about us
our centre
The purpose-built Centre, located beside a park, provides a safe and exciting environment for children.
Our of babies and toddlers have a separate area where they can safely and confidently explore and grow.
Older children play and work together, experiencing activities that promote their development. Each day four year-olds have opportunities to develop numeracy and literacy skills to support their confident transition to school.
info for parents
Teacher : Child ratios
We have a commitment to employ qualified teachers with a passion for working with young children, and we aim to better the Ministry of Education teacher : child ratios of 1:5 for children under two and 1:10 for children over two, especially during the busy times of the day.
Children's portfolios
Each child has their own portfolio and teachers contribute to these regularly. The portfolios build a picture of a child's development, and include photographs, notes from teachers about development and activities, and artwork completed by children during their day at the centre.
Parents are encouraged to regularly look through their child's portfolio, and they can also be taken home overnight to share with family.
In October 2018 we launched our Educa Parent Portal, where we document your child's portfolio online. The Portal also allows parents to share stories of their children with their families and have two-way communication with our teachers. New parents will be given access details by our Head Teachers and can then choose to share access with family members.
Communication with parents
We know that you, as parents, are the most important people in your child's life, and we consider it a privilege to have a role in your child's life. By sharing your knowledge and understanding of your child, you'll enable us to get to know them better and help us support their development through appropriate learning opportunities.
We encourage your enquires, requests, suggestions and concerns, and always have time to have a chat about your child's day. These communications are important to us because they help to establish a positive connection between home and childcare centre. We have a regular newsletter, notice boards, education information opportunities and family nights as part of our commitment to this partnership.
Parents of children at Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre are encouraged to actively participate in life at our Centre via our Educa Parent Portal.
Referral Discount
No one knows our Centre better than our Gladstone Park whānau and we’d love your recommendations! If you refer a family to enrol their child at our Centre, you’ll both receive a 50% discount on fees for four weeks once they’ve been with us for six months. They must be enrolled for a minimum of three days per week. Contact Kerrin for more information at kerrin.page@villagesquare.org.nz.
ERO Report
We are very proud of the review we received in our latest ERO Report, conducted in June 2020. The Ministry of Education report says Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre is “well placed” to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
healthy heart
Menus are developed and meals prepared by our Chef and kitchen team, who hold Food Hygiene and Safety Certificates.
Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre holds a Gold standard certification in the Heart Foundation's Healthy Heart programme. Our centre is recognised by the Heart Foundation for our comprehensive Healthy Heart programme.
Children are given nourishing and sustaining midday meals as well as healthy morning and afternoon snacks each day by our kitchen team. This enables our teaching staff to focus on providing the best possible care for your children. All menus are published on the parent noticeboards in each room at each centre and on the parent portal.
Our heart-healthy meals are an important feature for many parents. In 2015, The Village Square launched KidsHQ SuperMeals, frozen meals made from the same recipes the children love to eat at our centres. They've been very popular with busy parents who don't always have the time to prepare healthy meals for their kids. Parents can buy the meals directly from our centres.
Our centre caters for special dietary requirements, which parents can discuss with our Chef.
We believe in the importance of respect for our bodies, our peers, our teachers and our families as well as our environment and our planet Earth. This is promoted through our ongoing Green Kids Programme.
We believe when an attitude of mutual respect is fostered, children are empowered to have confidence in their individual identity. Through building and maintaining positive and purposeful relationships, we are able to support individual learning and development and an emergent curriculum. We believe that every child is individual and acknowledge their strengths and interests by allowing them the time they need to explore, investigate and discover the wider world.
At Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre we truly believe that children are confident and competent learners. We encourage an environment of exploration, experimentation and calculated risk. While our teachers are here to support, encourage and scaffold we believe that children are the driving force in their own learning and in turn encourage learning for now and in the future.
testimonials
If you want your child to have the best start in their schooling life, Gladstone Park is the place to have them. The facilities are terrific and the teachers all have a genuine desire to nurture and educate.
- Torey
I recommend the centre based on the fact that kids can just be kids. The outdoor area in the middle of Parnell is fantastic - real grass, real trees and real mud! I really appreciate all of the teachers and especially all of the wonderful advice they have helped us with over the years. They all genuinely care about the children and all complement each other so well with their diversity.
– Aimee
Great staff that care for and take an interest in our children, excellent facilities and excellent food and activity options.
- Damien
An outdoor oasis in the city, Gladstone Park ECE allows kids to be kids and have the freedom to literally to muck around in the mud and explore the wonders of the outdoors in a safe environment. I'm really impressed with the gross motor skills and confidence my son has gained in a short time.
– Susan
As soon as you walk in the door you feel comfortable. The children are treated as individuals and all the teachers know all the kids' names and personalities, even if they're not your child's teacher. Also the focus on healthy food and getting outside for playtime.
- Parent
This is such an amazing daycare. I love how you expose the kids to different cultures and experiences, growing little citizens of the world!
- Cara
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