BestStart Riccarton

My daughter attended this preschool for approximately three months. Unfortunately, during this time we experienced several concerning incidents that were not handled appropriately. On more than one occasion, when I attempted to raise concerns, the centre manager, Lee-Anne Aka Bossy did not allow me to fully express my concerns and ended discussions prematurely. This made me feel unheard and disrespected as a parent. One particularly serious concern was when my daughter reported that a teacher had slapped her on the thigh. When I requested a meeting to discuss this, the conversation was again dismissed before it could be properly addressed. Additionally, there was an incident where my daughter urgently needed to use the toilet while waiting outside before opening hours. Despite this, staff refused access and asked her to wait, which showed a lack of compassion and understanding for a young child. Overall, I found the communication and management approach to be dismissive. A preschool should provide a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for both children and parents, which, in our experience, was lacking.

The staff are just wonderful, they went above and beyond to make my daughter feel welcome. We're only staying in Christchurch for 6 weeks for a work engagement, but BestStart were more than accommodating with our requested dates, and she was able to start attending pretty much on the next business day. Despite being a little shy initially, she quickly warmed up to the new environment, and had a lot of fun by the end. The teachers are caring, attentive and always engaged with the children, whether it's art projects, playtime, exploring, or making banana cookies, which is so awesome!

I’m happy my daughter has grown up going here, she loves all the teachers and all of her peers. The teachers and centre manager has gone above and beyond to help me with my daughters behaviour and given me advice and has always helped me out which I am so appreciative and grateful of. This is the only pre-school my daughter has attended and she has really thrived and grown into a smart young lady. Off to primary school this year (2024) we will miss all the teachers and her friends she’s made! Thank you for everything you have done to help us. Best wishes from us both X