BestStart Johnstones Road Kindy  

BestStart Johnstones Road Kindy, previously Community Kindy Johnstones Road, is a multi-cultural centre in Otara, fully equipped and well-resourced. The centre is licenced for 80 children, from 2 years to 5 years old. Our opening hours are from 8:15 am to 5:15pm. We have six ECE Qualified teachers and two teachers in training that have had more than 10 years knowledge and experience in early childhood education.

We have created an inclusive and inviting place for children, whanau and the community. We are a Reggio inspired centre and we share a diverse community. We believe that children thrive in environments that are suited to their interests, dispositions and developmental stages.  

Our environment is viewed as a place that is welcoming, aesthetically pleasing, culturally representative of community, embraces nature and filled with purposeful materials, that invite learning. Through this philosophy we aspire to empower and support children to become lifelong learners. To achieve this, we build strong partnership with parents, whanau and the community, providing a rich and inclusive environment that foster opportunities for children to grow their confidence, curiosity and perseverance.

Materials are thoughtfully added to the environment to promote creativity, thinking and problem-solving skills, questions, experimentation and open-ended play.  Valuing every child as an individual, promotes the child’s strengths, potential, and desire to discover his or her own world. 

As a team, our beliefs are impacted by our centre philosophy, which is built on a strong foundation of respect, empowerment, family and the relationships among children, families, teachers, and the wider society. Our centre promotes the role of the parents by having an open-door policy, which encourages all parents/whanau to be a part of their children’s and our learning.  The exchange of ideas between parents and teachers is vital in creating a more positive and productive learning environment, that supports us in better understanding the child. We work collaboratively with the local school, to ensure that they children are school ready.