Portobelo Avonhead

Portobelo Avonhead Nursery opened in 2014 in a converted house, joined to our Preschool by a walkway. We are tucked away on a quiet residential street, with the play area at the back, away from the street. Here there are trees, grass and spaces to encourage children's curiosity and exploration of their natural environment at their own pace. Our babies and toddlers can also see into the older children’s playground, allowing for interaction with their siblings as a natural part of their day.

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We believe that babies and toddlers thrive with individual time and attention, so we provide specialised teachers and a ‘primary’ or key teacher for every child to form a special attachment with. Each key teacher is responsible for meeting the needs of their own small group of children, including bottle feeding, sleep times and nappy changing. To ensure we can meet this high expectation, we work to ratios of 1 adult per 3 babies (under 12 months) and 1 adult per 4 toddlers (12 months and over).

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We understand how special your child is to you, and key teachers work hard to ensure the settling-in process takes account of what’s important to you and your whanau. This includes adjusting our routines such as eating and sleeping to suit the needs of each individual child. Our indoor and outdoor environments are freshly set up several times each day to have lots of interesting and inviting play spaces with resources that encourage children to explore deeply, all with a natural feel.

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When your child shows us they are ready to move on to the Preschool, your child’s key teacher will consult with you and put into place an individual transition plan to ensure your child has plenty of time to become familiar with the new environment and teachers. We take our lead from the child as to how best to pace this.

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Please phone to arrange a visit to see how special Portobelo Avonhead Nursery is, and what we have to offer you and your child. We will be happy to show you around and discuss your child’s particular interests and strengths, and your wishes and hopes for their learning and care in our centre.

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