438 Hagley Avenue, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011
BestStart Parkside provides quality childcare and education in a specially designed centre with separate nursery and preschool play spaces. We are conveniently located close to Christchurch Public Hospital and the Addington Business District and offer full-time, part-time and sessional (morning or afternoon) hours.
Our Happy Place For All
Our team of qualified teachers provide a beautiful environment that is welcoming, respectful, safe and fun for all children and families. The atmosphere is both calm and playful and children experience loving relationships with teachers and develop a strong sense of belonging and empowerment.
Our Nursery - Spacious, relaxed and inviting - Our nursery teaching team have created a calm, unhurried atmosphere where children are given full attention during those all-important routine times of eating, sleeping and nappy changing. By working at each child’s individual pace, we are able to ensure their ever-changing needs are nurtured. Careful consideration is given to the layout of the playroom so that infants and toddlers feel empowered to self‑select from the toys and many natural resources which are attractively displayed down at their level. Close relationships and open communication with parents means children’s individual routines are easily catered for within the flexible daily programme.
Our Preschool – Holistic development - Our preschool’s large open indoor and outdoor spaces allow for a variety of learning opportunities and experiences that challenge children in ways that support their holistic development. Our free play approach to curriculum and our planning support current research: children learn best when they are given the chance to take risks, have fun, embrace challenges and have the freedom to express their thoughts and emotions to gain competence in responding to the emotions of others. Every child is unique and needs acceptance and respect to develop their full potential. Our teachers are passionate about providing the best possible preschool experience for every child and their family. Children and their families are supported in preparation for their transition into primary school. By offering a play based curriculum and a child-led environment, we can support children with their transition to school through our Be School Ready initiative. The initiative has been developed to ensure that children leave our centre as confident, capable learners with a strong sense of identity, having had many different experiences to prepare for the next step in their education journey.
Advantages of our mixed age classrooms - Our mixed age group classrooms allow children to interact and learn how to get along with peers of varying ages. This is a great opportunity for developing social skills and building confidence. Older children learn compassion, patience and problem-solving skills as they interact and assist younger children, while younger children will find themselves challenged by the older children and able to participating in more complex activities with their older peers. Our teachers focus on the individual learning needs and skill levels of each child and proud for providing a tailored individual programme that celebrates diversity in a home-like environment.
Meal times - We provide healthy cooked lunches each day by our qualified chef on site. We can cater for allergies and special dietary requirements.
Relationships with Whanau (Whanaungatanga) – We as Kaiako understand that parents and whanau are the most important people in their life. We respect parents as first teachers and work with you to guide your child through their learning journey. Therefore, we take pride in communication and consultation with our Whanau, collaborating to ensure we are providing a home-like, secure, loving and developmentally appropriate environment and curriculum. As a centre we ensure that we take time to celebrate each and every milestone that our tamariki achieve.
Inclusion – As Kaiako we believe in Cultural Appreciation. As a team we celebrate such events as Chinese New Year, Matariki and Language Weeks within our centre. We also take part in nationwide events such as raising money for Plunket and the Cancer Society.
Community Involvement - We as a team believe it is important to be a part of our community. Our kaiako (teachers) support our parents and tamariki with transition to school, where the kaiako organise visits to our local schools. We also complete other adventures around our surrounding neighbourhood so that our tamariki learn an appreciation for their wider environment.
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