Our Mission, or Purpose, or Reason for Existing is...


VISION:                Nelson Tasman Kindergartens is the leading provider of Early Childhood Education in our region
 
MISSION:            We provide children with the best possible start in life for their learning
 
PHILOSOPHY:     We acknowledge the aspiration statement outlined in Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 6); that children are:
 
“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.”
 
The Association will:    ​   
  • Ensure children’s learning is facilitated through excellent teacher/child, child/child, and teacher/parent/child interactions.
  • Ensure quality education takes place through employing 100% registered teachers in permanent ratio positions, ongoing high quality professional development, and a culture of self review and evidence based teaching.
  • Promote quality programmes that affirm and enact the partnership inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi alongside the right of each child to be enriched in the dual heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.  This will be shown through demonstrating rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices for protection and preservation of the natural environment
  • Operate in ways that uphold the rights of children as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Promote an inclusive approach to community building facilitated through high quality interactions between teacher/child, child/child, parent/teacher/child relationships.
  • Provide high quality inclusive education to meet the specific needs of all children.
  • Share the excellence that exists within the Association encouraging knowledge sharing and the development of a community of practitioners.
  • Work in partnership with parents, recognising and building on their role as primary caregivers and educators.
  • Ensure that fees are not a barrier to participation and look for ways to enhance equity across the organisation.
  • Employ professional management, advisory and administrative staff to support teachers in their teaching role.
  • Operate as a community based, registered charity, which is committed to giving children and their families the best possible start.
  • Foster a culture that enables best practice for the Board and all Staff and provides the leadership and management to ensure that it takes place.