BestStart Gillies Avenue

"I viewed multiple daycare places in the area when I was deciding on a place for 6 month old daughter. None of them were as good as BestStart Gillies. From the moment I spoke with the centre manager, Elsje on the phone she was able to answer all my queries and more. When viewing the under 2s room, the lovely Rasheeda (head teacher) showed me around and explained how things run. She was full of smiles for my daughter and that's when I knew I found the right place. Also the other two teachers were great, Melissa and Sasheeda (sorry I hope the spelling of the names is right). Unfortunately we had to move house so we were only there for a few months but I can highly recommend the women at gillies because they made it so special for our daughter. We miss that daycare."

"My daughter is with BestStart Gillies for a short period and made a difference with my daughter. Since day one our daughter has been given a highest quality of care and been given a safe nurturing environment. We are very thankful to everyone in BestStart Gillies."

"We love BestStart Gillies Ave! Our son has been attending for over 3 years now and he has built lovely individual relationships with his teachers and truly wonderful friendships with the other children there. He genuinely missed going to preschool during lockdown! BestStart Gillies Ave has become more than just a daycare for us, it's a safe space for our son and we know he feels loved, cared for and protected there. The teachers encourage and support him to learn and explore and we've seen him grow into such a smart, happy, confident four year old during his time there. We no longer live close to BestStart Gillies Ave (we used to live just around the corner) but we now drive over an hour in rush hour traffic at both ends of the day in order to take him to the place that he is so happy to be in when he can't be at home with his family. I couldn't recommend BestStart Gillies Ave and their teachers enough."

"My daughter joined the centre mid 2021, moving from another centre due to a home relocation. I thought her first other centre was fine, until we started here, and now I can see that Gillies Best Start is simply in a league of its own and significantly superior. My daughter is so much happier, comes home clean, she comes home well rested, is eating better, brings home art, has far fewer bumps and bruises (so being watched more closely) and is showing significant leaps in development since joining this centre. The staff at BestStart Gillies made the transition super easy for my daughter, and by the second visit she was able to stay at the centre without me with no tears. Staff were very kind, warm, and playful. Every time I have visited the centre for pick up / drop off etc. I have only observed meaningful interactions between staff and children. Teachers from the older kids room are also super friendly and are getting to know my daughter which makes me feel super confident about her change in rooms in the future. The centre is well maintained and tidy and has a lovely outdoor area for a centre so close to the city centre. Shortly after joining my daughter was diagnosed with a birth defect which required significant surgery and had her in a cast for 12 weeks. This all occurred during lock down. She lost her ability to walk and was very fragile after the surgery. I was confident sending her back to day care 1 week after cast removal for 2-4 hours a day as I knew the staff would take just as good care of her as I would, but with the added bonus of more fun and kids to play with. The staff learned all the extra care my daughter needed and were amazing. They were so accommodating and gave her special undivided attention. I thought it was super special cause staff also were supportive of me, they asked how I was also having had been through this challenging time of looking after an unwell child. They were genuine and kind and I really appreciated their support. My daughter is now back walking, and she took some of her first steps post surgery at the centre. It was amazing seeing her progress. I could not recommend the centre more and feel super lucky my daughter has had such an excellent start in her early education."

"My son has attended BestStart Gillies Ave for the last 3 years, since he was 5 months old. He absolutely loves attending the centre each day. The teachers are all warm, welcoming and friendly and have formed wonderful relationships with my son. The transition between the baby/toddler room and preschool room was seamless and my son still enjoys visiting his old teachers in the baby room from time to time. It is such a relief knowing that my son is happy and well cared for whilst I am at work. Thank you Best Start Gillies Ave!"