Exceptional
Early Childhood
Care and
Education

Mission Statement

We aim to provide enriched and challenging learning choices in a creative and nurturing environment, where each child shall experience a high level of personal success as a valued and respected individual.

Our Philosophy

The teachers at Starfish Early Childhood Centre believe in providing an environment that is welcoming, safe, nurturing and stimulating to children and their parents/whānau within our community.

We believe that all children are competent and capable learners who have naturally inquiring, questioning minds. We value their uniqueness and will treat them with dignity and respect.

We provide a programme that recognises the holistic way children develop and learn. Children will have equitable opportunities to develop within a child-initiated environment that supports self-motivated learning and peer collaboration.

We acknowledge and respect parents/whānau as first teachers, and value their contribution to the well-being and education of their children. Parent/whānau participation and their voice (whānau korero) will be encouraged and welcomed.

As teachers, we value our unique role as facilitators of children’s learning and recognise the need for ongoing professional development.

We provide all children with the opportunity to develop knowledge and an understanding of the cultural heritages of both partners to Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

The Education Review Office | Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga (ERO), the New Zealand government’s external evaluation agency that informs and facilitates improvement in early learning services, kōhanga reo, puna kōhungahunga, kura and schools.

They review the performance and assess the quality of pre-tertiary education providers in relation to the educational services they provide. Click the button to see Starfish’s ERO Review.

A quality early childhood centre is complimentary to family life.