What is special about your centre? We love tea parties, toasting marshmallows on a fire, foot spas, blocks, sand, drums, loose parts, tents, Elf on the shelf (oh yes, we do!). We are proud that we provide a warm inclusive family setting where the concept of tuakana-teina is visible every day as our older tamariki care for and nurture our pēpi. We strongly believe in mixed age learning as this continues what naturally happens in families at home and particularly for Māori whānau where tuakana plays a key role. We ensure we are calm and consistent in our responses and provide a warmth in our approach that is filled with aroha; we don’t rush routines but give tamariki time to go about their day, and this reflects in their relaxed interactions with each other. We have a strong focus on social and emotional skills giving tamariki the language and strategies to approach situations on their own. We are huge advocates for inclusion of tamariki with additional needs in all its forms with around 20% of our tamariki needing some sort of additional support. Our kaiako wholeheartedly embrace new methods and knowledge needed to support these tamariki including Incredible Years Autism, learning Sensory Processing, and using Core Boards to communicate. We have amazing input from an Early Intervention Teacher and Speech Therapist who are regularly in our centre, even attending our staff meetings. Kaiako support each other in teaching, and December 2023 { 17 }
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