Childcare options in Mairehau

BestStart Warrington is an early learning childcare centre located just ten minutes from the centre of Christchurch, on the corner of Warrington Street and Hills Road. We cater for children aged 3 months to 5-years-old.

Weaving Children and People Together

Nursery (3 months - 2 years) - In our nursery we have a strong focus on each individual child’s care and learning. We ensure all interactions are authentic and responsive, where needs and wants are heard and met. Interactions are respectful, informing children about what is happening and letting them feel empowered in their environment and building their sense of contribution. Respect, independence, love, security and a sense of belonging happens.

Preschool (2 years - 3.5 years) - Our preschool provides a fun, meaningful and child-driven learning environment where fun and a sense of humour are essential. The preschool places an emphasis on promoting respect, communication and independence. We use rich language, encouraging the use of both verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate and resolve conflicts. Supporting children to express themselves in a variety of different ways helps provide them with skills and strategies to build and maintain relationships with others.

Prep School (3.5 years - school) - In the prep school we have a developed transition to school programme which supports both children and parents with the next stage of their child’s education journey. Our environment is set to spark curiosity, encourage collaboration and strengthen communication. We focus on ensuring our children are respectful, confident, competent and responsible and who are flexible thinkers that have a real love of learning.

What to expect?

- Regular excursions into the community

- A centre that is purpose built with three classrooms

- A super engaging, fun, happy place to be

- We believe in collaborating in partnership with educators and parents, enabling children to reach their full potential holistically

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.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!

Nōku Te Ao means ‘the world is mine’.

Nōku Te Ao started in 2002. Our roopu mātua is a kapa haka group called Te Ahikaaroa based in Ōtautahi. We are also now a part of Te Pā o Rākaihautū, a pā wananga that began in 2015.

The need for an immersion Māori Childcare centre began when it was observed that the group had more pēpi than performers. We had the skills within the group to start our own centre which catered to our needs and aspirations for our tamariki. So we did.

Nōku Te Ao began in a leased building on Ensors Road. We were there for 3 years while we obtained funding and built the premises at 6 Birchgrove Gardens which we moved into in late 2005 and now are also at Te Pā o Rākaihautū, currently at 7 McLean Street in Linwood.

In our philosophy we differ from the norm by our whakaaro of total immersion and by the way we are governed. Total immersion to us is that we kōrero i te reo Māori to ngā tamariki and to each other, but we speak to the mātua and manuhiri in the language they understand—we encourage our whānau to learn te reo Māori but we understand the need to communicate and to feel comfortable about being able to communicate. Te reo Māori is an important part of our curriculum,but not the only focus. We believe it is a natural right for all tamariki living in Aotearoa and should be a normal part of our daily lives.

Knowing who they are and where they belong creates strong, resilient tamariki who carry their sense of identity with them throughout their lives. 

Our trust board make all the decisions on pertinent matters regarding the centre. Our management run the centre. Our kaiako plan the curriculum and teach ngā tamariki. Your input and help with our kaupapa is always valued and appreciated.

If you have any matters to discuss regarding your tamaiti feel free to kōrero directly with the Kaihautū or the kaiako.

We welcome your whakaaro on our programme and we are constantly seeking to improve upon the quality of what we do.

We aim to provide a quality Māori preschool environment that is stimulating, challenging and global in it’s outlook, safe, positive, warm, accepting and welcoming to both tamariki and mātua.

Our vision is to create an environment that inspires our tamariki to be:

· The very best they can be

· Happy, confident and of high self-esteem;

· Self-motivated, curious and vibrant;

· Respect for self and others;

· Strong in their cultural identity: te reo me ngā tikanga Māori

Nōku te Ao is committed to sustainable education and we strive to provide an environment that promotes caring for Papatūānuku. We recycle, reuse, reduce and refuse rubbish and encourage our whānau to do the same. We are rubbish-free centres and promote the use of reusable containers wherever possible.

Our Kaiako

Recruiting quality kaiako and ensuring that there is ongoing training and development for kaiako is a high priority for us. Our kaiako are whānau and role-model whānau values for our tamariki.

Our Programmes

We provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that incorporates structured activities and free play based on Māoritanga, kapa haka and Te Whāriki.

The programmes are designed to promote the optimum development of each tamaiti within a whānau Māori setting. 

Ako Tahi is about learning together as one. We are more than just a preschool, we are a community hub where parents can find support and assistance for the whole family. We aim to make our preschool a relaxed and calm homely environment. 

Our Philosophy

We strongly believe that childhood should be filled with fun, happiness, and laughter. Our educational approach is one of play-based learning, in which children can spend time playing and developing learning dispositions including: exploration, imagination, experimentation, curiosity, and risk-taking. Play based learning brings a sense of freedom to children, while also allowing their confidence to grow through the many learning opportunities they encounter and deepen levels of engagement. Teachers and whanau will work collaboratively to ensure tamariki are given the space to openly take part in this learning journey and be supported through the structured programming implemented within the centre.