Our Balclutha Childcare Centre is part of the City Impact Church Campus, right in the heart of Balclutha. Our centre is light, bright and spacious and caters for all different ages and stages with areas and activities that have each child in mind.

Our qualified staff ensure all children are in a safe and loving environment for each child to really flourish. Alongside excellent qualifications and expertise, our teachers bring a wholeheartedness in helping raise a new generation of children.

Our tailored curriculum is designed to create learning experiences and opportunities to enhance the development of every child, so they can develop into their unique God-given identities and be bold in who they are.

BestStart Balclutha offers quality childcare and education for children from 3 month to 5 years old. We are now open 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

Your Whanau, Our Whanau

We have dedicated kaiako (teachers) who are passionate about children and a curriculum that offers each child a balanced programme. This provides opportunities for them to follow their individual interests, build on their strengths, get support for challenges and develop their social and team work skills.

Working with our small rural community, we provide a home away from home environment. In our outdoor play area, the children can explore, care for our vegetable garden, extend their physical skills on the play equipment and still have ample space to ride bikes.

We offer a Be School Ready initiative which helps prepare our children for lifelong learning.

We have a team of amazing qualified teachers and we provide healthy morning and afternoon tea.

Working with the community:

At BestStart Balclutha we believe that the community is the heart of everything we do. We have a range of activities and initiatives where we work alongside the community. Some of these initiatives are:

– Paying it forward

– Using our vegetable gardens, we sharing it with our whānau  and local pensioners

– Participation in the A & P show and the Santa Parade

– We’re actively looking to reduce sugar for our tamariki and have a Gold Healthy Heart Award

– Come and grab a book from our Lilliput Library - this allows people to get a book suitable for their children, free of charge.

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.

Wild Things offer the highest quality home-based early childhood service - where children can be children, and nothing is more important than that.

Where children and their families are our whānau

Our service caters to families with a diversity of needs, acknowledging parent/whānau needs and aspirations for their children. Parents and whānau are made to feel welcome, and we are available to discuss formally or informally their child’s progress. Wild Things support partnerships with families/whānau and educators / Kaiako to create the best learning outcomes for your children. With over 15 years’ experience in the early childhood education field, Wild Things are committed to offering professional, quality early childhood education. The Wild Things team supports an ever increasing number of families throughout the Lower South Island who wish to engage the services of a home-based educator / Kaiako.

Our Educators / Kaiako

Our educators / Kaiako are trained to provide the highest quality home-based early childhood care and education for your children. So if your family is looking for a dedicated educator / Kaiako for your children Wild Things are here to help.

A safe & nurturing environment

Research has proven that the first three years of a child’s life is when most brain development occurs - and that development is directly linked to the baby’s environment. This is why we believe it is important that a child’s environment is safe and nurturing where the child forms secure attachments due to primary care and small group size.

Where children can reach their full potential

Wild Things is a professional service that provides families with the highest quality early childhood education and care. We want you to feel confident knowing Wild Things only recruit the very best educators / Kaiako to nurture your children to reach their full potential. We will work with you to choose an educator / Kaiako who will most benefit your child’s needs, your circumstances, and your family values, and we are always available for you to call should you have any concerns - we believe open communication is essential.

Home-based educators / Kaiako are first choice for kiwi families

Home-based educators / Kaiako are now the most popular choice for parents seeking quality child focused early childhood education. The home-based educator / Kaiako works in her own home, and provides a quality educational programme for up to 4 pre-school children. She is supported by her visiting teacher to provide opportunities for children to participate in experiences that suit their individual interests within the day to day happenings of a home setting. Home-based educators / Kaiako choose the days and times they work, and can offer flexibility in hours.

In order to choose an educator / Kaiako for your child, the visiting teacher will discuss with you and match your family requirements with a pre-selected and screened educator / Kaiako. Emphasis is placed on matching your specific needs with the appropriate educator / Kaiako.

Our home-based educators / Kaiako hold or are working towards the Open Polytechnic level four Certificate in Early Childhood Practice and hold a current First Aid certificate.

Advantages of being with a Home-based Educator / Kaiako:

• In the educators’ / Kaiako home
• Small group interaction
• Thorough screening of educators / Kaiako
• Matched to family expectations
• Consistent group dynamic
• Convenience
• Flexible hours
• Consistent adult relationships
• Local knowledge and involvement
• Visiting Teacher guidance and support
• Outings and excursions
• Playgroups, music groups, gym groups,
• Wild Things Readiness for School programme
• Individual child led learning programme