Watch your child thrive and develop at Reach for the Stars
Shining Stars (Toddlers)
Our team looks forward to welcoming your child.
We provide:
- daily routines to help your child feel settled.
- Indoor and outdoor play opportunities and challenges
- Caring and professional teachers who help your child develop at their own pace
Based in Rosedale, Albany – welcoming families from across the North Shore and wider Auckland
Choose an Early Childhood Centre (ECE) that truly values your child
The toddler years are wonderful years in which children develop and grow fast – learning new skills all the time. At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre the children in our Shining Stars room are given space to learn and develop at their own pace, supported by a dedicated and professional group of teachers.
Our team prides itself that Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre is one of the best childcare centres in Albany perfect for your 2+ year old. We invite you to come and see yourself, arrange a time to visit or just pop in and our Centre Manager will give you a tour. Alternatively, if you’d like to start the enrolment process now you can do so by completing our enrolment form.
At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre children are respected and take the lead in their learning
When your child attends our Shining Stars room you can expect to find an environment where children feel secure, loved, and challenged. They are given many opportunities and provided with guidance to allow them to develop at their own pace in their own time. No child is the same as another and all children are celebrated as the precious individual they are. Children are further encouraged to develop their independence both with their learning and with their social and personal skills such as toileting – this is done in conjunction with their families.
Our daily routine includes both structured activities and time for free play inside and outdoors. Our team of teachers take time to really get to know your child and their interests, then develop a programme that suits them. If your child has moved up from the Twinkling Stars, their previous teachers will already have shared useful information.
You will be kept regularly updated with your child’s achievements through our learning journals and diaries and, of course, you are welcome to chat to our teachers at drop-off and pick-up times.
Our children enjoy freshly prepared meals daily
Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre offers fresh meals to all our children including morning and afternoon tea and lunch.
This food is freshly prepared daily by our inhouse cook and includes nutritious morning and afternoon teas, as well as lunches. Lunch is a balanced hot cooked meal 4 days a week, we have a sandwich day one day a week. Some of the hot meals are; butter chicken, spaghetti Bolognaise, chicken and vegetable fried rice, fish bites, cauliflower macaroni cheese, vegetarian dishes. You are welcome to come and see our menu – which is included in our parent pack when you come into visit.
Practical tips to help you and your child settle into Reach for the Stars
Children in the toddler years are extremely energetic and curious, who need nutritious food and sleep along with a chance to play and learn. Our early childhood teachers work hard to provide the practical care along with learning and educational opportunities to enhance the development of your children. These three practical things; nutritious food, sleep and playing and learning will help your child to make the most of their time at Reach for the Stars.
Changes of clothes
At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre there are lots of opportunities for hands-on learning and messy play. Clothing sometimes gets dirty and wet. Multiple changes of weather appropriate clothing, including underwear need to be provided in their bags every day.
A complimentary wet bag is provided on enrolment at no charge. We put the dirty clothing in here throughout the day. We decided to provide a complimentary wet bag to support the reduction of plastic waste in our community.
Toileting
Our team are committed to working in partnership with you to support your child’s success with the milestone of toilet training. Please let us know how you would like this to be managed. Our team will work alongside you and will provide regular feedback. We ask that you keep us up to date with how things are going at home too.
Sleeping
Children are given an opportunity to sleep after lunch. If your child has a special comforter that they usually sleep with at home, you are welcome to send this to the centre to help them settle at nap time.
Transitioning to Shooting Stars
When our Shining Stars team thinks your child is ready, we will begin to transition them to our Shooting Stars pre-school room. This tends to happen around the age of three to three and a half-years-old. Transition is discussed with parents when the teachers feel children are ready to move to the next room. Equally, if a parent has a strong feeling about their child transition please speak to your child’s teacher. Every child is ready at a different age. If your child is new to Reach for the Stars, we will arrange a series of visits with you, so you and your child are able to familiarise yourselves with the environment and teachers before commencing their enrolled hours.
When transitioning begins one of your child’s teachers will go with them on visits to the Shooting Stars room, then they will spend the morning on their own, having lunch and ultimately spending the whole day in their new room. Once the transition process is complete, they will begin and end their days in the Shooting Stars room. During this time, you will be introduced to the teachers in the new room and your child will also be given a transition booklet, where comments by their new teachers will be written each day, we encourage you to respond and comment. This will give you a good insight into how they are settling into their new room and help us too. Our goal is to make the transition as smooth and fun as possible for your child. Children are usually very excited about moving UP to the next room. The Shooting Stars room is seen as a real milestone by the children in the Shining Stars room and they are very proud to be the ‘big kids’ in the Centre.
The Twinkling Stars teachers will of course share with the Shining Stars teachers all they know about your child, what they like, what they don’t like, what comforts them the most and so on. You are also encouraged to speak to the teachers and share the special knowledge only you have about your child. We actively encourage working together to achieve the best outcomes for your child.
Secure your place at our Rosedale/Albany ECE Centre today
At Reach for the Stars Early Learning Centre, we believe strongly in very high standards, which our experienced team of early childhood teachers provides, along with additional benefits e.g. nappies and food all provided at competitive childcare rates. If you are looking for high-quality early childhood care and education for your youngster, our Rosedale/Albany based ECE Centre could be the perfect choice for your family.
Come and visit to see if we are a good fit for your child. Please give us a call today on 09 476 3950 and book a visit to our early learning centre and our Centre Manager will be happy to show you around. Alternatively, we operate an open door policy so if you are in the area and just want to drop in and view one of the best ECE providers on the North Shore you are more than welcome. If you have any questions about our early childhood education policies and practices, our Parent Info page may answer them. If not please get in touch and our Centre Manager will help you. Alternatively, you can complete the enrolment form online. Our team looks forward to welcoming you and your child to our centre.
