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)
3 Reviews on “The Beehive Early Learning Centre”
The Beehive has gone above and beyond in supporting my child and my family. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful kind professional team supporting and extending my childs sense of belonging, confidence and learning. It really is a home away from home. The team are really approachable and Jo really goes above and beyond.
Wonderful center and feels like an extension of our family. Was perfect for our 1 year old to have a space to explore, but not be too big or busy and the staff, activities and facilities give lots of growth opportunities. Staff are friendly and caring, know you and the child, and are flexible and supportive of needs. Learning space is fantastic, love the outside area with natural materials to play with and plenty of water play!
Our child loves it here. Amazing staff who create a loving, supportive and nurturing environment. super happy to have my little baby girl there. The staff there treat her as if she’s their own. Great communication regarding child’s needs, what happened in their day and the daycare itself. Highly recommend to anyone.