Creative Junction Magazine June 16th 2017 | Page 10

A
my Griffiths started
in childcare on a
whim in her early
30’s. Little did she know,
less than 6 years later
she’d be the proud owner
of two centres.
The Whangarei mum-of-two has
recently bought the centre next
door to her existing centre on
Paranui Crescent in Tikipunga.
The purchase means that the
site can host children aged
from 0-6 in two different cen-
tres, Valleys Little Treasures
and Valleys Junior Treasures.
“I actually knew the owners of
both of these buildings back when
they were houses,” says Amy.
“So it’s incredible to see how well
they work as childcare centres.”
Valleys Junior Treasures has
been operating for more than
5 years as Big Steps, cater-
ing for 3-5 year olds- while
Amy and her team focused on
the younger years next door.
“We
worked
well
along-
side each other,” says Amy.
“Most of our children gradu-
ated on to next door anyway.”
Amy says since she has pur-
chased Big Steps, the new
centre is nearly at capacity.
“We like to keep our teacher to chil-
dren ratios low, to make sure our
children are comfortable in their
environment and well-cared for.”
Amy started in childcare in her
late 20s. While working at a
number of centres around town
she realised that there weren’t
More Variety i
that many options for parents
to choose from when it came
to early childhood education.
Valleys Little Treasures and Val-
leys Junior Treasures have a
strong focus on whānaungatanga
and manaakitanga (relation-
ships and value-based learn-
ing). In March, the centre re-
ceived a glowing review from
the Education Review Office.
“Children demonstrate a strong
sense of belonging and are very
settled in the centre. They are so-
cial, talkative and show their en-
joyment in play,” says the report
writer. “They experience learn-
ing and care in a positive and
supportive environment. There
is genuine aroha with warm,