Childcare options in Spreydon

BestStart Barrington, located on the corner of Bewdley and Barrington Streets, is a brand new early learning centre, now open in Spreydon, Christchurch. The centre provides quality education and care for children aged between 3 months to 5 years old.

Our vision and values - 'Inspired by Kindness'

Kindness - Children have positive attitudes towards themselves and others.

Respect - Children have a strong sense of respect for themselves, others and the world around them.

Collaboration - Children and their families have a strong sense of belonging and are a valued part of the centre.

Growth - Children feel safe and trust that their ever-changing needs will be met.

At BestStart Barrington we provide an environment where our children and families feel a strong sense of belonging.  Kaiako (teachers) work in partnership with our families and acknowledge that positive relationships are important to ensure children feel safe and are ready to learn.

Our whanau’s aspirations are acknowledged, and our daily curriculum reflects and builds on the knowledge and experiences that our children and families bring with them to our centre.  Kaiako place a strong emphasis on supporting and developing our children’s social and emotional skills.

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.

The kindergarten is located in the heart of the Addington community, close to local schools, and has been serving children aged 2-5 for a century. The recently renovated building provides a modern and welcoming environment for children and their families. The spacious layout offers various learning areas that encourage both individual and group learning experiences. The natural backyard, with its established trees and gardens, provides abundant opportunities for children to explore and satisfy their curiosity. The outdoor space also includes specially designed equipment that supports the physical development of the children, allowing them to learn and make safe choices using real tools and resources.

At Spreydon Baptist Community Early Learning Centres, we share a vision for high quality education and care for all children, enabling them to become lifelong confident and competent learners. Our centre philosophy is based on strong Christian beliefs and principles that are woven through the life of the centre by our qualified staff and management. We aim to provide a caring, supportive environment for children and their whanau.

Our Kindergarten area is located at 31 Cobham Street, with access also from the Lyttelton Street carpark. We cater for 24 children from approximately three and a half through to five years old, in an age-appropriate environment. 

Children are provided with an attractive, and well-resourced environment that provides many opportunities for creative, imaginative and outdoor physical play.  

Our teachers incorporate Christian values and beliefs into the daily programme and relationships and encourage children to become confident in who they are and what they do. The majority of children transition from the preschool however, where available, new children/families will be offered spaces.

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Lyttelton Street Playcentre.

Playcentre is unlike any other early childhood education organisation. At Playcentre, both children and their parents / caregivers attend.

At Playcentre children get the opportunity to learn and explore in a fun and safe environment.

The curiosity and creativity of our tamariki is nurtured in a way that allows them to learn about themselves and their world.

Your child will be given a chance to explore, create, climb, read, sing, experiment, play music, wear costumes, have their face painted (or do it themselves!), garden, do carpentry with real tools, bake and cook, build sandcastles, swing, slide, dance, spend time in nature and get messy.

The activities change every day. Playcentre parents all bring different skills, interests, and cultural backgrounds to add to the rich learning environment.

We welcome families with children aged 0 – 6 years. Mixed age play allows your children to engage with others older and younger than themselves. Pre-schoolers learn how to communicate, share and negotiate with empathy for their younger peers.

At Playcentre, families come together and lifelong friendships are formed.

We welcome you to visit any time during the year. You are entitled to three free visits so come and check out what we do – we would love to meet you and your family!