St Heliers Childcare Centre

Preschool & Nursery

St Heliers was the first Bear Park to be established in 1986 and with this comes a long sense of history and pride. The two Centre houses lie side by side and have been sympathetically modified to foster that feeling of home away from home.

The Nursery is licensed for 20 children aged 3 months to 2 years of age and in this Centre special time and care is taken in creating warm, nurturing relationships with the children and their families.

The Preschool is licensed for 40 children aged 2 years to 5 years of age and the design of the Centre allows for the opportunity for children to be involved in smaller group learning situations.

Respect for children as competent capable learners is evident through our child-centred philosophy which is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, as well as Te Whariki, our national curriculum. There is a strong focus on celebrating the children’s learning and this is evident through narratives and individual portfolios, which clearly capture the learning experiences for the child and their family.

Teachers skilfully use provocations & interactions as opportunities to extend the children’s interests and learning. The child’s voice is always listened to and the teachers give value to the child’s differing ideas and theories, encouraging them to extend these further.

Through the wide use of natural resource both inside and out, children are encouraged to develop a strong sense of awareness of the world around them. Our spacious shaded outdoor environments are complemented by well established gardens that invite the children to explore, create & imagine.