Future Kids Preschools

Meet Vanny from our Te Rapa Centre 👋

Vanny’s love for tamariki started long before she became a kaiako.

Growing up, she loved babysitting her younger sisters, nieces and nephews, and would happily spend hours playing schools and restaurants with them. So really, she was already practising for ECE… she just didn’t know it yet! 😂
Originally from Cambodia, Vanny also brings her own culture, experiences and perspective to our Future Kids whānau, something we love about the wonderfully diverse team and community we have.

Vanny has now been part of our Future Kids whānau for over four years, and one of the things she loves most is the strong sense of family and community. She values the relationships she has built with tamariki and whānau and loves being part of a team where everyone works together to create a real sense of belonging. When it comes to play, Vanny is all about following the children’s lead.

For Vanny, teaching is about celebrating all those little milestones that are actually VERY big milestones — a new word, a new skill, growing independence, building confidence or finally mastering something they have been working on.

She loves creating a safe and caring environment where tamariki feel valued, supported and completely comfortable being themselves. 💚

Outside of preschool, Vanny loves spending time exploring with her little family.

And her hidden talent?
Well, Vanny claims she doesn’t really have one, but she does believe she can sing. There is just one small catch, most performances currently happen in the shower. 🎤🚿😂

What song do you think Vanny is belting out in the shower? 🎤😂👇

We love having Vanny’s warmth, creativity and genuine love for tamariki as part of our Future Kids whānau. 🌿💚

Meet Kaiako Brittany, one of our foundation kaiako at Future Kids Hāwera. 💚

Brittany has been part of the Hāwera journey from the very beginning, working with our littlest tamariki 🐣🍼. We were so proud to recently celebrate her stepping into the role of Rūma Ao Team Leader.

Brittany has a champagne-bubbles kind of personality, bright, fun, and always ready to light up the room. She brings such joyful energy to the centre with that beautiful balance of bubbly, fun energy and the soft, nurturing warmth of a caring mum, the perfect mix for our littlest tamariki.

She is also our organiser of fun! Staff parties, social get-togethers, team events, Brittany is always in. She loves bringing people together and is motivated by seeing others have a great time. She is also part of our annual Christmas fun committee and, as we discovered at murder mystery night, very highly competitive when the occasion calls for it! 🕵️‍♀️

Outside of Future Kids, Brittany is a big supporter of local events and loves camping at the beach in summer with her whole whānau. She is married to Matthew and is mum to two busy young boys who keep life full, fun, and no doubt very active!

Brittany has also recently bought herself a “ranch” and is trying her hand at the good life, bringing a little bit of country living into her world. 🌿

She loves flowers, the colour purple, and is also known as a very staunch Palmy Kmart shopper because every good kaiako knows where to find a bargain! 💜

We are so proud to have Brittany as part of our Future Kids whānau, bringing bubbly energy, warmth, leadership, fun, and heart to Rūma Ao every day. 💚🌱

Brittany Commerer

Meet Kaiako Brittany, one of our foundation kaiako at Future Kids Hāwera. 💚

Brittany has been part of the Hāwera journey from the very beginning, working with our littlest tamariki 🐣🍼. We were so proud to recently celebrate her stepping into the role of Rūma Ao Team Leader.

Brittany has a champagne-bubbles kind of personality, bright, fun, and always ready to light up the room. She brings such joyful energy to the centre with that beautiful balance of bubbly, fun energy and the soft, nurturing warmth of a caring mum, the perfect mix for our littlest tamariki.

She is also our organiser of fun! Staff parties, social get-togethers, team events, Brittany is always in. She loves bringing people together and is motivated by seeing others have a great time. She is also part of our annual Christmas fun committee and, as we discovered at murder mystery night, very highly competitive when the occasion calls for it! 🕵️‍♀️

Outside of Future Kids, Brittany is a big supporter of local events and loves camping at the beach in summer with her whole whānau. She is married to Matthew and is mum to two busy young boys who keep life full, fun, and no doubt very active!

Brittany has also recently bought herself a “ranch” and is trying her hand at the good life, bringing a little bit of country living into her world. 🌿

She loves flowers, the colour purple, and is also known as a very staunch Palmy Kmart shopper because every good kaiako knows where to find a bargain! 💜

We are so proud to have Brittany as part of our Future Kids whānau, bringing bubbly energy, warmth, leadership, fun, and heart to Rūma Ao every day. 💚🌱

Meet Kaiako Mia, one of our beautiful kaiako in Rūma Ahi at Future Kids Te Rapa. 💚

Mia is one of our younger kaiako, bringing a lovely balance of youthful energy, calmness, and fresh perspective to our team. But she is certainly not your usual young person, Mia has a work ethic well beyond her years. She puts in the hours with the tamariki, always pitches in when there is mahi to be done, and does so with a positive attitude where nothing is ever a problem.

Mia first joined us straight after high school and has truly flourished as part of our Future Kids whānau. From the very beginning, she had a calm, caring, and gentle way about her that our tamariki responded to straight away.

Over time, Mia has continued to grow into a naturally warm and relationship-based kaiako, building beautiful connections with both tamariki and whānau. Her calm presence, kindness, and caring nature make her such a valued part of our Rūma Ahi team.

Last year, Mia headed off travelling with her mum and came back with the travel bug well and truly caught! Since returning, she has already been talking about where her next big adventure might take her🌍

Outside of Future Kids, Mia loves spending time with whānau, including her much-loved little sidekick dog Casper, a Maltese cross Shih Tzu with a whole lot of personality🐾

Mia and her whānau have tried and tried to teach Casper some tricks… but it turns out Casper’s special talent is simply being cute. No tricks, no worries, just full-time fluffy companion energy!

While Mia is still deciding whether teaching will be the study pathway she takes in the future, one thing is very clear to us, she is definitely a natural kaiako.

We are so lucky to have Mia as part of our Future Kids whānau - bringing her calm, care, warmth, fresh energy, a strong work ethic, and beautiful connections to our tamariki every day. 💚🌿

You are such a great asset to the Te Rapa team Mia 💚