Frequently Asked Questions

Both of our centres are open Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 5.30pm. Our morning sessions runs from 7.30am to 12.30pm and our afternoon session runs from 12.30pm to 5.30pm.

Absolutely! All children three years old and over are eligible for 20 hours free ECE each week. And, we do not and will never request a “donation” be paid to secure the 20 hours free ECE.

Our fees are inclusive of tuition and care. We do not provide nappies or meals. However, we understand that every now and then your child might need an extra nappy so we provide these emergency supplies at no charge. Some extra curricular activites are paid for by parents. Others, we cover but we will let you know in advance if there are any extra costs.

Enrolling your child is simple. At the top right of the page is a link to our online enrolment form. Simply press this buttion and you can start your enrolment now. In terms of waitlist, this is something that changes on a week to week basic. In most cases, we can accommodate all requests from new and existing families.

It all depends on the circumstances. If your child needs to be away for a long time, just talk to one of our senior staff members and we can work out a plan. Our approach to these type of issues is to work together with you to come up with the best solution.

We view tamariki as competent, confident learners who take an active role in their own learning. We believe it is important to provide opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and the development of their own working theories. In early childhood, we recognise that it is not only what tamariki learn that matters, but how they learn. Supporting tamariki to see themselves as learners is a valuable lifelong skill, and we help foster this by encouraging respect, resilience, and independence.

At Bright Beginnings, we nurture tamariki to understand and manage their emotions through a variety of teaching strategies that reflect each child’s unique needs. We provide a caring and engaging environment where our kaiako guide, support, and enrich social interactions. Our hope is that as tamariki begin school, they feel confident expressing themselves and have the social skills to build strong, positive relationships.

We provide a caring environment where tamariki are reassured and gently guided through their emotions. We encourage tamariki to say goodbye to their caregivers, as we believe this helps build trust between us, the child, and their whānau. While it’s natural for tamariki to feel a little upset they tend to settle more quickly when they have received a proper goodbye. By experiencing that initial upset, followed by the happy return of their caregiver, tamariki soon learn the routine and before long are happily waving goodbye with confidence.

Our centre has the Philosophy of a home away from home. For us, this includes following typical day to day routines from home. During awake periods we will have an engaging environment set up where children can challenge their physical development or engage in cause and effect activities. We explore arts and sensory play and enjoy spending lots of time out in nature. 

Our over-twos usually follow a more set routine throughout the day. We share morning kai, lunch, and afternoon kai together, building a sense of whānau and belonging. After morning kai, we gather for mat time where tamariki can join in a shared activity, listen to a story, or enjoy music and movement. Throughout the day, we provide a variety of play experiences, both indoors and out, that are intentionally set up to reflect the children’s current interests and learning needs.

Our outdoor space is open for most of the day, with doors only closed during key routine times. We have a dedicated kaiako outside each day to support and facilitate tamariki learning, ensuring the outdoors is a rich and engaging part of their play and development.

We aim to maintain a 1:4 teacher-to-child ratio in our under-twos spaces, while our over-twos spaces are supported by three teachers for 21–25 tamariki. Our planning team is made up mostly of qualified kaiako, alongside a couple who are currently in training. In addition, we have experienced non-qualified support staff, each with over 10 years of childcare experience.

Our programme provides structure and clear expectations, helping tamariki learn to keep themselves and those around them safe. We follow a food and nutrition policy that encourages healthy choices and provides guidance around food to ensure it is prepared safely for little developing bodies. In line with our supervision policy, tamariki are closely supervised at all times, including during kai, giving whānau confidence that their child is safe and supported. We maintain a clean and healthy environment with a regular cleaning schedule with an increase in cleaning when viruses are present, helping to keep everyone well.

We follow the Ministry of Health guidelines to help keep our tamariki and whānau healthy. This means children need to stay home for 48 hours after their last vomit or diarrhoea, 24 hours after their temperature has returned to normal, and until they are feeling well in themselves. This gives them time to rest, recover, and come back happy and ready for play. If your child becomes unwell while at the centre, we’ll give you a call so they can be cared for at home.

As part of our enrolment process, we provide an ‘All About Me’ form where whānau can share important information about their tamaiti, including any dietary needs or allergies. This information is clearly displayed so that all kaiako working with your tamaiti are aware. At the centre, we carefully supervise all kai times to make sure tamariki only eat their own food and remain safe.

We ask whānau to pack a lunch that will keep your tamaiti going all day, along with a drink bottle filled with water. If your child is still in nappies, please pop in nappies, wipes, and any creams you’d like us to use.Our environment is fun and stimulating, with plenty of sensory play such as paint, messy play, sand, and water. We suggest dressing your child in clothes you don’t mind getting messy, and packing a few extra sets along with a wet bag for those times things get a little too mucky. Since we love being outdoors in all weather, we recommend a jacket and warm hat in winter, and a sunhat with rash top and bottoms for summer.

We have a few ways of keeping in touch with whānau, but our favourite is always face-to-face conversations. We make sure there’s time for you to chat with us whenever needed. We also share updates through our online portfolio system EDUCA, by email, on our private Facebook page, and for anything more immediate, we’re just a phone call away.

We offer an open door policy, therefore, we are happy for you to give us a call or pop on in to see your child at any time of the day.

We value the uniqueness of every tamaiti and see each child as a competent and confident learner. Our kaiako bring a wide range of skills to support different needs, and we work closely with whānau to understand your aspirations for your child. Together, we create a plan to help your tamaiti thrive. If your child requires more specialised support, we can connect with the Early Intervention team to ensure they receive the extra help they need.

We aim to make every transition as smooth as possible. When children first start, we offer a two to three week transition, period at no extra cost. During this time, we suggest short visits with whānau, gradually building up to longer visits on their own. We keep in regular contact to let you know how your tamaiti is settling in. When moving between spaces, we also use a two to three week transition, led by the under-twos kaiako, who will introduce whānau to the over-twos portfolio kaiako. Our transition process is flexible, and we always work in a way that best supports your tamaiti and whānau.