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Welcome from our Whakatau Street Centre Manager
David Manuel
I believe that early childhood education (ECE) is one of the most important building blocks, if not the most important, for children to develop successful foundations for their future adult life. I believe in enriching children to “grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society” (Ministry of Education, 1996). I believe that this is done by meeting the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical needs of children within a fun and safe environment.
I believe that all ECE centres should have a strong immersion with Tikanga Maori through the use of waiata, protocols and procedures (such as karakia before eating), learning the culture and te reo. This is also in acknowledgment of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
As a kaiako, I like to provide positive experiences for the children within the classroom, excursions, and in all their day-to-day interactions, including the community and their parents as I believe that the parents and whānau are the most important influence in the development of the child.
My goal is to expand on kaiako and children’s thinking, thereby helping them to achieve their full potential. We do this by creating a community of dignity and by sharing skills, resources, ideas, stories, experiences, knowledge and questions, culture, language, and love with each other. I hope to support children’s ways of being, as children learn to relate to the worlds of life, people, places, things, ideas, and beliefs. Together we expand potential and reflect on what it means to be a member of the community. We connect not only to each other and the world as it is, but also to our shared history and to the world as we imagine it to be.
“E ora tonu nga ra o mua,
Engari, ora moa nga ra ki mua”
At Busy Bees Whakatau Street, we believe that as an early learning provider, we have an important part to play in our community and a very special opportunity to positively impact young children’s lives in their early stages of development. We celebrate whanaungatanga, connecting with our community through multicultural celebrations and creating a sense of belonging, where everyone has a place, no matter what culture they identify with.
Located in the heart of Rotorua, on Whakatau Street, we are easy to find and within a short travelling distance to Rotorua CBD. Parents love the rich sense of community at Busy Bees, and our curriculum reflects our philosophy for strong relationships. We absolutely love coming together with our tamariki, whānau and community to strengthen our relationships with one another.
Dietitian Designed Menus
Our dedicated cook and centre team is currently striving towards the Tohu Manawa Ora | Healthy Heart Award from the Heart Foundation.
Our centre proudly supports the KidsCan Foundation. KidsCan provides centres with fresh, healthy ingredients each week, allowing staff to prepare easy, child-friendly meals. Menus are designed with the Heart Foundation, follow Ministry of Health guidelines for 5-year-olds, and include a balanced mix of protein, carbs, and vegetables, plus fruit and yoghurt. To find out more, please visit KidsCan ECE Food for Kids Programme
From wholesome ingredients to balanced portions, every meal is thoughtfully crafted to support healthy development and foster good eating habits from an early age.
Teachers also do regular baking with the children, which provides them opportunities to engage and learn a range of food preparations skills and fine motor movements such as pouring, sifting, spooning. It is a great hands on sensory experience for children to develop independence through self-help skills, practice simple maths as they measure and count quantities.
Free Transport
We proudly operate our own Busy Bees centre van, allowing us to help support both new and existing families who require assistance with transport to and from the centre. We also utilise this awesome resource for excursions out and about in our local community, which are always a fantastic learning opportunities!
We are committed to follow the aspirations of the New Zealand National ECE Curiculum, Te Whāriki. Te Whāriki envisages kaiako in early learning settings working in partnership with parents, whānau and community to realise this vision. The expectation is that, in their early years, children will experience a curriculum that empowers them as lifelong learners.
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!
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