The Role of Highly Qualified Teachers in Early Learning Centres

The difference between a business being able to deliver on their promises, or simply being an idealistic but ultimately unsuccessful workplace is the staff. Having well-trained and well-supported staff is crucial for any business, as they are the ones who deliver on the promises each day. 

The promises that Kiddywinkles make to each of our tamariki and their whānau is that we will support the learning and development of our children using the five strands of Te Whāriki developed by the government. 

Our staff are all extremely important in this process, as they are the ones who are with the children every day, interacting with and imparting these developmental lessons while letting the children learn and develop through play. 

Having highly qualified staff is extremely important to the success of our business. At Kiddywinkles we are lucky to have an amazing group of staff, the majority of who are early childhood educators supported by their own university education into ECE. 

How do our staff support your tamariki?

At Kiddywinkles, we use a teaching philosophy that aligns with the resources for infant educators (RIE) approach. In practice this is a set of values that helps our staff to guide your tamariki in their exploration of the world through open-ended play. 

We believe that this form of play helps to allow the children to fulfil the strands of Te Whāriki, the national framework for child development. The children are given the chance to contribute to their own education by deciding what and how they learn, and for how long. 

Your children are also encouraged by our staff to explore their environment, through the use of various materials. Sometimes this looks like using materials like construction blocks or bricks to explore, or through the use of puppets and storytelling.

The teaching staff can also help children to engage in family or dramatic play with each other, where they may use dress-up or props to create engaging plays and make believe games. They may make use of our paints or arts and crafts to create masterpieces, or engage in cognitive play like maths games for developmental crafting.  

Using this open-ended environment allows the children the opportunity to explore their own innate sense of curiosity about the world, and have interactions with their surroundings. It also promotes interactions with other children and with staff members, helping to encourage and create connections and relationships. 

Above all else, our staff create a safe space for your child to be themselves and to learn and grow through this crucial period of high development. We acknowledge that children of this age have a lot to teach us, and find value in creating reciprocal relationships where their creative and curious minds can be nurtured with care and devotion. 

Class structures

Early childhood is a period of extremely fast brain development. Connections are made before the age of five that will be with your child forever, and will change the way they see the world. 

Having a safe environment in which to create and explore these connections is essential, as is developing these skills at an age-appropriate time. As a result, we have split our classrooms into age groups so we can focus on building skills that age range will find most useful and enjoyable. 

At our Westgate and Huapai locations classes are split into our Arohanui (under two) class, Waiata (two year old) class, Wairua (three year old) class, and Korero (four year old) class. These separations allow peers to interact in age-appropriate play, as well as to make friends in their own age groups with whom they might go onto school. 

Having qualified staff looking after each class is extremely important to us at Kiddywinkles. Each class is led by a head teacher, who has a long-standing connection to our school and is keenly engaged in our learning and developmental goals. 

Trusting someone to care for your child can be a scary prospect initially, and we know that when you choose a daycare you are making the choice to let someone else be in charge of their development while you are at work or getting errands done. 

We have a well-trained and well-educated group of staff that you can trust, along with a strong and robust curriculum that promises to engage your child’s brain and deliver on foundational goals to promote essential brain development for their future. 

Before you take our word for it, we welcome you to come in during working hours to meet the team at either our Westgate or Huapai locations. Alternatively, you can read the glowing parent testimonials on our website, or contact us via email.