At Lighthouse Childcare, our values guide everything we do - from the way we care for tamariki each day to how we connect with whānau and our wider community.
Rooted in Aotearoa’s rich cultural heritage, our values reflect our commitment to creating a nurturing, inclusive, and empowering environment where every child can flourish.
Our
values
Manaakitanga | Care & Respect
We believe in the importance of showing kindness, generosity, and care to all. We want to ensure that everyone (tamariki, whānau, kaiako, and visitors ) feels valued, respected, and supported. It’s about welcoming others with open arms and creating a warm, inclusive environment. By practicing Manaakitanga, we teach our tamariki the importance of empathy and caring for the wellbeing of others through small, meaningful acts of hospitality and respect.
Whanaungatanga | Relationships & Community
We are committed to fostering deep, supportive relationships within our centre and the wider community. It’s about our shared responsibility toward each other’s wellbeing and building a sense of unity where everyone feels like part of an extended family. By nurturing these relationships, we help ensure that tamariki and whānau feel a true sense of belonging, trust, and collaboration in our learning community.
Whakamana | Empowerment & Independence
Whakamana (Empowerment and independence): We want to recognize and affirm the potential in every child, ensuring they feel confident, capable, and valued. We want to create an environment where tamariki are encouraged to explore, make decisions, and take risks, helping them grow in independence and self-esteem.
Ako | Teaching & Learning Together
We understand that learning is a shared experience, where both kaiako and tamariki learn from each other. Ako is important to us because it’s about mutual respect, recognising that teaching and learning are interconnected. At our centre, we foster an environment where kaiako, tamariki, and whānau engage in the learning process together, creating a collaborative atmosphere where everyone is a learner and a teacher.
Our Philosophy
Parents
We believe that parents are the first teachers. We want to nurture genuine, reciprocal relationships with whānau through communication, positivity, and shared aspirations for their tamaiti (child). Our open door policy invites whānau to contribute their dreams, cultural knowledge and values to enrich our collective learning community.
Our Curriculum
As a community we have chosen to follow Te Ara Whānui pathway and use Te Whāriki (The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum) as our guiding framework. It supports our vision through it’s principles, strands, goals and learning outcomes – many of which are grounded in Māori perspectives on development, wellbeing, and learning.
Each Child is Unique
We understand that each child is unique, so with no one size fits all program, we aim to provide an environment that allows each child to develop at their own pace. We want to prepare tamariki for life – not just school. Our goal is to help them develop foundational learning skills that will help them become curious, capable and confident lifelong learners.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
We live in a bicultural country founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and we celebrate the multicultural richness of our local community within that context. We are commited to promoting Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori authentically in our daily practices by making them meaningful and affirming for all tamariki from all cultural backgrounds.
Come and experience the warmth of Lighthouse Childcare for yourself!
A walkthrough is the perfect way to see our spaces, meet our kaiako, and get a feel for our nurturing environment.
We’d love to show you how we support tamariki to learn, grow, and thrive every day.
Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time that suits you and your whānau.