PJ is our Centre Manager, she has over ten years of experience working in early childhood education as a teacher, head teacher, and now Centre Manager. PJ brings a calm and nurturing presence to our centre which she utilises to build strong relationships with the tamariki and their whānau. PJ loves the spacious outdoor area that is filled with lush greenery and she is passionate about engaging the tamariki in this space through physical games, gardening, and carpentry. PJ is a problem solver and enjoys helping the tamariki in the playroom and parents/caregivers in the office find solutions to any challenges that may arise. 

Amy loves anything arts and crafts as it is her favourite curriculum area. She also loves reading stories with our tamariki and watching the different ways they choose to engage with an experience she has set up. Amy’s aspirations for our tamariki are that they feel loved and supported to grow up into confident, kind, and resilient little people and this shows in the nurturing way she interacts with our tamariki. Early childhood teaching as a career interested Amy as she recognised that these early years are the foundational years for lifelong learning and she believes this is where she can make the most impact on our children’s lives. Amy loves the whanau feel of our centre and really values that we are a home away from home for our tamariki and their whanau. 

Jess is the Head Teacher at BestStart Oamaru Kindy and has worked at our centre since she started her career in early childhood first as a caregiver, then teacher in training, to a qualified teacher, and now as Head Teacher. Jess is really proud of our big outside play space, the homely feel of the centre, and our passionate and dedicated team. Jess aspires for our tamariki to become confident in themselves as capable, independent lifelong learners who show kindness and empathy towards others. She supports our tamariki through building strong relationships with them and their whanau and nurturing their well-being. Jess loves seeing the children work through the challenges they set for themselves and supporting them to achieve a new goal. Jess is passionate about scaffolding children through their physical play outside as well as providing real-world role-playing experiences for our tamariki. She also enjoys providing fun, engaging, and interactive mat time or small group experiences. 

Stella considers working with tamariki as a privilege as she gets to aid their growth in the most critical years of development. Stella loves that here at BestStart Oamaru Kindy, we work with our families and respect and value their ideas and aspirations for their children, while also recognising and embracing the uniqueness and individuality of every child. Stella is a playful kaiako who views every interaction as a teachable moment. She enjoys scaffolding and supporting children’s interests and creativity and gets excited when they can communicate their stories, discoveries, or feelings to her. Stella views her experience growing up and living in other countries as an opportunity to provide our tamariki a window to the wider world. 

Bethany comes from a big family, so spending time with tamariki comes naturally to her. She loves spending time with children, doing crafts with them, and seeing children come up with their own ideas. Bethany finds working in early childhood very rewarding. She values building trusting relationships with our tamariki as she knows new environments or meeting new people can be overwhelming or scary, but having someone you trust and feel safe with can make all the difference. Bethany is loved by all our tamariki but especially our younger tamariki as she is bubbly, kind-natured, and always has a smile on her face! 

Sam enjoys being a part of the supportive Kindy whanau that is BestStart Oamaru Kindy. Family is important to Sam and she loves working with our Kindy families and really getting to know them. She aspires that our kindy tamariki are happy and healthy and aims to ensure her teaching practices nurture their well-being. Sam is one of our recently graduated Kaiako who is working towards becoming a fully certified teacher and we are loving watching her growth and development over this time. 

Jackie loves the homely feel of BestStart Oamaru Kindy and how we are a smaller mixed-age centre supported by a diverse team with a variety of different strengths. Jackie works hard to provide a nurturing and safe environment for all of our tamariki that values what makes them unique and is full of fun and learning. Jackie is committed to providing quality education to our tamariki and enjoys the fun nature of young children and seeing how proud they feel when she supports them to achieve a goal or milestone. She loves to provide creative learning opportunities, tactile experiences, and teaching through fun and interactive mat times and storytelling. 

The team at BestStart Oamaru Kindy are supported by dedicated and passionate relievers and teacher aides including Ian, who works alongside the team in supporting children's learning and play during their kindy days.