BestStart Oamaru Kindy is situated in a lovely old converted villa which creates a nice homely feel for the children and families attending our centre. We have a large, sheltered and private playground which provokes children’s natural desire to move and to explore both independently and with their peers.
Our Vision: Learning as we play, growing as we learn together.
We cater for children from two to five years old and are licensed for 35 children. We value and recognise children as competent and capable learners and work with whānau to support each child’s learning and development, and to ensure we meet every child’s needs. This is reflected in our environment where children are encouraged to develop their independence and build self-confidence as well as developing skills for life.
Our large outdoor environment invites children to explore the natural world with native plants, food gardens, a playground which challenges children to develop their physical skills, two large sandpits and a variety of resources provided to support children’s learning. We are proud to be part of the Enviroschools programme which supports children and young people throughout New Zealand to plan, design and implement sustainability actions that are important to them and their communities.
Our daily routine offers children the opportunity to explore and play at their own leisure and also includes several short structured periods. These include group times for our four year olds focused on literacy and mathematics programme as part of our Be School Ready initiative.
Whānau are required to provide a packed lunch, including snacks for morning and afternoon kai and water bottle for their children. We encourage whānau to consider healthy choices to support their children’s development and growth and to sustain them through their busy day playing and learning.
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.
