Ngā mihi mahana kia koutou katoa, greetings to you all... My name is Claire and I am part of the teaching team. I was born in New Plymouth and spent my childhood years here before venturing to other parts of the country and world to study and work. My fascination with and love of learning in the early years was sparked while I was teaching English in Japan to young children. I returned home to study early childhood education and have now been teaching (in both kindergarten and care & education environments) on and off for the past 13 years. I took several precious years out of the paid workforce to raise my two children who are both now at primary school. I feel passionate about providing a peaceful, stimulating and unhurried learning environment for children to grow in and flourish. Developing relationships and nurturing children's physical (tinana), emotional (hinengaro), spiritual (wairua) and whānau well-being is at the heart of my philosophy and practice. For me to be able to do this nestled amongst the trees and stream alongside the highly qualified and passionate teaching team at The Redwoods is both exciting and inspiring!