BestStart Tawa South

Our Pikopiko Room is a nurturing space designed to make children under 2 years old feel at home while celebrating their unique identities. Our compassionate and loving kaiako have a strong focus on music, using songs and melodies from diverse cultures—such as Māori, Samoan, Indian, Sri Lankan, Filipino, and Chinese—as a settling tool and a way to connect tamariki with their heritage.

We embrace each child's culture and individuality in our learning and care plans, incorporating their whānau routines and expectations into daily life. From kai and bottle-feeding preferences to nappy changing and bedtime routines, we ensure tamariki feel secure and supported in a way that reflects their family’s values.

Our beautiful open-plan space, with fantastic indoor-outdoor flow, includes a covered patio and a special outdoor area tailored for our youngest learners. Here, tamariki can explore freely, engage in sensory activities like sandpit painting, bubbles, and gloop, and develop their gross motor skills. They also enjoy watching and interacting with the older children in the Mahuri Room, fostering early social connections.

Music and sensory exploration are central to life in the Pikopiko Room. Infants and toddlers delight in outdoor music sessions, moving and grooving to their favorite songs, while developing communication skills—both verbal and non-verbal. With a focus on diversity, sensory discovery, and compassionate care, the Pikopiko Room is a place where tamariki are loved and treated as family.

Our Māhuri Room is a vibrant space where tamariki aged 2 to 6 celebrate their cultures through displays, songs, dances, and the diverse languages spoken by teachers and peers. Designed for learning through play, the spacious, open-plan environment encourages independence, curiosity, and relationship-building, guided by our experienced teaching team.

The outdoor area offers endless opportunities for exploration, with climbing equipment, a water play zone, a sandpit, and a vegetable garden cared for by tamariki. Harvesting and tasting their homegrown produce is a favorite activity.

We focus on preparing tamariki for school, fostering independence, problem-solving, and social skills while incorporating literacy and numeracy into daily routines. Regular visits to Redwood School ensure a smooth transition, helping tamariki feel confident and prepared for the next step.

Older children build life skills through tasks like setting up the dining room for lunch, taking pride in their responsibilities. With a culturally diverse teaching team and a focus on meaningful connections, we ensure every tamaiti and whānau feels valued. Age-appropriate resources and flexible settling visits cater to the needs of all, creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment.