BestStart Kelvin Grove

The Koru Room is a delightful open plan space with under floor heating designed for the needs of the youngest members of our whānau – the under two’s. Koru refers to the new unfurling fern frond and it symbolises new beginnings. There is a ‘Nestling’ area which is a safe space for our non-mobile tamariki where they can freely explore and enjoy each other’s company with resources that are especially tailored for their development. Our ‘Fledglings’ who are mobile, whether that be crawling or walking, are provided with a range of spaces and resources that encourage their stages of development and interests. We have an outdoor area which we can use in rain or shine because of our waterproof drop-down blinds and there are amazing exploration opportunities such as a whare, a sandpit, climbing equipment, bikes, and a chalkboard all on a combination of concrete and soft fall. There is a dedicated sleep room to encourage healthy and peaceful rest and our freedom of movement philosophy is perfect for children to learn ā tōna wa (in their own time and at their own pace).

Our specialised baby team support families and children to settle in to centre life. Our babies are lucky to have freedom of movement, with no barriers preventing their exploration. We work with you to support your home routines and learn about your aspirations for your child. We practice primary caregiving which is when each child has their own special teacher responsible for their care moments. This teacher is the key contact for families, they'll be able to tell you about the details of your child's day and take on board any feedback. The close, trusting relationships we develop with our children encourages them to develop confidence, try new things and develop at their own pace.

The Kōwhai Room is our toddler room that caters for the unique and diverse needs of two- to three-year-olds. The Kōwhai tree symbolises growth with a renewed sense of adventure and the room is adjacent to the Koru Room allowing for smooth and easy transitions. Toddlers are curious and independent so the indoor space is both carpeted and lino so that kaiako can provide art, sensory play, literacy, construction, manipulative play, science, music, and family & dramatic play all in the one room. The outdoor space has a sandpit and lazy river so that the tamariki can learn through doing in a fun and safe way. We also promote physical play through bikes, scooters, climbing equipment, carpentry and a slide as well as having quiet areas such as our whare and covered deck where we are able to facilitate lots of different experiences based on our planning and children’s interests. Kaiako support emotional and social development through play-based experiences and tamariki are encouraged to express themselves through the thoughtful provocation of the play spaces.

Matai is the first of our two amazing pre-school rooms and is designed for the independent and capable needs of the three- to four-year-olds. All of the curriculum areas such as art, science, mathematics, literacy, etc are provided at all times and our kaiako recognise and develop these skills through our play-based activities and experiences. The environment is designed to encourage pockets of play where small groups of children can gather and interact which is essential for developing social and emotional skills. The kaiako design and facilitate these spaces on both carpet and lino in order to encourage this development through experience. Three-year-olds are independent and very capable. Our Matai Room is designed for ease of movement, choice and to cater for all learning interests and passions

Because the Tōtara tree is symbolic of a great chief with characteristics such as height, strength, durability and wisdom, the outdoor space is shared between both preschool rooms, allowing for positive and smooth transitions, as well as tuakana tēina learning opportunities. It offers amazing learning such as a developing ‘Wild Zone’ where we encourage birds and butterflies to visit, carpentry and technology experiences, a whare, physical challenges, music, and sand and water through the sand pit and lazy river. The outdoor space also allows for some great games of football (encouraged by our Fun Football programme) and has plenty of opportunities for amazing learning games and child led challenging obstacle courses.

This is the second of our pre-school rooms and is an incredible space that supports and develops our four- to five-year-olds. The space is set up in a similar way to Tōtara with all curriculum areas available at all times and in all spaces. Through the guidance of Te Whāriki, our kaiako support the learning and development of our tamariki by providing opportunities for them to experience new challenges, pursue self-selected learning goals and participate in longer term projects. Such opportunities encourage them to expand their capabilities and extend their learning repertoires, and support them in making a smooth transition to school or kura. We do all of this as part of the BestStart Initiative called, ‘Get Set for School’.

Because the Tōtara tree is symbolic of a great chief with characteristics such as height, strength, durability and wisdom, the outdoor space is shared between both preschool rooms, allowing for positive and smooth transitions, as well as tuakana tēina learning opportunities. It offers amazing learning such as a developing ‘Wild Zone’ where we encourage birds and butterflies to visit, carpentry and technology experiences, a whare, physical challenges, music, and sand and water through the sand pit and lazy river. The outdoor space also allows for some great games of football (encouraged by our Fun Football programme) and has plenty of opportunities for amazing learning games and child led challenging obstacle courses.