About us

Botany Junction’s Lollipops, located at 277 Ti Irirangi Drive, is dedicated to providing the very best environment and learning opportunities your child. Purpose-built, our state-of-the-art centre includes three separate areas designed to cater to the needs of children at varying ages; each is full of fun, stimulating resources and activities that inspire learning and confidence.

For children to be empowered, our educators provide opportunities for children to create and act on their ideas. We believe that in order for children to develop holistically, we must look at the child as a whole: “cognitively, socially, culturally, emotionally and spiritually,” (Te Whaariki 1996). We believe that all children must be treated as individuals and respected for their uniqueness.

At Lollipops Botany Junction, we believe that the inclusion of family and the community are an integral part of each child’s positive development. We will work with parents in partnership acknowledging their role as their child’s first teacher.

What we do

Partnership

At Lollipops Botany Junction, we believe in building positive and open relationships with our children, their whānau and the wider community. We value communication with parents and whānau to collaborate and contribute to children’s learning and the centre. These important relationships play a crucial role in empowering our children to be able to relate and make connections with their world – people, places and things.

Guiding Pedagogy

Our planning and assessment process are based on the principles of The Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki, and this supports all of our practices.

We respect and honour Te Tiriti O Waitangi as the foundation document of Aotearoa by actively promoting Tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori.

Our teaching practices are inspired by Reggio Emilia Philosophy. This approach to teaching and learning focuses on the child being a competent learner being equipped with “A hundred languages” which they communicate and learn through. The learning environment is seen as the third teacher, which provokes curiosity and creativity and enables the children to test out their working theories.

Our infant care involves Primary Caregiving adapted from the research undertaken by Magda Gerber and the Emi Pikler approach, which encompasses respect as a focal point. This means that we embrace the child’s ability in self-discovery and encourage them to make sense of their world in their own way, at their own time.

Values

As a multi-cultural centre, we celebrate inclusion and support the many different cultures within our centre and these are an integral part of our practice, including the unique dual heritage of Aotearoa.

We are committed to respecting our children, their voice and their rights, to allow them to be active participants in their thinking and learning.

We believe that trust is paramount in establishing and maintaining strong relationship with children, parents and whānau. When children and whānau feel safe and secure, the best learning outcomes occur. We see this as an essential link to child’s development.