BestStart West Melton

We welcome babies from 12 weeks old to our Explorer’s Room, where each child has their own primary caregiver. Each of our primary caregivers is committed to establishing a trusting, responsive relationship with your child. Our childcare environment recognises important care routines as opportunities for learning for your child, and hugs and cuddles are a big part of their day. 

Infants are cared for and nurtured by our professional staff in their own private and personal environment, filled with colour and stimulation to meet the needs of their development. Our teachers provide support to infants throughout the day with a balanced routine and are alert to babies’ cues. The environment is set up to foster infants’ physical, sensory, social, emotional and intellectual development. Mobile infants and toddlers have a need for uncluttered and open spaces to allow them confidently to practice their developing skills unhindered. Our children have their own indoor and outdoor areas with age specific toys and activities. 

This ensures them the freedom to explore and interact with teachers and the environment with no interference from older children. We show respect towards infants and toddlers by inviting them for a nappy change and talking to them about what we will be doing with them before picking them up. When changing children, we focus fully on them and engage them in the routine by talking about what is happening – rather than trying to distract them with other things. Everything we do with a child is respectful and caring

The Cat’s Pyjamas Adventurers learning programme is fun! It is integrated and comprehensive, with a focus on the development of children aged 2 to approximately 3 years 3 months of age. At this stage in a child’s life, independence has started, and we encourage children to develop this attribute. Self help skills are encouraged and supported. Children learn about routines which will foster language skills and the ability to concentrate will be extended. 

Preschoolers love to get physical. This is an age when children learn significantly through play and physical activity. Our programme for preschoolers is centred around a philosophy of ‘play with purpose’. They begin to understand that other people have feelings and rights. 

Situated next to our Navigators Room, the Adventurers Room offers modern facilities that are bright, open and spacious with plenty of exciting equipment and a wealth of resources to keep busy preschoolers engaged. 

Children are able to explore, investigate and learn at their own pace in a safe, secure environment. Many and varied activities, experiences and challenges are made available to this group, such as dressing up, painting, working with play dough, building blocks and much more! 

The Adventurers will begin to experience the joy of self-expression in the areas of music, arts and crafts, learning through our senses, group time, and resource time. We also emphasize learning to share with friends and developing self-help skills and respect for others and materials. The main subjects and activities are art, language, music and movement; pretend play; manipulative activities such as stacking blocks, pegboards and stringing beads; which all assist with developing the child’s decision making, planning, sharing, cooperating, sense of accomplishment and pre-math skills; and the basic cognitive skills of cause and effect. 

A separate sleep area ensures children have interrupted sleep should they need to rest.

Our Inventors and Navigators Rooms provide education and care for children aged approximately 3 years 3 months – 6 years of age.  The emphasis is on learning activities that are lots of fun, and at the same time building character, independence, self-confidence and self-esteem in these busy, curious young people. All of activities are child-centred – encouraging the positive development of skills and knowledge, as well as qualities of personality and positive behaviour.

A fun, challenging and varied educational programme is offered. We integrate key learning areas into our early childhood curriculum such as literacy and numeracy in a contextual and meaningful way. Children are encouraged to participate in art, language, drama, music and movement, cognitive development, fine gross motor development, early mathematics, early literacy and construction activities.

Early literacy and mathematical skills such as:

•     Name recognition and writing
•     Alphabet recognition and letter sounds
•     Counting and number recognition
•     Matching 1 to 1

Characteristics needed for ongoing learning:

•     Taking an interest
•     Communicating with others
•     Persisting with difficulty
•     Being involved
•     Taking responsibility

Confidence in self help routines such as:

•     Being able to go to the toilet and change clothing by themselves
•     Managing their lunch box so they do not eat all their food at morning kai
•     Packing their bag at the end of the day

A good grasp of problem solving skills including:

•     Asking questions
•     Developing a hypothesis
•     Negotiation
•     Willingness to try a number of approaches and not being discouraged by failure

Sound social skills such as:

•     Working collaboratively with peers
•     Having confidence to contribute ideas in both formal and informal settings
•     Solving conflicts themselves
•     Making friends and showing empathy
•     Managing their emotions

Children are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the programme, though they may choose to observe for some time. Children learn from these observations and will become more actively involved at a time that suits them