BestStart Beckenham  

Welcome to BestStart Beckenham (formerly ABC Beckenham)! We're ranked as a top NZ childcare centre by the Education Review Office. Every person who comes through our door is enveloped as part of the Beckenham family to explore an education together that is valued, safe and fun!

Why should we get the privilege of caring for and educating your child? 

Fantastic learning environment - Our spacious, purpose built centre is drenched in natural light and offers insight between rooms.

Our relationships - One big family! For us, nothing beats seeing a child move right through our centre from baby to “big school kid”.

Healthy meals - Our full time cook provides seasonal meals with the NZ Heart Foundation tick and gets a great workout mashing vegetables and fruit for our youngest ones who are discovering solids. 

Community connections - We are an active part of the Beckenham community visiting the library and community garden. We have a close relationship with our local rest home, Archer Village with the Preschool visiting them monthly and the residents visiting us monthly also.

Open hours - We are conveniently open from 7am through until 6pm which provides flexibility for the needs of all our families.

Our Nursery (Tahi) - Our Nursery practices ‘Primary Care’ – meaning that each child has a dedicated teacher responsible for their daily routines (nappy changing, bottles, sleeping patterns and development progress). Each child also has a ‘Secondary Carer’ who steps in should the Primary be away and a notebook that goes between the nursery and home to let you know what your child’s day has involved. Primary care aims to provide children with the opportunity to discover and enjoy a special bond with their teacher- with the idea that this trust will help encourage the child as they grow in developing relationships with others. It is amazing to watch Primary Care in action.

Our Preschool (Rua) - The age range of 2-5 years in our Preschool means that the family atmosphere is alive and buzzing along with the children as they learn. We have lovely tuakana-teina relationships when our older children guide the younger ones and the younger ones learn from them as they do so. We offer 20 hours free when your children turn three. We have a Be School Ready initiative which prepares children for school at their own pace. The programme is structured from the advice of the local primary schools in our area.We are lucky enough to have two primary trained teachers who ensure the children are learning what they need, to hit the ground running at school. Fortnightly trips to a real Primary School mean that children experience what being a “big kid” entails!