Kimberley Crisp Professional Development
Kimberley is a trained early childhood teacher and has trained at the Pikler Institute in Budapest. She has founded, and manages The Nest, a Pikler inspired kindergarten. Kimberley facilitates her own Professional Development. Kimberley, having worked with many of our team over the past fifteen years was inspirational in the development of our centre environment, both inside and out. Kimberley was the key faciliator of our first Teacher Only Day in 2022, and had this to say:
Emma Callis - Parent
Our son started in the Te Miro Early childhood centre and continued on into the Te Miro Forest School when he turned 5. The opportunities he’s been exposed to is more than what some children will experience in a lifetime. His depth of knowledge of life skills was noticeable in every aspect of his life and was transferred into other areas as the children learn best through play and that’s exactly what they do at Te Miro Forest School. Through play based learning our son learnt social and cognitive skills, matured emotionally, and gained the self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and environments. This place is heaven on earth for children and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
Sarah Ross - Parent
When you walk into the Forest ECE you are transported into a young persons wonderland - our daughter couldn’t agree more!
We love the kaupapa of the Forest ECE supported by caring and experienced teachers we are so thrilled for our daughter to be attending.
She comes home happily tired from adventurous days in the native bush to the hut with her friends, stories of making pikelets over the fireplace and how the eels ate one of her teachers tuna fish. We are so grateful to be part of The Forest ECE whānau and couldn’t recommend this experience for your young ones more.
Anita Magor - Parent
Our son Alfie attends the forest program and we cannot recommend this enough. He has shown such big leap of confidence in attending this program. He absolutely loves being out doors and running free with his friends and wonderful teachers who help him with any obstacles that might appear (like getting your gumboot stuck in the mud). He always comes home and says what great adventures he’s had. This is such a unique and amazing program that we feel has benefited Alfie greatly.
Amber Adler - Parent
Archie absolutely loves forest days! The fact that he gets to explore the natural environment in it’s true form providing countless opportunities for discovery & creativity brings me so much joy. One day he came home so excited to tell me that ‘he was like a big Hippo playing in the mud’. This is what childhood should be like, getting messy & being provided with an environment where they can create their own fun. I’m so glad that we are able to provide Archie with this opportunity.
Hannah Fitzpatrick - Parent
This was our first experience dropping off the children at an ECE centre and I am so grateful that The Forest was there for this part of our journey. It has been a pivotal point for our family and the kids have grown, learned and accomplished so much. Le love hearing about their days which are filled with exploring, discovery, creativity and fun. The knowledge and confidence that they have blows me away, and they teach and share so much with us. The Forest embodies everything that we want for our children, and has provided an environment for them to live their best life - just being kids. We are so grateful to have been able to keep the children with you for an extended time after turning five, as we wanted to make the most of the unparalleled play and opportunities that The Forest offers. I am forever telling friends and family about the amazing things they are doing and my biggest brag is that they can light a fire using a flint, I can't even do that! They have an amazing knowledge of the land, caring for animals, identifying different types of plant and fungi, risk taking, teamwork, communication, leadership, Te Reo Māori, and the list goes on. The incredible teachers and staff are worth their weight in gold and have ensured that The Forest is a home away from home for all the children that attend. Storypark stories have provided a wonderful insight into their days, and we really appreciate the thought and time that goes into them, it really shows how much the teachers understand and celebrate all of the children. The beautiful animals have always been a highlight, and the stunning setting is an oasis that we have been so lucky to enjoy.
The Conways
We can’t express enough how wonderful The Forest is. I was worried the drive out there might be too much, but once we saw the beautiful environment, the animals, the space for our son to explore, the adventures on offer and the amazing teachers they have there, we knew there was no way we could not go there! Our son was pretty reluctant to be involved in an ECE at the outset, but Jo and the team were quick to make him comfortable and sent warm messages showing us how quickly he settled in each day. We highly recommend The Forest to anyone considering it.
Anne Morrison - Parent
What an incredible space for a child to grow in confidence, build resilience, develop empathy and most of all, have heaps and heaps of fun, surrounded by beautiful bush and beautiful people. We have been so impressed by The Forest and its approach to early childhood education. Kaiako who let the children learn and experience life at their own pace, building up to creating a strong “I can do it” attitude. Their exposure to native flora and fauna give them all a unique opportunity in this day and age that was often taken for granted a generation ago. You can almost see the children's thought patterns occurring as they navigate new encounters, helping each other with a strong focus on tuakana teina, teaching and learning across the age range. What a special place - our little girl has been blessed to undertake her journey of early education with The Forest and their amazing team.
Olivia - Parent
The Forest is magical, fresh air, nature, animals and fun. My daughter's excitement each day bubbles over knowing there will be muddy puddles to jump in, hills to climb and slide, and adventures and treasures to find in the forest. This is the ultimate experience, one that our child can have every day.
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