Community Ownership: Parents likely have a strong say in how the service operates and what happens to children, all money earnt stays within it, and teachers may be paid better and childcare charges may be lower compared to most (but not necessarily all) private and corporate owned services. (Ask: Is it an Incorporated Society? Does it also have charitable status?)
Small Boutique Centre: Centres with 50 or fewer children make it easier for staff to provide a warm and nurturing environment, for children to have their individual needs met and skills, knowledge, and competencies extended. (Ask: For continuity of care and relationships, do children stay with the same group of children and teachers throughout their time at the service?)
100% Qualified Teacher Funded: All staff counted toward meeting the minimum adult-child ratio requirement must hold a practising certificate as a teacher if the service receives this level of Ministry of Education funding. (Ask: Does the service count teachers trained in the ECE of children birth to 5 years and not primary or secondary school trained teachers?)
Men Included on Teaching Staff (as at last year): There are strong benefits of having both men and women on the teaching team for the quality of care and education a service provides to children. Additionally, gender bias in staff recruitment and employment is not generally acceptable in society today. (Ask: How many teaching staff are employed and what proportion are men?)
(as at last year):
Clean Licence Record (last year and the year before): To be licensed a service must comply with regulations that help ensure children’s safety, care, and a suitable standard of education. When requirements are breached the Ministry of Education may downgrade a service’s licence to provisional or issue a suspension. (Check the lists of services placed on a provisional or suspended licence https://oece.nz/public/information/standards/ published each year)
(last year and year before):
Recommended Highly by 80% or More Families: At least 80% of families recommend the service and rate it as being very good to excellent on a range of aspects of quality. (Note that a response rate of at least 51% families on the OECE parent survey https://oece.nz/public/information/resources/parent-survey/ research instrument within the last three years is necessary here)
13 Reviews on “Early Smiles Childcare and Learning Centre”
I am astudent teacher.I previously sent my son to one of the early childhood centers. It was a very bad experience for him. thay did not pay any attention special at first days for him. Now I enrolled him with Early Smile Center and he is doing great with them and really feel happy . The teachers are very nice and friendly. The place is clean and safe. I recommend it😊
I was planning on bringing my child here but went for a visit and saw that there were far too many children being supervised by only one worker which is very dangerous, I have heard similar complaints from other parents regarding this daycare. This ECE is definitely understaffed and needs to be reviewed.
Hi Dima
Thanks for your feedback.
At Early Smiles, we always have the full number of staff required to take care of our children. Our staff are so lovely and experienced and I am really surprised when you said you have visited our centre as I don’t recall any one visited the centre with the name Dima. Please advise when was the visit so I can go back and check our outside security cameras to find out if your allegations are true. I would highly encourage you to come and talk to us. All our children and families are very happy with our centre and have had their children enrolled with us since we started for more than 2 years now.
My child has been attending for a while now, and I must admit I am very happy with how she has adapted quickly. Najlaa is an educator with a lot of valuable knowledge, and the teachers there are also very supportive and helpful. I appreciate how they love the kids, and are shown that.
Early smiles is an amazing daycare for my two kids. The teachers have been amazing with my daughter Lulu since she started a year an a half ago and worked very hard to make her feels it at ease and settle in. Najlaa in particular is very kind and caring and always treat my kids as her own. And because of Lulu’s positive experience I felt so comfortable to enrol my baby Yousef there too. So far it has been the best decision, he is loved and nurtured by all the teachers
Early Smiles is a fantastic day care, my daughter Mila has been attending since she was 1 year, she is currently 3 and I plan for her to stay at this day care until she graduates and go to school.
Early Smiles provides a fantastic learning environment and lots of activities for the children which enable them to learn and explore, particularly going on walks, playing outdoors (when the weather permits), drawing, cooking, baking, celebrating birthday parties, learn Te Reo Maori.
Najla is very caring with the kids, and my daughter and other kids refer to her as a second mother.
my daughter has learned some very nice things as she enjoys wiping bench tops and cleaning windows with a wet wipe. and really loves singing and reading stories.
I am very glad that Mila is progressing well her learning and development as well as forming friendships with other children.
I have my two sons enrolled at Early Smiles. The teachers are very supportive, caring, flexible and provide excellent environment for the children. Hamdan my son loves to go there everyday which is a good feeling as a parent. I highly recommend this day care for quality care and peace of mind.
Najla, first of all, I congratulate you on your success in your work, and secondly, I am proud to work for you. I am very happy and comfortable working with you, and that is why I chose your kindergarten for my niece. I knew that it would be the right and safe place for her, because I know how you treat children in your kindergarten.thank you for your hard work.
As a father and a doctor who knows a lot about great human care, I feel must share my experience with others. My 2 kids were looked after by Najlaa who treated them just like her own kids, we cannot wish for any better care, I highly recommend this place from my real experience
I just want to say thank you so much for taking care of my daughter Maya. She enjoyed attending the Early Smiles day care centre everyday.
I love the variety of activities offered and the awesome care the staff had provided her during her.ECE days. It certainly made my days easier when I go to work because I know she is in safe and professional hands.
The staff and owner are well trained, very kind and extremely friendly.
I would definitely recommend this Early Childhood Education centre to all families.
As a mother of a daughter who’s been in Najla’s care for 5 years since she was 4 months old till attending school I deeply appreciate Najlaa’s nice and caring attitude towards children and their parents, a very passionate and hardworking person who adores kids and go the extra miles in order to make their time and experience in her daycare remarkable and unforgettable.
Thanks a lot Najlaa for all the care you provided my daughter Rose and wish you all the very best and success in your career
High quality service, very caring staff. My son was feeling at home,very safe. It is a very comfortable daycare.
Najla is a highly qualified teacher, and she treated my son and the other children as they are her own children.
She helped my son build up his self-confidence and helped him learn to become a problem solver. Highly recommended.
Lovely childcare place, lots of toys, it is a fun and educational enironment. The teachers are caring and nurturing and empathise with the childrens and parents diverse needs and wants.
One of the top daycares around my area
Very friendly staff with professional service
Kids love to be there and enjoy their day in very safe environment
Najlaa is an amazing teacher and very kind mother with great knowledge
love the children and give the service with all her heart and soul
I can’t thank enough Najlaa and all the staff for the great hard work they perform to run the daycare in a great way