BestStart Raumati  

Welcome to BestStart Raumati (formerly ABC Raumati). Our families often describe our centre as a ‘home away from home.’ We welcome children from 6 months of age to 5 years. Here at BestStart Raumati the whakatauki “He aha te mea nui o te Ao, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata’ begins our Centre Philosophy – people are important and this is what drives our philosophy in action.

Our Vision - We are a close-knit community of tamariki, whanau and kaiako who adventure and discover together through place based experiences.

We believe in Place Based Education and the value it has for us to be connected – we prioritise relationships with people, places and things. Our tamariki learn about their local area. We have Matiu, our kapa haka tutor visit each week. He retells pakiwaitara about our local history and teaches our tamariki powhiri. They hear and use te reo Maori and sing waiata.

Place Based Education takes us out into the community. Our older tamariki experience Forest Kindy, an opportunity for them to explore Kaitawa Bush and the Wharemauku Stream. Through Forest Kindy we have made connections with our wider community, Forest and Bird and Friends of Kaitawa Reserve. We are Kaitiaki of our own plot – an area we have planted and take ongoing care of.

We foster relationships through visits to local Primary Schools. These relationships help support the continuity of learning for our tamariki and their whanau.

Whanauntanga is strengthened through our regular whanau gatherings. Our tamariki love helping to prepare for these and thrive on having experiences where they 'look after' and 'take care’ of their families. We have regular baking sessions, where baking goes home to be shared with wider whanau.

Our tamariki are united through tuakana teina – a practice that is embedded in our daily programme. Our older and younger children learn from and with each other, and this also provides the opportunity for siblings to spend time together which fosters a sense of ‘home away from home’.

Whanau aspirations are important to us. We regularly engage in face to face conversations. These conversations allow our teaching team to plan interest based learning experiences for our tamariki. We view our tamariki as being confident and competent and foster an environment where learning is shared.