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GIVING YOUR CHILD THE BEST START

 

Generations of New Zealanders have started formal education of kindergarten, and there are good reasons why it’s a family favourite.

 

Children learn at their own pace under the guidance of teachers to help them make the most of learning opportunities.

 

Our teachers are all 100% qualified and registered and our Etu Ao home based educators are mentored to work to the highest standards.

 

At Whānau Manaaki, we take pride in the wide open spaces our kindergartens offer and ensure all our children feel a deep connection to nature and the environment.

 

Our services are closely connected to primary schools and put a strong emphasis on preparation for the next stage in children’s education.

 

As an organisation and in our kindergartens we are guided by the principles of the Treaty of Waitingi, while our Etu Ao service ensures a deep connection to learners' Pacific heritage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Start, Great Learners

 

To grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.

- Aspirations for children, from Te Whāriki National Early Childhood Education Curriculum.

 

We all learn best when we are engaged and interested.

 

Younger children do best through playing in an environment created for their learning where their interests are supported and encouraged, and they have time and space to explore and try things out.

 

Our kindergartens and Etu Ao educators provide learning environments that encourage them to explore the things that are most interesting to them, right now. By doing this alongside other children and adults, they learn a wide range of skills, knowledge, attitudes and develop learning dispositions.

 

A child who chooses to play in the sandpit may look like he’s just having fun, but there’s a lot of learning going on.

 

There’s the opportunity to learn how to negotiate, plan, communicate, listen and understand and share. Skills can be built in making and keeping friends, working in a group, and recognising and controlling emotions.

 

Working with sand, water and equipment, our busy sandpit learner can develop skills in problem solving, creating, planning, sequencing and understanding physics concepts.

 

Teachers, working alongside the child talk about what is happening, and support our young learner to extend their thinking and develop language fluency by explaining their activities.

 

Children need the opportunity to explore. During their creative processes children need to be able to follow their inspirations without worrying about keeping clean and dry. If a change of clothes is what it takes to make an exciting new discovery, teachers and educators make every effort to ensure that children are hands on in a safe and nurturing way.

 

The Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki, has been developed to provide a framework based on this understanding of how young children learn. This curriculum framework is linked to the New Zealand School Curriculum, providing important preparation for school.

 

To find out more about how Whānau Manaaki services support children to get a great start to their formal schooling, talk with your local kindergarten teacher or Etu Ao educator.

 

 

 

 

The Whānau Manaaki difference:

Qualified Teachers,
Trained Educators

 

At Whānau Manaaki, we are not prepared to compromise on your child’s education and care.

 

In the proud tradition of kindergarten, all of our teachers are qualified and registered teaching staff, with a minimum of a three-year Diploma of Teaching in Early Childhood Education. Our Etu Ao Pasifika home based educators undergo special Whānau Manaaki training to help them bring the kindergarten philosophy into a home-based setting, in a culturally appropriate way.

 

Our teachers and educators have the experience and theoretical understanding to: 

 

     Observe children's behaviour, interests, abilities and needs, to              create a programme that will extend them further.

 

     Nurture their social confidence, helping them to make friends and        work with other children and adults.

 

     Constructively support your child’s play through the learning                areas of Te Whāriki - the national early childhood curriculum.

 

     Support children to discover for themselves how things work

     and to develop an understanding of the world around them. 

 

     Develop children's confidence in using language to express their
     ideas, thoughts and feelings.

 

     Work with you to meet the aspirations you have
     for your child.

 

Our teachers and educators keep up to date with current research and teaching practices through:

 

     Regular professional development programmes from a range of
     expert providers.

 

     Networking with other ECE teachers.

 

     Reading and professional research.

 

     Visiting and observing in other ECE services and
     educational environments.

 

 

We're helping children to find the wonder all around them, to discover new things about themselves and their world.

 

 

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