Childcare options in Whalers Gate

Welcome to Little Minds Early Learning Centre

At Little Minds Early Learning Centre we have a wonderful family of children, parents, whaanau and teachers. We have two interesting and inviting learning environments. The first one is our Koru Room where we have our babies up to two years old and then our Fern Room where they are two to five years old.

Our aim is to offer children and their families a quality education programme firmly embedded within the bicultural and multicultural diversity of Aotearoa.

Kotahi te kaakano, he nui ngaa hua o te raakau - A tree comes from one seed but bears many fruit.

-Te Whariki 2017

We provide an exceptional preschool programme that caters specifically for the needs of 2 – 5 year olds and we pride ourselves on our under 2 programme that nurtures and educates our infants and toddlers.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

RESPECT

At Jumpstart we treat people, animals, our belongings and our environment with respect. This is modelled throughout the centre and influences the way we learn, teach, communicate and interact.

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

We promote a family environment that encourages communication and interaction between children, parents, whanau, educators and management. We believe this is key to developing strong, reciprocal relationships.

PLANNING AND EVALUATION

Planning and evaluating children’s learning and development on a regular basis supports us in providing learning opportunities that are challenging and inspiring, ensuring children become confident learners that are proud of their achievements.

The regular development and review of policies, procedures and strategic plans ensure that our centres maintain exceptional administrative and educational standards and practices and well developed and maintained land, buildings, fixtures and fittings.

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

We strongly believe in the importance of play for children’s social, emotional and physical development – and we also believe that children need rules and routine. Our daily programme is designed in such a way that children experience both routine and sustained periods of uninterrupted play.

We recognise and value the importance of physical activity, social interactions, imaginative and explorative play and believe that these can be enhanced through thoughtful planning, a well-designed environment, effective teaching strategies and a variety of resources and learning opportunities.

CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

We are committed to meeting children’s individual needs, supporting their development, and recognising and nurturing their strengths and interests in a safe, fun and educational way.

PREPARATION

We believe that children who have developed the attitudes, learning strategies, working theories and dispositions that are critical to learning are confident, competent learners and will find school a positive experience. We pride ourselves on ensuring all students are well prepared for their introduction into the school environment.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

We recognise the benefits and importance of continuous learning. We provide teachers with a strong support and guidance programme and undergo regular professional development. Emphasis is placed on self-reflection and review.