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Papakura MP Judith Collins officially opened Park Green’s BestStart early learning centre this month as she celebrated with staff and children on November 7.
According to Ministry of Education figures, there are 80 early learning services in Franklin (including Playcentre), 62 in the wider Papakura area, and 21 in North Waikato.
Park Green is the 17th BestStart in Franklin and Papakura, according to those figures.
The centre opened about three months ago and today has 53 children on the roll.
Collins acknowledged the work of founders Wayne and Chloe Wright, who began BestStart’s first early childhood education centre in Tauranga back in 1996.
She said the pair had turned the centres into places that New Zealand’s tamariki (children) can “learn, have fun and to socialise.”
Wayne Wright attended the opening and said he was delighted with the result.
He said the Park Green centre is “as good as it gets.”
“It’s just truly amazing. It’s a great environment to work in and a great environment for the staff to work in.”
Collins congratulated staff and commented on the effort the children’s parents had gone to in order to prepare them for the special day.
“Everyone has been put in their best clothes to come here today and what a lovely job that the teachers are doing,” she said.
Collins congratulated the Wright family for growing BestStart to over 280 centres throughout the country.
“It has grown massively and is now a force to be reckoned with.”
“This is what we need for our young children. Not just to keep parents sane but to help our children understand to learn how to play, count and read before they go to school.
“It will make their life at school so much better,” she said.
“Children are not robots, they need lots of love and hugs and they also need to have their brain stimulated.
“Thank you for bringing another one of your fabulous centres to our Papakura electorate,” Collins said.
She then went on to cut a cake made for the opening to share amongst attendees.
BestStart began as a small team of four and has now grown into New Zealand’s largest provider of early childhood education.
