Meet the Team: A chat with Sudha Sharma, Mount Roskill
Get to know the amazing “kaiako” who make Bright Beginnings feel like a home away from home. In this story, we chat with Sudha Sharma from our Mount Roskill centre about her love for teaching and guiding tamariki
Providing Quality Childcare Since 2012 • Infants, Toddlers & Preschool • Daycare Centre
At the very heart of Bright Beginnings is our incredible team.
We know that choosing an early learning centre is one of the most important decisions your whānau will make, and nothing is more important than knowing who will be caring for, guiding, and celebrating your child each day.
That’s why we are so excited to launch our "Meet the Team" series.
In these interviews, you’ll get a chance to meet the wonderful kaiako (teachers) and staff who make our centre a home away from home. We invite you to read their stories, learn about their passion for early childhood education, and discover what they love most about being part of your child’s learning journey.
We recently sat down with Sudha Sharma, a founding teacher at our Mount Roskill centre, for a chat about her journey in early childhood education. Here’s what she had to share.
Passion for People and Play
Q: What do you love most about being an early childhood teacher?
A: There are lots of aspects that I love, but if you ask me one that I love the most, it will be building strong and trusting relationships with children and their families.
Q: How would you describe your approach to teaching?
A: My approach is that the learning shall always be child-initiated and a follow-up of their interests.
Q: You primarily work with the Over 2s. What do you enjoy most about that age group?
A: I enjoy seeing their language development, from expanding their vocabulary to forming more complex sentences and beginning to hold conversations.
A Day in Her Room
Q: Could you share a favourite activity you love to set up for the children?
A: As I am in the preschool room, I love setting up manipulative and open-ended resources. I always feel amazed by their creativity, from creating their homes, robots, beach, zoo… the list goes on!
Q: What does a typical day look like?
A: We start our day by welcoming and settling the children, followed by our first mat time where we talk about the date, month, year, day, and weather in both English and Te Reo. Then we have our morning tea followed by free indoor/outdoor play. The day also includes meditation time, storytelling, transition-to-school activities, and a musical mat time before finishing with more free play.
Building a Welcoming Space
Q: How do you help a new child and their parents feel comfortable when they first start?
A: My first step is always building a relationship with the parent/whānau and child. Then, I give the child enough time to explore and familiarise themselves with the environment, supporting them in the process and introducing them to the older children in the room.
Q: As a founding teacher, what makes Bright Beginnings special to you?
A: It feels like working for family. Every teacher gets the freedom to bring their philosophy to the centre while aligning it with the centre’s one.
“It’s very hard to find a single memory as I have lots of them after working for 8 years. But every time an anxious/overwhelmed parent enters our door, it leaves me with great gratitude when I assure them of the care that they will be leaving their child in, and make them leave relaxed and calm.”
Just for Fun
Q: What’s your all-time favourite children's book to read aloud?
A: Again, there are lots! It’s different with each set of children in my room. Sometimes it’s The Gruffalo, other times it’s Willbee the bumblebee. Nowadays it’s “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”.
Q: And what do you love to do outside of work?
A: I love going out for brunches or dinner with my team for team building. We all love dancing together at the parties, which helps us get loose and comfortable around each other.
We've put together some helpful articles about childcare and daycare in New Zealand
Meet the Team: An Interview with Lu Li, Toddler Room Team Leader
Helping Your Toddler Adjust to a New Sibling
Meet the Team: A chat with Sudha Sharma, Mount Roskill
Natural Materials in Early Childhood Education at BBELC
20 Hours ECE NZ: How the Childcare Subsidy Works for Parents in Auckland
Quick, healthy meals that kiwi kids will actually eat
Our Early Learning Centres
Our early childhood centre environments strongly reflects our inspiration – The Reggio Emilia philosophy, from Reggio Emilia, Italy.
We provide a creative and open ended environment that encourages infinite learning for the children and strong relationships between teachers, children and families.
The day’s routines are flexible. At the same time, care is taken to recognise and respect each child’s needs.
Why Choose a Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre?
- Encouraging the use of natural materials
- A strong transition into school
- Teaching team inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach supports your child’s creative potential.
- Healthy, tasty hot meals cooked fresh on site
- 20 ECE hours available/free sessions for 3 year olds
- A boutique, homely feel to our centres
- Strong connections between teachers and whanau.
Here's what our parents say about our childcare centres
Come and visit one of our childcare centres and see for yourself why your child will love it
Talk to the Centre Manager, meet the team, see the natural outdoor play areas and educational rooms, learn about how we develop our programs and find out more about our unique approach to partnering with our families.
Our latest parent reviews from Google
What are the Different Types of Early Childhood Centres?
