First Steps Frankton

Kia ora and welcome to First Steps Frankton. We are a beautiful, home-like centre tucked away in an industrial part of Frankton. We are very fortunate to have large outdoor spaces for our tamariki to explore, run and play in, with the added bonus of covered spaces allowing for outdoor play in any kind of weather.

We work hard to develop strong and trusting relationships with our tamariki and their whanau.  We know that our tamariki need to feel a connection with kaiako (teachers) to be able to learn, develop and grow so focus on building and strengthen this connection.

We are committed to building a strong bi-cultural curriculum, embedded in tikanga and te reo maori.

We encourage whanau to participate in all aspects of centre life. We are hugely involved in the annual BestStart Ripper Rugby and Cultural Festival plus we have our annual centre Matariki hangi and various other celebrations throughout the year

Whanaunatanga (relationships) and Manaakitanga (caring) are two of our guiding principles. Our children learn to care for our visitors as they are involved in kai prep and Kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment) as they care for and maintain our gardens and animals. This is all learnt by way of Ako (reciprocal teaching and learning) as our children also take charge of and lead their learning. Teachers engage in Wananga (learning) as this sharing of knowledge allows an exchange of views and ideas which are to be reshaped to fit the needs of our tamariki.

 Ko nga pae tawhiti whaia kia tata, ko nga pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.

            The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.