maria grond

Kia ora koutou,

My name is Maria Grond and I’m a teacher at Country Footsteps Christian Preschool. I have a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (ECE) obtained at New Zealand Tertiary College and a BA Psychology & Sociology, BA HONS Sociology and MSocSci, which I obtained in South Africa. I have taught ages 0 – 5 years. In 2016 I moved to New Plymouth with my husband Enrico and our cat Lutus.

There is so much development that happens within a child’s early years, children are born ready to learn. 

I believe that children learn best when the environment allows them freedom to explore but also when there are clear boundaries in place to ensure they learn what acceptable behaviour is, such as being respectful towards others and our environment. The early childhood classroom should provoke meaningful learning through play, extending on children’s interests with the view to support them to develop new knowledge, skills and provide opportunities to help them reflect on ‘how they learn’.

Children’s relationships affect all areas and stages of their development. In fact, relationships are the foundation of child development, therefore I believe that it is vital to establish trusting and authentic relationships that allow children to feel supported and respected. I also believe in creating respectful partnerships with parents and whānau to ensure children’s wellbeing is placed in the forefront. 

As a kaiako my role is to provide a safe, caring and stimulating environment that allow children to grow and flourish at their own time and pace.

I believe that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.” (Psalm 127:3) and it is a privilege to learn alongside them and to support them to become confident and capable learners.