of the local community.

Here at Te Atatū Village Kindergarten, we embrace cultural diversity. It is important to us, to create a special sense of community where families and teachers can come together and share in their children’s early years.

The children at Te Atatū Village Kindergarten move on to schools in the local area. These schools include Rutherford Primary, Peninsula Primary and Matipo Primary.

We believe that tamariki and their whānau bring a wealth of knowledge, culture and experiences that enhances our learning environment. Through whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships), we strive to learn and grow alongside each other as a multicultural community of diverse learners.

• Our lovely friends from St Margaret’s rest home come to visit once a month (intergenerational)
• Wonderful natural outdoor setting
• Strong community involvement
• Supportive parent committee
• Our dedicated teaching team consists of four qualified registered teachers, part time administrator and two teaching assistants.

We all come with our own set of skills and strengths that contribute to our dynamic team and enhances the learning environment.

We pride ourselves in providing an environment that is welcoming, vibrant, inclusive, nurturing, fun and rich in learning experiences for all.

Our learning philosophy

For the past 110 years, the Auckland Kindergarten Association has been igniting young minds by encouraging them to explore their imaginations through play. For many of us, kindergarten was where we began our life of learning; it was where we started learning skills like sharing, tolerance, patience, respect and self-confidence.

We view children as capable, competent, life-long learners, and our philosophy encourages children to make their own learning choices, problem-solve and observe and explore at their own pace…with support from teachers, parents, wider whānau and their peers. We value the importance of child-initiated, play-based experiences. Our kindergarten teachers nurture your children’s interests and natural curiosity by working alongside them, expanding language and introducing mathematical and science concepts, as well as literacy, digital technology and sustainable practices.

Our centres have gardens and natural outdoor spaces where children can create, explore, be imaginative and expressive. There’s plenty of room to safely run about, being imaginative and physically active. In fact, the natural world is essential to free-range play. AKA encourages each kindergarten community to explore and enrich their diversity and uniqueness. Some have regular excursions into the local community; some are Enviroschool kindergartens that live and breathe sustainable practices; while others engage in long-term research on child interest-based programmes of learning.

As an organisation, we formally acknowledge the dual heritage of Aotearoa / New Zealand, and work to uphold the spirit and intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in each kindergarten. We are accessible, secular and welcoming to the wide diversity of tamariki and whānau who attend our centres, and value ongoing partnerships between teaching teams and leadership staff with families and whānau. We value ongoing learning for teachers, parents and whānau, and the sharing of knowledge, skills and attributes is fundamental to achieving the best learning outcomes for children. Teachers and staff can access collegial professional time to ensure that quality practice is enhanced so current theories of learning and development within New Zealand’s world-class Te Whāriki early childhood curriculum are shared and understood.

Children learn

Children in our kindergartens have the opportunity to:

• Feel confident, develop responsibility and a sense of independence
• Play meaningfully alongside other children and adults
• Develop effective communication skills
• Persevere, problem-solve and take risks
• Explore limits, boundaries, routines and conflict resolution strategies
• Practice fine motor skills such as threading, writing, cutting and grasping
• Develop gross motor play such as physical games like climbing, throwing, kicking, balancing and lifting
• Develop creative expressions through painting, music, collage, movement, dance, finger-painting, drawing, cutting, pasting and story sharing
• Develop early numeracy, literacy and science skills
• Learn techniques through trial and error
• Explore the world through experimenting, questioning and curiosity
• Develop confidence and celebrate both attempts and successes
• Develop a passion for learning and a love of life
• Have fun!

Older children will be supported in their transition to school to make this process as simple and seamless as possible. Book a visit here on Kindello today, we’d love to meet you.

Strong partnerships with your child and their important family members means together we can nurture, love and provide abundant learning experiences. Teachers get to know each child and design learning experiences suited to their interests, age and stage.

The space for our youngest children is a calm and nurturing environment where our curious babies develop naturally and in their own time. Always experiencing respectful interaction, the infants enjoy open ended play and opportunities to explore and discover. The specialised infant teachers provide sensory play which includes active movement, dance and music everyday to stimulate brain development.

Growing into inquisitive toddlers, our children learn social skills through interactions and gain independence in our safe indoor-outdoor environments. Discovering with their senses means getting messy – loving the waterplay, gardening exploration and art, music and dance. It may look like play however they are busy building social skills so they understand how their world works alongside others. When they are ready, we support children to take care of themselves and their belongings through clearing their own plates/cups after meals, washing their own faces/hands, placing their own belongings in their bags. We plan, support and educate our curious group through an individual focus to allow children to grow and learn at their own pace.

Through our relationships with you and your child, we identify when is the time to start planning the transition to the preschool room. Learning to work together, our incredible preschoolers are becoming their own people, and discovering their own interests.

Our Be School Ready initiative is carefully designed to support children’s next big learning step when they move to primary school. We support parents and children as they develop the skills and attitudes for being a lifelong learner.  We connect with them regularly to ensure children are familiar with staff and the transition to school is streamlined.

Growing Great is a holisitic approach concerned with children’s physical health through healthy food and exercise, giving a sense of belonging through identity and culture, and educational opportunity. Our children are given opportunities to know and share their whakapapa (their family) and participate in Te Reo and Te Ao Māori.

Staying connected with the Community - Fostering a strong sense of community matters to the BestStart Te Atatu Rd team. We support local organisations and involve our whānau in centre life as well as our many events and celebrations. We support our children to have opportunities to be out and about in the community.

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.