HEAD TEACHER

Kia ora. My name is Theresa, and I have been a qualified, registered teacher coming up 11 years now. At O.E.L.C I have been the head teacher for four years and I have enjoyed being around a great group of Kaiako as well as most of all, watching these beautiful Tamariki growing up to be amazing human beings. Making sure that they have a fun and safe environment and working as a team to bring them activities that will extend on their learning is an important part of my day. The best bit about my job is no two days are the same and that makes life busy and interesting.

KAIAKO

Kia Orana, I'm Aaliyah. I am a student teacher here at Ōtaki Early Learning Centre. I am currently studying towards my Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood and am set to complete this in 2025! I am often found in the Piwakawaka room but you may see me float into our over 2's space to help support our amazing Fantail team.

As a student teacher I am still gaining a firm stable grasp on my philosophy as a kaiako however here at OELC I have been able to incorporate my upmost values into my teaching practice. Patience is a big value I've held dear to me throughout my upbringing and being able to pass my patience onto every learner in my space is something I put pride in.

KAIAKO

Kia ora I’m AJ. I have recently returned to teaching after being a stay at home mum for the past four years. I hold a bachelor of teaching early childhood education and am provisionally registered. I currently work part time and am here at the center on Tuesdays and Fridays.

I believe in the environment being the third teacher where the layout of environment should promote tamariki to build relationships, communication, collaboration and exploration. I endeavour to create equitable opportunities for learning that allows for tamariki to get creative, think, problem solve, ask questions, experiment and most importantly play!

KAIAKO

Kia ora whanau, my name is Alicia Eastham and I am a qualified and registered ECE teacher, originally born and raised in Porirua. I studied my Bachelor of Teacher (ECE) through the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and qualified at the end of 2016. I have been working in ECE for 10 years. I am passionate about creating an environment for tamariki to think and problem solve, feel confident and competent within themselves, and to be creative

KAIAKO

Kia ora, I’m Hannah. I have been a qualified, registered teacher for over 3 years and I also hold a Diploma in Applied Psychology that I completed to support my teaching. Here at ŌELC I am the 2IC and adore being part of this awesome, loving whānau.

The concept of ako is the heart of my teaching, where I am both the teacher and the learner simultaneously, there is always so much to learn from our wonderful tamariki. I love creating inclusive, calm and fun learning environments for all tamariki and ensuring everyone has equitable opportunities to thrive in their learning space. Ngā mihi

KAIAKO

Kia ora, I'm Kayla. I have been at OELC since 2022 and returned to work with my son Korbyn just over six months ago, and we both love it here with the awesome Kaiako and Tamariki. I currently work with the Pepi in the Fantail room and absolutely love it. I love watching the Tamariki learn and try new things and encourage this in my teaching. I strive to support Nga Tamariki by creating a loving, safe and fun environment and teaching them to communicate, build relationships, and play alongside one another. I am very passionate in supporting our Pepi and I endeavour to prepare them as they grow and move on to the Kiwi room.

KAIAKO

Hi, my name is Sarah. I' have been working in early childhood centres for over twenty years. I graduated with a joint Bachelor of Education from Wellington Teachers College and Victoria University. I have been lucky to work in a variety of different centres here in Wellington and Auckland, where I have learned a lot that has helped shape my philosophy for working with children. I believe that teaching is a life long process of learning new philosophies and strategies, learning from parents, whanau, colleagues, and the children themselves. Children have so much that they can teach us.

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy spending time outside hiking, and going to hot yoga.

KAIAKO

Kia ora, my name is Tori, and I am a fully qualified and registered teacher with over 14 years teaching experience. I have a respectful, warm and passionate teaching approach that demonstrates nuture and trust. My experience has helped shape my strong beliefs about how I can best teach and support your tamariki to learn and grow to their full potential. I believe in building strong relationships with children, whanau and kaiako, and I strive to create and maintain an environment where your tamariki can feel safe and secure, have a strong sense of belonging, and grow and thrive whilst exploring the world around them

Together with a team of amazing, passionate and creative kaiako, I am committed to providing  you and your tamariki with a loving and developmentally sound foundation for a lifetime of learning and fun.