Our Philosophy at Happy Feet Childcare | Quality Childcare Services

Philosophy

At Happy Feet Childcare we are a committed and dedicated team, with a shared vision for creating a nurturing, safe, creative, and happy environment for children and their families to be a part of. We have created wonderful indoor and outdoor spaces, full of possibilities and amazing resources, ready for discoveries to be made.

Happy Feet is a place of nurture and discovery. The early childhood years are a dramatic period of growth and learning and we aim to provide, in partnership with families, a circle of care for each child. Early childhood is a very precious time for children, a time to discover how they learn, to establish worth and self-confidence and to nurture social relationships. We aim to learn about individual children’s interests, their families, and their cultural backgrounds, in order to provide a child focused programme that incorporates careful planning with activities that are challenging, child led and age appropriate.

Within our early childcare centre we believe in fostering partnerships, sharing values, teaching and learning together. We are a committed, passionate and dedicated team with a shared vision for creating a nurturing, safe, creative, and happy environment for children and their families to be a part of. We are guided by a set of core values within our centre that we encourage which include respect, the importance of family, creativity and imagination, honesty and integrity, kindness and fairness, and of course cultivating and encouraging happiness.

The relationships children form are a key factor in the success of their learning journey. Each child within our early childcare centre (The Nest and The Hive) will be assigned a key teacher who, as much as is possible, will undertake a child’s care routines. We believe that each child deserves the best care, and in order for children to develop a sense of trust and security within the Happy Feet environment, we feel it is important that they have at least one person with whom they can create a secure base.

Our teachers work within the framework of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki, weaving together the principles, strands and goals within their teaching practice. We also incorporate within our philosophy the ideas of Magda Gerber and her work in promoting respectful care, and the work of Reggio Emilia, both of which are sources of energy and inspiration. The Reggio Emilia schools in Italy inspire us through their holistic approach, their values, their partnerships within the community, their ability to document learning, and their understanding of child development.

We see children as explorers, scientists, and innovators. Our aim is for children to pursue the answers to their questions, to have an inquiring mind, and a thirst for learning that will help prepare them to take the next step in their learning journey at school.