BestStart Pukuatua
About BestStart Pukuatua
About Education & Care Service
Education & Care Services are mainstream early learning centres that offer full-day or part-day care with a structured curriculum, qualified teachers, and a focus on learning through play. They cater to families needing flexible childcare options and wanting a balanced approach that supports social, physical, and early academic development in a diverse environment.
What Is 20 Hours ECE funding?
20 Hours ECE is a government-funded initiative that helps reduce the cost of early childhood education for families with tamariki aged 3–5. Eligible children can receive up to 20 hours of funded care and education each week at participating services. Centres can set their own enrolment patterns and may ask for optional charges, but the funded hours themselves should be free of compulsory fees. If you are unsure how this works at BestStart Pukuatua, it is best to ask the centre directly how they apply 20 Hours ECE.
Community Profile
Roll & age distribution
BestStart Pukuatua currently has a roll of 104 children tamariki , with most children enrolled in the 0–5 years age band.
Ethnicity profile
Māori tamariki are the largest group (44% of the roll), alongside european, pacific, asian, other children.
Roll and demographic figures are based on data supplied by the Ministry of Education and were last updated on 01/07/2024.
Parent Reviews
“Awesome kindy! First thing you walk in WARM BEAUTIFUL SMILES. A beautiful welcoming energy. So much space and fun for the kids to play and so much is going on all the time that the kids are never running out of things to do. The teachers are amazing they made me feel comfortable and they’re so kind and can literally feel the beautiful energy radiating off them. You can easily tell they genuinely care for the kids because when you walk in their doors you can see how close all the kids are to their teachers and respect their teachers even at preschooler age. I’ve been very picky when it came to kindys and I won’t lie I’ve been to about 8 different kindys and I’m not saying that there no good it’s just when I walked into beststart pukuatua I knew this is where my son would spend the last year of his baby/toddler life preparing him for primary school. I’m very confidently saying that this kindy is one of the best if not the best in Rotorua and would recommend this kindy to all parents not knowing where to enrol their kids in Rotorua.”
“Teachers are attentive, kind and supportive to the children. My Daughter is very happy.”
“If you an easy transition for your baby or child, I highly recommend beststart!! Not only do they care for your babies needs but they also update you on their learning progress online! Easy breezy happy to recommend!!”
“Teachers are always welcoming, engaging with us when we walk in the door. Communication is great, food smells delish, photos and updates of there play time and learning always puts a smile on my face. My baby loves going to kindy everyday.”
“I absolutely love this Kindy. Every teacher there makes me and my child feel so comfortable. I love the messy play and the independence they give the children also healthy food and cool activities! My son comes home very happy and very tired.”
Interested?
Contact the centre directly to check for availability or arrange a visit.
Getting ready for daycare?
See what your child will need for their day: labels, drink bottle, lunchbox, spare clothes, sunscreen and more.
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