Kamo Childcare Tots Philosophy

“Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them,
who understands the power of connection and insists
they become the best they can possibly be”
– Rita Pierson.

At Kamo Tots we believe whanaungatanga/relationships are at the heart of our learning journey with our whānau and children. A collaborative partnership with whānau is of utmost importance to us as we feel children bring with them the hopes and dreams of their whānau. We value the trust that our whānau place on us and we strive to provide a safe and secure place, an extension of home. Trust is the glue of life and we believe it is the most essential ingredient in effective communication. We
value the funds of knowledge our children bring to Tots and we place trust in their abilities to develop these further, knowing as teachers we are always there to support them. We learn from each other, and recognise new knowledge and understandings can grow from shared learning experiences, a concept of ako. Every day we will be teachers and learners. We will encourage the children to emulate this with each other (Tuakana teina).

Every child is a whole person, they are unique and therefore require acceptance, nurturing and respect in order to develop to their full potential. We show manaakitanga, treating everyone with respect and dignity. Infants and toddlers learn best through calm nurturing rituals at their own pace and we are open minded and flexible in our approach. We follow their individual cues and needs using empathy. We believe our children learn through real life experiences; our children play as they work. We make this possible by providing an environment that stimulates their imagination through child led experiences and open-ended resources. We value fun, playfulness, creativity and involving free choice thus allowing the children to develop holistically (Kotahitanga).

We take a strength-based approach, focusing on what children can do and not limit our expectations of them. We seek to support children’s natural wonder and provide for appropriate risk taking and initiative as we believe in raising our expectations. Raising our expectations allows the children to achieve to their fullest potential and gives them a sense of whakamana (Empowerment).

We are passionate in the children’s right to choose, to be, and to become. We encourage our children to recognise the sense of wonderment and enjoyment in their learning journey.

“Tell me and I will forget,
Show me and I may remember,
Involve me and I will learn”
~ Benjamin Franklin

Our Tots Programme

Our Programme very much reflects the core aspect of our philosophy of practice in that we believe “…by nurturing a childs self esteem and confidence using teaching techniques tailored to the needs of the individual child, we… unlock a passion for life long learning.”

The children have free choice in their activities, with minimal teacher intervention. Due to our high teacher/child ratio we have plentiful opportunities to observe and interact with each child, which enables us to have a clear understanding of their individual dispositions and strengths.

Each family is welcomed upon arrival at the centre, with special emphasis on welcoming the child. Children then have an opportunity for ‘free play’ before being brought together for morning tea. Before each meal the children are seated at tables alongside the teachers and we sing waiata as a way to transition between busy play time and more relaxed meal times. After morning tea it is time for more free play, with additional art-based activities being on offer at this time. The children then have a brief mat-time before lunch.

The majority of children sleep after lunch. We have a specially designated sleep room which is kept quiet and at optimum temperature to ensure quality rest. On waking, the children are gently nurtured by staff before re-joining the group for play.

Our Staff

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