BestStart Cashmere

The Nursery provides a nurturing and intimate atmosphere, with a maximum of 15 children and a dedicated team of experienced teachers.

Manaakitanga Care: A unique approach to caregiving, focusing on one-on-one relationships between teachers, children, and whānau to build trust and a sense of belonging.

Routines and Care: Unhurried routines, such as nappy changing, kai times, and sleep times, are designed to foster security and love.

Indoor and Outdoor Exploration: Thoughtfully designed spaces encourage infants and toddlers to discover and explore their surroundings.

Our Transition room aims to create a home away from home, where children feel safe, valued, and supported. Strong, respectful relationships with children and families are at the heart of our practice. Teachers engage in intentional teaching, thoughtfully planning and responding to children’s interests and needs.

Our approach places a strong focus on pedagogy, ensuring that teaching strategies and learning experiences support children’s development and connect meaningfully with the principles and strands of Te Whāriki.

Purposeful Activities and Resources: Designed to foster well-being, confidence, relationships, and communication skills.

Mixed-Age Outdoor Play: Shared outdoor space with older children provides opportunities for toddlers to engage, play, and learn alongside peers of varying ages.

Our preschool room provides an environment where children feel comfortable, safe, and valued. We place a strong emphasis on building meaningful relationships with children and their families, supporting a sense of belonging, self-expression, and emotional regulation. Learning is supported through play-based experiences, where children explore, discover, and develop their interests. Teachers engage in intentional teaching to guide and extend learning, aligning our practices with the principles and outcomes of Te Whāriki to support children’s holistic development.

Creative Autonomy: Children are supported to explore creatively while developing physical and cognitive skills.

Focus on Problem-Solving: Teachers guide children in asking questions, researching, and hypothesizing to discover how things work.

Environment as the “Third Teacher”: Thoughtfully designed spaces inspire learning and exploration.

he prep room has a strong focus on preparing children for the transition to school through an intentional Set for School programme. Teachers support each child’s learning through Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), ensuring their strengths, interests, and developmental needs are recognised. Children also participate in excursions and school visits, helping them build familiarity and confidence as they transition to primary school.

Skill Development: Focus on collaboration, communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Self-Help and Responsibility: The environment is set up to encourage independence and responsibility.

Small Group Learning: Experiences are tailored to different educational areas, scaffolding and extending children’s interests and knowledge.