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Our Nursery Values
Our nursery is a beautiful space where we strive to create a home away from home for all tamariki in our care. We understand the strong need for routines, rituals and love for our under 2’s and ensure every child has these needs met daily, and our whanau feel the trusting, authentic and reciprocal relationships we have with their child, and the child’s wider community. Our team are highly experienced and trained, and endeavour to provide top quality care and education at all times. As a team we have been reviewing what is important to us and what we stand for.
Through an internal evaluation, discussions and ongoing research we have come up with our 4 key values in our under 2s space for our youngest pepe.
Respectful Relationships – We follow practices and ideas based of the theories of Magda Gerber and Emmi Pikler. Building authentic and genuine relationships with our children, our whanau, each other and our extended community. Ensuring our interactions are kind, caring, respectful and encourage growth. Our tamariki deserve respect within our teaching practice, and we show this by being mindful, allowing choices, and moving at the child’s individual pace each day.
Key Kaiako Approach - We have developed a key teacher approach in the nursery where every child has a key kaiako. This teacher is responsible for the care routines daily of each individual child, and ensures they have a strong understanding of their educational and developmental needs. This Kaiako will also have a trusting and open relationship with whanau, and strive for success for their child. We work together as a team, but having a key Kaiako approach ensures we know our children and whanau inside out, we mimic routines from home, and our children have a secure attachment with at least one Kaiako in this space.
Unhurried and Peaceful Routines and Rituals - Within our nursery space we provide an environment that is calm, unhurried and flows at the children’s pace. We have a flexible and adaptable daily routine where we set each day on the needs of our tamariki. We follow each child’s individual home routines, and listen to their cues throughout each day. We also ensure any special rituals from the tamariki home life, culture, or values are acknowledged and celebrated too.
Freedom of Movement - We strongly believe in the RIE approach to movement and that children should learn to move in their own space and time. We allow our babies and infants to have space to explore and challenge themselves in natural ways without the use of props or barriers such as high chairs, swings, carriers or seats. We position babies and infants on their backs allowing them to learn the skills to roll, crawl, sit and move in their own time. As educators we use strategies to help develop these gross motor skills, such as extending their reach, positioning objects close by, and spending lots of time down at their level, but we understand each child learns at their own pace, and this will all flow on when they are capable and ready.