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.
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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.
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The Whānau Manaaki difference: Qualified Teachers, |
