Folkestone Street Infant & Child Care

Your child’s first language isn’t just welcomed here....it’s celebrated, spoken, and woven into everyday learning.

At Folkestone Street, we do things differently.

We are proud to have two Chinese-speaking kaiako and a French-speaking kaiako in our team who actively use these languages in their daily interactions with tamariki and whānau. This isn’t an add-on or a “nice to have”, it’s a deliberate, research-informed practice that strengthens connection, communication, and confidence.

While not every early childhood centre embraces home languages in this way, we see the impact every single day.

When tamariki hear their home language:
✨ They settle faster
✨ They feel safe and understood
✨ They build stronger relationships
✨ They engage more deeply in play and learning

For our families, this means children experience a true “home away from home” where familiar language supports emotional security and belonging.

And the benefits don’t stop there.

All tamariki gain from this rich, language-filled environment. Whether it’s singing songs in Mandarin or French, hearing new words, or experiencing different ways of communicating, children develop:
🌱 Stronger communication skills
🌱 Greater cultural awareness
🌱 Confidence to express themselves

This approach reflects our deep commitment to inclusive, relationship-based teaching. We don’t ask children to leave their identity at the door .... we honour it, every day.

If you’re looking for a centre where your child’s language, culture, and identity are genuinely valued, we would love to welcome you into our community.

At Folkestone Street, when children feel understood , they thrive.

👉 Check out our latest research-informed blog — read the full blog here https://folkestonestreet.co.nz/strengthening-belonging-communication-and-learning/

Research-informed practice:
• Education Review Office (2017) – Extending their language, expanding their world
• Ministry of Education (2017) – Te Whāriki Early Childhood Curriculum
• Carolyn Ball (2012) – Home language supports identity, belonging, and learning
• Celia Genishi (2002) – Young learners thrive when their languages are valued
• Linda Smith (2009) – Language is central to early literacy and communication development

💙 3 Available First Aid Spaces - For Free 💙
Supporting local parents to develop their first aid knowledge.

We had a fantastic time once again celebrating at the Mairangi Bay Village Food and Wine Festival with families past and present! Such a wonderful day enjoying great food, wine and the amazing sense of community that makes this event so special
😊☀️

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16S3yWpR9f/

We’re looking for a Supervisor to join our ECE centre on the North Shore - someone who enjoys teaching, builds strong relationships and leads with care and professionalism. Leadership experience is essential.

Licensed for 30 infants and toddlers in a mixed aged centre, we offer a homely Kiwi environment where relationships and personalised care really matter 🥰

This role is primarily teaching, with a small weekly admin component. You’ll be part of a collaborative team, with the space to work confidently and independently once settled, and support always close by.

If you’re passionate about tamariki, especially infants and toddlers, and value a positive, family-focused team culture, we’d love to hear from you ❤ Please respond with your CV to: [email protected]

*Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in New Zealand.

💙 3 Available Spaces - For Free 💙

At Folkestone Street, ensuring tamariki are well-rested is a top priority. Our four individual sleep rooms allow tamariki to settle into sleep without interruptions. We encourage families to replicate home sleep routines, whether through feeding, co-sleeping, or self-settling, using familiar items like dummies, blankets, or cuddly toys.

Once comfortable, our kaiako work with you to maintain these routines, ensuring a sense of connection and belonging. The four sleep rooms allow pēpi to sleep deeply and on their own schedule, transitioning smoothly to shared rooms when ready, matched with tamariki who have similar sleep patterns.

If your tamariki is used to co-sleeping, our kaiako will find new ways to support this. They can lie down with your child to mimic the familiar co-sleeping experience. Quality sleep is crucial for mood, brain development, and physical growth (Tham, Schneider & Broekman, 2017), helping tamariki have energetic and fulfilling days.

Having quality deep sleep in early childhood not only boosts brain development (particularly memory, language development, and problem-solving skills) and physical growth (Tham, Schneider & Broekman, 2017), but means that your tamariki has the energy needed to have a fun and fulfilling day!

Tham, E., Schneider, N., & Broekman, B. (2017). Infant sleep and its relation with cognition and growth: a narrative review. Nature and Science of Sleep, 9, 135-149. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S125992

Thanks to Little Beat First Aid for a most informative evening on Wednesday night...and great to engage our mātua, who were able to take a moment to learn about all things CPR, bumps, busies and bleeding.

