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Welcome from our Centre Manager
Kumi Perera
I believe every child is unique, capable, and full of potential. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is witnessing children grow in confidence, build meaningful relationships, and discover new abilities as they explore and learn each day.
What I value most about our centre is the warm, inclusive community we have created, alongside our shared commitment to providing the best possible environment for our children. As Centre Manager, I am passionate about fostering a positive and collaborative team culture where teachers feel valued, heard, and supported in their professional growth. Working in partnership with our team and families to support each child’s learning journey is deeply meaningful to me.
Originally from Sri Lanka, I bring over 30 years of experience in Montessori and early childhood education. I hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from New Zealand. My leadership and teaching practice are guided by the Montessori philosophy and the play-based principles of Te Whāriki, supporting children to learn through exploration, creativity, and rich, meaningful experiences.
An Inclusive Space to Thrive
We promote a genuine appreciation for diversity and cultivate an environment of mutual respect. Embracing every child's cultural celebration is a powerful way to promote inclusivity and understanding. By providing opportunities for learning about different cultures, we encourage a strong sense of belonging, curiosity, and kindness from an early age.
We welcome our new centre whānau to share their culture with us so we can include it in our celebrations!
At Busy Bees Mt Wellington, we recognise that every child grows and learns differently, and that meaningful play, shaped by each child's own interests, is simply how young children make sense of the world around them.
Classrooms at Our Childcare Centre, Mt Wellington
Busy Bees Mt Wellington offers three age-tailored spaces to support tamariki at their individual learning stage.
Nursery Room (Ages 0-2)
Our nursery environment is purpose-built to foster loving, trusting bonds between infants and kaiako, who structure the day to meet individual needs. Kaiako work closely with whānau to understand our little one’s cues and to develop a routine that supports our little one’s natural rhythms.
Toddler Room (Ages 2-3)
Our toddler space is designed to help our tamariki balance their desire for independence with their need for nurturing. This age group is ready to explore their sense of self whilst still needing more care than older tamariki; therefore, we focus on emerging social skills and independence.
Preschool Room (Ages 3-6)
The preschool programme at Mt Wellington offers opportunities throughout the day for tamariki to contribute to the curriculum by helping make decisions about what is set up and sharing their ideas. Kaiako work alongside the tamariki to set up an environment which is challenging, provides curiosity, and fosters active exploration.
Food & Nutrition
Across morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, our Nourish menu provides healthy meals that are minimally processed. Our menu avoids recipes that are high in added sugar, and instead, uses fresh, real, and wholesome ingredients. Children are provided with well-balanced meals from the four main food groups: breads and cereals, milk and milk products, fruit and vegetables, lean meat, and meat alternatives.
Our Curriculum
At Busy Bees Mount Wellington, we base our curriculum on the principles of Te Whāriki, Aotearoa New Zealand's national ECE framework. This grounds our teaching in helping tamariki grow into confident, capable learners and communicators — nurtured in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging, and aware of the contribution they make to the world around them.
We work in close partnership with parents, whānau and our wider community to bring this vision to life, so that every child experiences a curriculum that sets them up as lifelong learners, ready for primary school and whatever comes next.
Our Programmes
Bee Curious, our Busy Bees Curriculum Framework, has been created to guide and inspire kaiako in supporting tamariki through rich, interconnected learning experiences. Built on the strong foundation of Te Whāriki, it reflects the principles of Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum and the aspirations we hold for our children as they grow.
Nutritious food is the foundation for healthy growth and development in our children. Our Nourish menus fuel our children and support full, healthy tummies enabling clear minds to focus on the learning and set children up to thrive at our centre.
Our MOVE programme deliberately sets out physical activities that give children the opportunity to learn, practice and master physical skills whilst developing their resilience, perseverance, patience, co-ordination, gross-motor skills, teamwork and much more, all while having loads of fun!
