Childcare options in Hokowhitu

Tui Early Learners are five privately owned childcare centres in Palmerston North and Feilding which provide high quality early childhood education and care for children from birth to starting school.

Our vision is 'what is in the best interest of the child?'

At Tui we value children’s strengths, interests and abilities. We recognize young children’s need to develop their abilities to become independent and their desire to begin to guide their own learning experiences and outcomes. To achieve this we include a variety of free play and planned structural events within the routine of the Tui day.

Play as a Teaching Tool.

At Tui, play is seen to be a meaningful learning experience which focuses on processes, roles and interactions between people and objects. Studies show the links between play and many foundation skills and complex cognitive activities such as memory, self regulation, oral language abilities, successful school adjustment and better social skills.

Our philosophy

At Tui, we believe that early childhood education is a collaboration between parents, children and teachers.

Parents are important to us - you entrust us with your children; you appreciate us; you challenge us; you support us.

Children are important to us - they are the reason we come to work with a smile every morning! Children delight us, test us, cuddle us, extend us, learn with us.

Teachers are important - all children have great potential that we need to understand and guide

so we continue our own learning through professional development both as individuals and as teams.

Parents and families are joint players with teachers in the task of raising healthy, curious, happy, resilient children.

BestStart Hokowhitu offers a lovely atmosphere that feels just like home. We're conveniently located close to the city centre, near several high-quality schools and the Esplanade, with ample parking spaces for drop-offs and pickups.

A Whānau Inspiring Unique Minds

We respect our children to be capable and curious learners, where they develop an awareness of who they are in an open and supportive whānau inspired environment. 

At BestStart Hokowhitu we are dedicated to supporting children’s emotional awareness by acknowledging their feelings and those of others while developing their self-empowerment. We see this as an integral part of learning and development.

We offer something unique as each aged-based area offers a quiet space designated for children to learn about self-regulation and to have the opportunity to engage in activities that encourage mindfulness play such as books, puzzles, open experiences (touch, sight and smell) or creative play, all while soft ambient music plays in the background.

Infants-Tui

In our Infant Room our teachers embrace an environment where love is expressed everyday and which celebrates the uniqueness that each child and family brings. We have a welcoming environment that feels like home, where our small teaching team build strong relationships with our families and children.

Our babies learn through experiences designed to engage and inspire curiosity. They explore their senses through art, manipulative play, sandpit play and activities that develop their co-ordination such as dancing, climbing, throwing, and jumping. We read children's cues, which allows us to respond to the individual needs of each child, both in comforting and empowering them.

Toddlers- Pihipihi

Within our Toddler Room children are acknowledged for their unique individual strengths. The knowledge they bring with them is extended through their interests and the aspirations of parents and family. Our curriculum is tailored to each child’s unique style of learning. 

Our programme provides activities based around arts and crafts, with opportunities for literacy and numeracy such as recognising and writing their name. Children love imaginative play with their friends which helps develop their social skills and creativity.

Our large outdoor area means there is heaps of space for jumping, climbing, challenging their physical skills and developing confidence. We have lots of outdoor sensory activities where children learn about early science concepts and generally have fun and get messy.

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 waka eke noa – A canoe that we are all on together

At Ruahine Hokowhitu Kindergarten the strong relationships between children, teachers, whānau and the community are an important part of who we are, which is visible through our inclusive community feel, open door policy, children supporting each other and our friendly team. Together we work in partnership, to nurture creative, curious and active learners.

Our well-resourced, developmentally appropriate and large indoor/outdoor environment allows children the space to explore, celebrate nature, build confidence through challenges, creativity, independence, and meaningful play.   

We are an Enviroschool kindergarten that empowers our community of learners to connect with and care for our environment and create a sustainable future. 

Tamariki and whānau learn and become comfortable with school life through reciprocal visits to schools in the Hokowhitu area, and we offer a playgroup as an introduction to our teaching team, environment and to meet other children before starting kindergarten.

Ruahine Hokowhitu Kindergarten is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 2.30pm, and closed over the Christmas and New Year break, as well as three weeks during the year when teachers are engaged in professional development (dates to be advised on enrolment).

Three, four and five year old's may attend our kindergarten up to 30 hours at no charge, a fee of $2.50 (inclusive of GST) is in place for tamariki under 3 years of age - ask our Head Teacher for a copy of our Terms of Trade.