BestStart Harrison Street

At BestStart Harrison Street we support our children to build their self-esteem, social skills and self-help skills to encourage a love of learning. We care for children from 0-6 years old and are open all year, only closing for public holidays.

Growing A Community

Our centre whanau and community are an important part of centre life, as we all come together to enrich the lives of our children. This reflects our vision of growing a community.  We love to give back to our whanau and community in as many ways as we can.

Here at BestStart Harrison Street, we know that children are active learners and we support their independence and choices, following their interests and extending their skills and knowledge. We nurture their relationships and support their learning and development through playful exploration so they can be happy, confident and capable learners.

Flexible and convenient – We provide quality education for children from birth to school age and have a wide variety of booking options to meet each child and family’s individual needs. We’re conveniently located in central Whanganui and are open from 7.30am – 5.30pm and throughout the school holidays. We also provide healthy and delicious morning and afternoon kai.

Sense of belonging – Parents and children experience a sense of belonging at BestStart Harrison Street. Families are at the heart of centre life and we value the rich diversity and contribution every family brings to our centre. Connections with our whānau community is core to our vision and centre philosophy. Our teaching team are open, friendly and welcoming and value the aspirations and expectations whanau have for their child.

Cultural connections – We acknowledge and promote New Zealand’s bi-cultural heritage by embracing and developing a deeper understanding of Te Ao Maori. We are proud of the cultural heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand, the cultural diversity of our own community and of the exciting world around us.

Be School Ready – As part of our programme, we provide a Be School Ready initiative which helps children develop the skills needed for a happy and successful transition to primary school. This is a holistic programme, which fosters exploration, problem solving, and social development while extending on children’s interests. This includes:

• Promoting social competence – such as sharing, turn taking, initiating and maintaining friendships, participating in routine and sustained engagement.
• Promoting emotional competence – such as being able to express emotions appropriately and respect the emotions of others, self-regulation and self-confidence.
• Promoting a curriculum based pedagogy – such as numeracy, literacy and science skills that children will learn through play, as well as the practical self-help skills.

Our learning spaces – At BestStart Harrison Street, our play and learning environments are divided into three rooms to help support children’s individual learning and development. We have a warm, homely centre, with beautiful natural environments, perfect for children to explore and flourish. We have a wonderful loving teaching team to cater to your children’s needs, and help your child learn and grow.