Childcare options in Redwood

BestStart Redwood is an inviting and engaging education and care centre that encourages our tamariki (children) to connect and engage with the world around them. Our learning environments are safe and well resourced. You will be amazed and delighted with our outdoor spaces. They are large, inviting, stimulating and reflective of our respect for Papatūānuku (the land).

Our professional and fun kaiako (teachers) have a genuine love of teaching and learning. We are very proud of our environment which is set up to support and extend your tamariki learning and development. Within this environment our tamariki mana is recognised and fostered within a responsive curriculum, rich in language and cultural artifacts.

There is a balance between set activities and self choice experiences. We have a variety of excellent developmentally appropriate resources to support your child to learn and develop to their full potential. During the day they will have access to these resources and at other times kaiako will set up specific activities, such as music and painting.

Our vision: As we grow together, we learn together

Our Nursery has caring teachers who are passionate about meeting the individual needs of your infant. We work hard to ensure we follow the same routines that you have at home.

Our Toddlers Room has plenty of exciting educational experiences to capture your child’s imagination and develop their identities as autonomous learners.

Our Prep-school provides a wide range of experiences, activities and equipment to support inquiry learning whereby they can plan and monitor their own experiences.

We offer flexible session times that will meet the needs of your whanau.

What makes us special:

- A safe and secure environment

- Very large outdoor spaces in both the nursery and the preschool

- Well resourced centre

- Our kaiako will support your child to be respectful, resilient and over time, become independent

Come in for a look and see how your child could benefit from becoming part of the BestStart Redwood family.

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.

Redwood Playcentre offers a welcoming space for children and adults to play and connect with one another. The safe, free play environment offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities and experiences.  

Redwood Playcentre has a large outdoor area with lots of space for children to explore. Tamariki are encouraged to spend time outdoors all year round and enjoy a wide range of activities including the huge sandpit, mud kitchen and outdoor climbing equipment. There are often opportunities for messy and water play as well as lots of bikes and ride on toys to enjoy.  

Inside there are always a wide range of activities offered to children each session. Tamariki have the chance to participate in creative activities such as painting, playdough and art activities as well as a popular construction area full of trains, blocks, duplo and much more. Creative & imaginative play are encouraged with a wide range of toys and children can often be seen playing alongside one another.  

The large covered area is a great space, especially in wet weather. There’s a popular carpentry area for children to explore and it’s a great space for active play when it’s too wet to venture outdoors.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

The Redwood Early Childhood Centre teachers and Management Committee are committed to providing quality care and education for children 0-5 years.

GROWING COMPETENT, CAPABLE, CONFIDENT LEARNERS AND COMMUNICATORS.

OUR AIM IS…

To provide a creative and stimulating environment which facilitates both individual and small group interests.

And to provide a curriculum which allows tamariki to make choices and participate at their own level.

To work towards providing experiences designed to help tamariki reach their full developmental potential, and to ensure their needs and rights are protected.

Our role as kaiako is to work in partnership with whānau to support and inspire tamariki to become confident and competent life long learners.

Rere atu, rere mai taku manu e, Rere ki tua, rere ki ko. Kia whetutangitia e.

Fly my bird, in every direction. Attain the countless stars.

As a community-based early childhood centre, management and kaiako believe in the importance of working collaboratively with parents and whānau in developing shared goals and expectations for both the tamariki and the operation of the centre.

Management and kaiako believe that for young children’s learning and development to be enhanced, there needs to be a strong focus on whanaungatanga; the fostering of warm, caring relationships within the centre and strong links between the centre, home and community.

Management have a commitment to employing early childhood qualified, experienced staff who are willing to be involved in ongoing professional development.

OUR NURSERY

• Primary Care-giving
• Small Group size of 10 maximum
• Great teacher ratio 1:3
• Close relationships between teachers and families
• Exceptional space indoors & outdoors’
• Qualified Teachers

Primary care giving is fostered in the nursery environment, this support infants and toddlers.

Providing primary care does not mean that that each child is involved ‘exclusively’ with one teacher but that at least one teacher will take primary responsibility to build reciprocal relationships with that child and tune into and respond to their needs in partnership. The aim is that each child develops a secure attachment relationship with a least one teacher whom they of all children

We work in partnership with families to ensure flexible routines based around the needs of individual children are the core of our programme.

OUR PRESCHOOL

• Devoted Kaiako – Fostering relationships
• Tamiti:Kaiako ratio 1:7
• Healthy eating promoted
• Edible Garden
• Qualified Kaiako
• Community outings
• Creative play environments

This area is licensed for a maximum of 30 tamariki with 4 kaiako plus a teacher support person who is extra during kai times etc.

Rolling kai is offered in the preschool within set times. By keeping the group size small during these times, an intimate social setting is created. Rolling kai means that when children are busily engaged in an experience they are not interrupted straight away but have an opportunity to be more independent.

“Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori

Respectful relationships – devoted kaiako, following principals from primary care giving support children and their families to develop a sense of belonging and well being, especially for those settling into the preschool.

Tamariki participate in a programme that encourages them to actively explore and develop their interests, abilities and understandings of the world. Both the indoor and outdoor environments are arranged so that tamariki can move freely from one area to the next and engage in individual or group play.Both indoors and outdoors incorporate areas such play dough, art and creativity, carpentry, sand play, waterplay. Learning is also extended out into the local community, with regular weekly trips to story time at the library, the park and the tennis courts.