Meet our kaiako
Jan F
Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education)
-W.I.T.T
NZ Registered Nurse
Kia ora, ko Jan Forsythe ahau, I am the Service Provider (liscensee) and own the land along with my husband Francis. I am also a Director and part owner of The Redwoods Country Kindergarten. I started my working life as a registered nurse but as a young mother to our 3 sons, and while attending playcentre, first became interested in early childhood education. After several years working and living overseas, I was inspired to train as a teacher and have been working in early childhood education for almost 20 years in a variety of settings, mostly in kindergarten. I have strong leadership credentials but am proud to be working in a shared partnership with my amazing former colleagues Tanya and Trish. I am so excited about returning to “hands on” teaching alongside the tamariki who inspire, motivate and constantly surprise me with their curiosity and motivation to learn. I am a founding member of REART (Reggio Emilia Aotearoa Regional Taranaki) so rich, meaningful indoor and outdoor learning environments are a focus in my teaching. Environmental education has always featured as a strong personal kaupapa. Warm, responsive relationship building is the keystone to my teaching style. I strongly believe in the value of play and recognising the talents and identities of each child.
Originally from Palmerston North, I grew up on the edge of the town near Awapuni racecourse – a childhood of climbing trees and rolling in the grass. I relocated to Taranaki after meeting husband Francis in London. We have always enjoyed living surrounded by nature and were privileged to raise our 3 sons (now grown up) in this lifestyle with lots of space and lots of places to explore-my vision is to share those spaces with the children of Redwoods kindergarten.