Childcare options in Mount Maunganui South

Welcome to Maunganui All Day Kindergarten

Kia ora and welcome to Maunganui All Day Kindergarten, (formerly known as Mount Plunket Preschool). We are proud to have served the Mount Maunganui community since 1988!

We are a community-focused All Day Kindergarten dedicated to providing a high quality of education and care, with small group sizes and excellent staff:child ratios.

At the heart of our well-loved service is our innovative team who create fun, memorable learning experiences for tamariki allowing them to step confidently into primary. 

Here, you'll find a safe, supportive, child-focused environment where we cultivate an approach of care and respect for one another, our natural world and our dual heritage in Aotearoa.

A home away from home, we maintain a child's routines - sleep and meal times where possible, keep siblings together, and build strong partnerships with whānau.

We offer education and care:

• for 6 months - 5 year olds
• from 7:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday

We'd love to meet you and your whānau - get in touch to arrange a visit!

Our Philosophy

We work in partnership with parents and whanau, promoting a community of learners which encourages mutual respect and open communication.

We build warm relationships with children and families that are respectful and meaningful.

We value our small group size which operates in an aesthetically pleasing and child friendly environment.

Children develop thoughtfulness, empathy and respect for all people and their property.

Management and Staff are proud to work at Maunganui All Day Kindergarten, and we constantly strive for excellence in all our work relationships.

We support staff to continually grow and offer opportunities for ongoing professional development.

We offer a rich programme, full of learning opportunities where a child is valued as a full participant.

While children have opportunities to follow their own interests, they are supported by skilled staff, who help to consolidate a child’s current learning and challenge them to extend it further.

Centre policies reflect our respect for the natural world.

Community Kindy the Mount is an amazing childcare centre right in the heart of sunny Mount Maunganui. We're open right through the year, only closing for public holidays, and offer both sessional and full day care for children aged 2 to 6 years old.

Freedom to be Me

Our fun, home-like centre is a place where children feel comfortable and confident to get involved and immerse themselves in our rich learning experiences. Children have the freedom to be themselves!

At Community Kindy the Mount we're known for our incredible learning environment, fantastic resources and amazing teachers! We have an experienced and passionate teaching team skilled at engaging children and inspiring them to follow their interests and discover more.

Freedom to play - PLAY is everywhere. Our children lead their own learning and are confident and capable learners. We have ample resources and intriguing spaces that encourage children to come together and prompt extensions for play. Respectful friendships are always encouraged.

Freedom to explore - Children have the freedom, time, space and opportunities to take risks in their play. This allows them to continually test the limits of their physical, intellectual and emotional development. Children explore their environment through a balance of teacher directed and self-initiated discovery which focuses on the interests and development of each child.

Freedom to investigate - There are no obstacles for what the children need or are trying to achieve. We follow children's individual interests to help them lead their own learning in their own time. Children ask questions and lots of questions are encouraged - there are no wrong answers. Teachers are here to inspire, investigate and discover the answers alongside them.

Freedom to learn - Children love learning, so we create environments where they can be immersed in learning and absorb an understanding of maths, language, writing, exploration, social skills and more. We consider it a privilege to have a role in the lives of the children entrusted to us. Our Be School Ready initiative prepares children with the skills needed for the next stage of their learning journey. We have a special relationship with the local schools which are Mount Maunganui Primary school, Omanu and Arataki and this provides a great basis transition into school.

Freedom to discover - We provide creative dance, playball and weekly library trips as extra-curricular activities our children just love!

Freedom to create - We inspire creativity through our engaging learning environments and resources. Children discover and explore together. There are no limits to building on creativity and no limits to what creativity can achieve.

Freedom to connect - Our committed long-standing team enjoy their days of play and learning with the children. We share consistent values in our practice and know our children and families well. Families love the connections they make at our centre. Not only with us but with the other families and children here. We really are a big family.

We are often seen as the heart of the Mount community by our families, past and present. Our links with the community are a big part of our Kindy programme as they help children make connections with the wider world. The beach and Mount Mauao are but a view away. Weekly trips to the library, the supermarket and Central Parade eateries are all in walking distance. We really are connected with our community.

Children have the option of taking part in weekly dance classes at Kindy with Amanada from Celeste Dance every Wednesday.

Freedom to be me - Our learning environment and programme promotes bi-culturalism and respects all ethnic groups. Children learn so much from each other. Everyone is unique and has something special they bring to centre life. This diversity provides us with so many experiences children benefit from during their time with us.

Come and visit us today and learn more about how we can help your child thrive.

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.