BestStart Palm Springs

At BestStart Palm Springs, we’ll let your child take risks, get their hands dirty and let their curiosity take over. We welcome children from 0-6 years old and are open all year, only closing for public holidays.

Pacific Explorers! 

Every Monday and/or Wednesday, our Pacific Explorers embark on a new adventure. During every adventure, you can be sure your child will learn through discovery. From conquering the sand dunes and learning about sea life to picnicking on the soft sands of Papamoa Beach.

Our latest adventure took us on a stroll past the shops and through the walkway to the beautiful sand dunes. We made big sand castles, looked at books full of sea life, played frisbee, had running races, and sat down for a cookie and a chat.

In our environment, you’ll find all the treasures our explorers find on their beach adventures. From driftwood to interesting shells, we bring our treasure back to the centre so our explorers can investigate more.

Our infant, toddler, and preschool rooms draw their names from the local Mangatawa legend of The Three Whales.

Our Hikurangi room caters to our littlest explorers. They love to look, touch and taste new things and explore the world around them. Our teachers help nurture their curiosity and maintain their routines while making special times for lots of cuddles and smiles. As your baby grows and develops their milestones, our teachers will share these special moments for you and your whānau to treasure.

You’ll see the toddlers in our Mangatawa room exploring! They are curious; wanting to find out about the world around them, sometimes without help. They’ll try everything and they’ll get messy, sitting in water and sand sometimes. While exploring with us, your toddler will start to find their voice in a group and learn skills like turn-taking. You can trust that our teachers will be playing alongside your toddler as they learn and give things a go, and we’ll be sure to give out lots of cuddles when they need them.

Just like Kopukairoa, the pre-schoolers in our centre are becoming more independent. At this age, learning is all about risk-taking and sense-making. Our teachers will take your explorer on adventures in the community where they’ll be able to investigate things they’re interested in. We’ll help them get along with others, test out their ideas and find answers to their thousands of questions. While exploring, your child will get introduced to the arts, science, and maths and be encouraged to take responsibility for their belongings. At BestStart Palm Springs, your child will grow in confidence and be comfortable trying new things as they prepare for the next step in their learning adventure.

We have a Gold Healthy Heart award so you know the snacks and cooked lunches we provide are packed with nutrition to fuel your Pacific explorer. We’re so passionate about teaching our children about recycling, reusing and composting that we’ve been working with Tauranga City Council to complete stage 4 of the Resource Wise Schools Programme.

Alongside our weekly adventures, we offer swimming lessons at Barlett’s Swim School to help your child become confident around water. The Tauranga City Council Library bus visits us fortnightly to share new books which help us plan our next adventures. We know our parents have busy lifestyles so we also offer gymnastics and ballet lessons right here at BestStart Palm Springs.

We know you and your Pacific explorer will love your time with us. We’d love to meet you so pop in for a visit and start your child’s learning adventure with us.

We provide flexible morning, afternoon, and full-day sessions. For more information about the specific fees for our centre please contact us directly (07) 542 4153 or palm.springs@best-start.org

You might be eligible for support paying their childcare fees. For more information click here.

Come join us for our Pacific Explorers Adventure at BestStart Palm Springs. Join us at the centre at 10 am on Monday and/or Wednesday and then after a little exploration, we'll set off on our big adventure! We'll head back around 11 am. We'd love for you to join us!