Dream Education Programme
Kia ora Whānau! Our Dream Education Programme supports your little tamariki as they grow and learn in their home and local community environments. It is based on the principle that playing and participating in real-life experiences will enhance independence, and nurture every tamariki's desire to explore and engage in meaningful relationships.
Our Philosophy
At Dream we are all about making family life easier.
We believe that children should be treated as individuals so that they can develop learning dispositions that enable them to become competent, confident learners, and communicators. Children need to be healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.
We offer children opportunities to embrace the wider community through the physical and natural world around them.
Our Dream Nannies and Dream Home Based Educators provide a secure, safe and stimulating environment to promote your child's learning and development within a small group of children. Your child will experience everyday life situations, allowing them to learn valuable life skills, so they feel nurtured and have a sense of belonging.
In partnership with parents/guardians and whānau, Visiting Teachers, Dream Nannies and Dream Home Based Educators, we will deliver a programme supporting each child’s learning and development by providing opportunities for gaining knowledge, training and quality resources.
We strive to respect and understand people from different cultures and their values and appreciate open communication between our tamariki, staff, parents/whānau, this enables us to provide close links with the home, service and the wider community.
We aim to show our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and New Zealands bi-cultural heritage whilst also acknowledging all other cultural identities within our service.
Our focus is on building respectful, positive, collaborative reciprocal relationships with tamariki, whānau, educators, Dream staff and outside support services, ensuring we keep Whanaungatanga at the heart of our service.
As a team we aim to provide a premium service for our whanau and their tamariki and Visiting Teachers support educators in their ongoing studies as they further their education both formally and informally supported by the principles of Te Whaariki.
As a team, a vital part of our relationship with each other, tamariki, educators and whānau is to engage in respectful, open communication, critically reflective learning, and practices so we can lead the way in ensuring tamariki’s needs, interests and abilities are recognised, acknowledged and supported through play.
We see whānau as a vital part of the tamariki’s world and work to ensure they feel welcome, valued and respected. We believe that by providing a home-based Early Childhood Environment with a consistent primary educator encourages tamariki in particular infants in establishing a secure relationship from which to independently explore and investigate their world.
Benefits
For our Tamariki
As part of the Dream Education Programme, tamariki have access to individual learning and development. Support from a qualified Visiting Teacher helps child/ren to learn through play to reach their full potential.
Meet our Visiting Teachers
Lynette
Amanda
Mell
Andrea
Kelly
Sue
Education Manager
Lynette
Lynette has been working in the early childhood sector for 30+ years, with the last 15 years being in the home-based sector and the previous year’s managing early childhood centres and some years working as a Nanny whilst her children were small. She holds a Diploma of Early Childhood Education as well as having full teacher’s registration and is also holding a current 1st aid certificate. Lynette has a real passion for working with children and caregivers and thoroughly enjoys spending time sharing her knowledge and experience in supporting others in their roles. Lynette also enjoys planning and organising events for children and their caregivers to attend and enjoys seeing children’s wonder and excitement as they make their own discoveries as they investigate the environment they live in. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling overseas and exploring more of the world with her husband.
Visiting Teacher
Amanda
Amanda has been working in the early childhood sector for over 25 years. She has worked in centres for the majority of this time. After completing her Certificate in Early Childhood Education, she ventured overseas for a year and worked as a Nanny whilst there. On her return, she completed her Diploma of Teaching ECE. The following 20 years she moved up from a teacher to Supervise then Manager in a boutique under 2 centre in Birkenhead. Amanda has a passion for infants and toddlers and enjoys the special qualities of this specific age group. Amanda lives in Forrest Hill with her husband and 2 boys, Toby and Cooper. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and is involved in all her children’s extra curricula activities.
Visiting Teacher
Mell
Hi I’m Mell, I have been working in the Early Childhood Education sector since 2009 and have experience with all age groups of children under six years old. I am a fully qualified and registered Early Childhood Teacher and enjoy exploring music and movement, Te Ao Maori, the natural environment and storytelling with children. I love working with children and their Au Pairs, Nannies and Educators and especially enjoy my role as a Visiting Teacher. I am from West Auckland and live there with my husband and son and love spending days at West Coast beaches or bush walking through the Waitakere ranges with my family.
Visiting Teacher
Andrea
Andrea has been working in the Early Childhood sector for over 28 years. She started off as a Nanny before working in Childcare Centres as a Teacher, Centre Manager, and even experienced setting up a brand-new Centre from scratch. She has been a Visiting Teacher for the last 8 years, and enjoys the variety of work the role offers. Andrea has a love for all ages, however, loves baby cuddles and having in-depth conversations with the 3-5 year old’s as they become more inquisitive. Andrea lives in Cockle Bay with her husband Dale and son Jack, she also has 4 young nephews which keep her busy. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling in their caravan, baking, and loves watching cricket!
Visiting Teacher
Kelly
Kelly has had the privilege of working in the early childhood sector for over ten years, and completed a Bachelor of Teaching in 2015 after following her passion for working alongside young children and supporting their families. She has experience both within the home-based childcare community, and in a number of leadership roles in early childhood centres. Ultimately, her passion lies with home-based childcare, and she is thrilled to be stepping into the role as a Visiting Teacher for Dream Education. Kelly lives with her husband, two young children, and their golden retriever Archie. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys outdoor adventures, spending time in the kitchen baking, and travelling with her family.
Visiting Teacher
Sue
Sue is passionate about Early Childhood Education and partnering with families in their child’s learning journey. She followed her lifelong dream and trained as an ECE teacher spending the last 37 years raising her Family (consisting of 1 husband, 3 children, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 2 lovebirds and a multitude of rabbits) in conjunction with Managing Early Childhood Centres and home-based providers, mentoring families as a Family worker as well as tutoring Nannies in the Diploma of Early Childhood Care and Education She has a heart for children and their families and desires to encourage parents and caregivers by empowering them with skills and knowledge. Her main aim in life is to make a positive impact on those around her – family, young children, young adults, Early Childhood Teachers and families and to make a difference in the lives of others with a sprinkle of world wide travel thrown in there for personal growth and family bonding.
We use Educa, an Online Portfolio
Dream Education Programme whānau can keep track of their children’s learning via Educa, a secure app that can be downloaded onto any iPhone or Android device.
The app holds a portfolio of your tamariki’s monthly learning stories and in-depth reports that are shared by you and your Visiting Teacher.
Everything that is added to Educa, including photos, videos and stories, can be downloaded and printed by your family. They can choose to connect other whānau members to their Educa account too so that nobody misses out on important milestones reached, or the fun activities and learning opportunities their children experience!
Education Review Office (ERO)
The Dream Education Programme is licensed by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. We pride ourselves in our commitment to providing a quality educational programme to your child. Feel free to have a look at our recent ERO reports here.
Te Whāriki
Funded by the Ministry of Education, the programme weaves together the principles and strands of Te Whāriki to create a holistic, tamariki-centred local curriculum to suit your little ones. A monthly visit from one of our qualified and registered Visiting Teachers, and regular activities are just a couple of ways we make this happen.
The programme is designed to keep learning fun and can be adapted to your whānau’s needs as we believe your home and local community are an integral part of your little one’s development.
If you’re interested in a career in Early Childhood Education then come to New Zealand, work closely with a qualified Early Childhood Teacher and return home with documentation from the New Zealand Ministry of Education stating you have taught children in accordance with the New Zealand curriculum.