Would you like to learn about all things choking (first aid) & CPR for your wee ones?
How about bumps, burns, bleeding and breathing?
We have a few spaces to give away for free.

Folkestone St Childcare is again supporting local parents to develop their first aid knowledge. Delivered by Little Beat First Aid who are about empowering parents and caregivers with the confidence to manage emergency situations should they arise with their little ones.

When: Wednesday 3 July @ 7 pm
Where: Folkestone Street Infant & Childcare Mairangi Bay
How: Comment on the post below, including your location and we'll choose a few parents to join us.

When children are having trouble regulating themselves, and struggling to keep it together in the current environment they are in, it might be time to go outside! (Julia from Folkestone Street!)

Did your little ones not get enough sleep last night? Are siblings constantly getting on each other's nerves? Do you feel like you're constantly saying "no," "stop," and "cut it out"?
Are they literally bouncing off the walls with excess energy?

Well, maybe it's time to get rid of those walls!

With all the rain Auckland's been getting (seriously, we're setting records - lucky us), it's tempting to just stay indoors and come up with ways to keep the kids entertained. As parents, we've been brainstorming some cool ideas like fun art projects, baking sessions, and, okay, a bit of screen time. But eventually, they've eaten all the snacks, used up their screen time, and turned the house upside down. Everyone's emotions are through the roof. Without realising it, we've set up boundaries during playtime that might be causing behavior issues (Ministry of Education, 2019).

At Folkestone Street what we believe our tamariki really need is space, freedom, and a good dose of nature. Because when they're struggling to follow the rules, it's time to find a place with fewer rules. As Erin Kenny puts it, "Kids can't bounce off the walls if there are no walls." So, we put on our rain gear, slip into our boots, grab our umbrellas and we head outside. It should be somewhere safe where they can explore and run around without limits, like a fenced park, a tree-filled school field, or the beach.

Without the walls, roof, and rules of home, we find ourselves and our kids in a place where they can handle their feelings better, use their imagination, and let their creativity flow. Young kids don't always know how to deal with strong emotions and can act on impulse, get easily distracted, have emotional outbursts, and struggle with their behavior when they can't control their feelings. So why wait? It's time for some rule-free play and some fresh air.

References:
Kenny, E. (2013). Forest Kindergartens: The Cedarsong Way.

Ministry of Education (2019). He māpuna te tamaiti: Supporting social and emotional competence in early learning. Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Education.

Sobel, D. (2014). "You can't bounce off the walls if there are no walls." Retrieved from https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/education-uprising/2014/03/29/the-original-kindergarten."

Hargraves, V (2020) Retrieved from https://theeducationhub.org.nz/supporting-childrens-emotional-learning-in-early-childhood/

Written by Julia Bryant

The evidence shows that the number of children in a group in early childhood settings is critical to how those children develop socially, emotionally and cognitively (Bates, 2017).

Research continues to show that in small group sizes children experience more reciprocal and responsive engagement with teachers, less conflict with peers, less illness and are more likely to stay in a state of ‘blue brain and red brain balance’ (Shanker, 2018), e.g. less likely to sink into their ‘fight or flight’ brain, and are calm and ready to learn.

We want Folkestone Street to be an extension of your home, and just like being at home, we want our children to have a warm, inviting environment where they know that they have their own space, that there are skilled, loving teachers readily available to interact with, and that there are spaces to escape to when they need time to recharge.

When we keep group sizes low, we become a family rather than an institution. Although we mix and mingle in play during the day, our pēpi (infants) have a safe space where two kaiako (teachers) - plus a third when settling in new friends - engage with eight pēpi. Because we respect our tamariki’s (children’s) individual rhythms, our pēpi are taken for sleeps in their bedrooms (which there are four of, meaning they often have a sleep room to themselves!) when and if they need to, meaning that there’s often less than eight pēpi in the space at a time. Being such a small group, our kaiako are able to build loving and meaningful relationships with the pēpi in our care, and are able to closely follow their individual needs and interests.

Bates, S. (2017). Group size matters in ece. Retrieved from https://educationcentral.co.nz/opinion-susan-bates-group.../
Shanker, S. (2018). Blue brain red brain balance is the key. Retrieved from https://self-reg.ca/.../blue-brain-red-brain-balance-is.../

Written by Merryn Turner 2019.