At Sunnyside, we are all about creating a home away from home for our tamariki children, where they have fun and feel safe, loved and empowered.
Our team is passionately committed to honouring our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, providing a quality bicultural programme that ensures kāwanatanga governance, rangatiratanga agency and ōritetanga equity.
At Sunnyside Early Learning Centre, our tamariki children, whānau family, and hapori community are at the heart of everything we do. Our environment and teaching practices are guided by the values of:
Viewing every child as a confident and capable taonga
Embracing children's interests to cultivate shared learning
Collaborating to deliver a curriculum rooted in Te Whāriki
Honouring the unique learning journey of each child
Children learn and develop best in a caring, supportive environment which responds to their individual needs, allowing them to play and explore at each unique age and stage. Indoor and outdoor environments create important spaces for learning to happen, which are both welcoming and interesting for all children. The nurturing care and learning activities will be tailored for each age group to promote positive well-being, stability and actively support children's development at each stage.
Our nursery is warm, cosy and a safe place, where children are nurtured and cared for with the support of caring Kaiako teachers. At this early age, children are developing at a rapid rate, absorbing everything the world has to offer and they thrive in a safe environment that fosters responsive care routines. Kaiako know how important it is to provide a loving and caring environment for your children to ensure they are kept safe and well when in our care.
Our toddler space is designed to help tamariki of this exciting stage of discovery, balance the desire to be independent with the need to be nurtured and cared for. Our kaiako support this age group to explore their sense of self whilst still providing more care than the older children, working closely with families to encourage toileting skills, as well as a focus on emerging social skills and independence.
At this stage, tamariki become more aware of their upcoming transition to school, which is reflected in the resources available to them. While reading and writing materials are available to explore, the curriculum is emergent and discovery-based. Kaiako support tamariki with social and emotional competence and children are encouraged to care for others, the environment and their own property and are supported to understand their growing sense of responsibility for themselves and the world around them. The provision of loose parts in this area also promotes imagination, problem solving and a thirst for future learning.
