Meet the Team

Amanda

Centre Manager/Director

Kia Ora, I’m Amanda and although my role as the centre manager/director is primarily based around the operations and administration side of the centre, I thoroughly enjoy joining the team and participating in the classroom and often find myself reading stories, playing with the Lego or exploring the world through the eyes of the children through the use of an atlas. I’m particularly passionate about working in the Vege Garden and taking our children for walks to explore our local area.

My dedication lies in helping Kiwi kids thrive, learn and generally grow up to be wonderful people. I strive to create an environment that nurtures not only our children and families but also our educators. I am incredibly proud of the whole CPELC team for playing such an important part in guiding our preschool-aged children through the beginning stages of their journey through life and thankful to be able to support this.

Megan

Professional Services Leader

As a qualified teacher with over 24 years of experience in the Early Childhood and Adult education sector I join the team here at Central Park Early Learning Centre with a passion about the care and education of our Tamariki and the growth and development of the Kaiako.
Through my years in the education sector my journey has taken me through all the stages from being a student teacher right through to being a Centre Manager of a busy Early Childhood Centre for 3 years across the other side of Auckland.

I am passionate about helping the community and have been a senior crew, medic and a skipper in training for the Auckland Coast Guard for 25 years.

My beliefs around child development are based around the “Reggio” approach where the vision of the child is that of a competent learner and a strong child-directed curriculum in which teachers follow the children’s interests and also a belief that children learn through interaction with others, including parents, staff and peers in a friendly learning environment.

I believe that as educators we should provide a warm, safe, friendly and respectful space where children can learn through play while interacting in a natural, home like environment that has been purposeful set to meet the dispositions/ needs and interests of all the children.

Elfie

Senior Lead Teacher

Malo e lelei, Guten Tag Tamariki and Whānau

I’m Elfriede (Elfie) and  I’ve been working at CPELC for over 8 years now and absolutely love it. I have had the love for educating our tamariki since I can remember, one of my priorities is to build strong relationships not only with our tamariki but their whānau also. I believe that every child is unique and it’s my goal to ensure that they feel confident and have a sense of belonging when they step out in the world.

Our staff would describe me as one of the children with a bit of maturity, I love the outdoors and getting messy with our tamariki. I class myself as a big family orientated person with a love for all cultures.

Danielle

Head Teacher

Kia ora! My name is Danielle and I am the head teacher of the Piwakawaka and Kereru rooms. I am qualified and registered and I have always been passionate about working with infants and toddlers. I believe that building respectful relationships with the children and whanau in my care is the most important thing to support them in developing their sense of belonging and trust within their environment. My interests outside of work include spending time with my family and friends, taking my puppy for walks, cooking and reading.

Divia

Assistant Head Teacher

Kia Ora,
My name is Divia and I am the Assistant Head Teacher and I am based in the Ruru Room. I have been working with children for six years and for four of them I have had the pleasure of helping to educate children at Central Park ELC. I have always enjoyed building strong connections with each individual child and their whanau so that we can be certain that we provide a comfortable, homely environment for everyone.

My priority is to help children achieve a sense of happiness, confidence & fulfillment in their everyday life.

As Assistant Head Teacher, I work alongside my team to ensure we are providing educational experiences that relate to what is going on in the world around us and that provide the children with skills to become lifelong learners.

Sakina

Registered Teacher – Ruru Room

Salaam

Hello, I am Sakina Suterwala, an Indian who migrated to a new home, New Zealand 22 years back with my husband and 2 children a boy and a girl .

Back in India I was a Food Technologist, but couldn’t pursue my career with the food Industry in NZ, so opted to relieve as a teacher aide and then as an unqualified teacher with early childhood. Working with little humans boosted my enthusiasm for qualifying as an Early Childhood teacher and I worked with UoA for 8 years.

After resigning from University, I started relieving with Primary and Intermediate schools for 7 years. The criteria for being a fully registered teacher which was an unachieved dream made me a part of the CPLC team to continue my career. I look forward to working with the children and learning along with them to achieve my goal.

Hoping to share and get ideas with the experienced team at CPLC and spreading Aroha and happiness to the awesome tamariki and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for them which would help them in their journey ahead in life.

Suzanne

Registered Teacher – Ruru Room

Kia ora my name is Suzanne.

I have been working as an early childhood teacher for 16 years. I have been working at Central Park Early Learning Centre for 5 years. I enjoy building relationships with the children and getting to know them and their interests. I enjoy being invited to join in with children’s play and seeing their imagination, confidence and independence grow and develop.

My own interests include craft, knitting, reading, walking and spending time with my five beautiful grandchildren.

Lorraine

Teacher – Ruru Room

I’m Lorraine known as Lolo,

I’ve been part of the Central Park Early Learning team since 2019, where I bring my fun-loving personality and a penchant for jokes to the classroom. Whether it’s diving into messy play or tackling challenging activities, I encourage resilience in every child. Beyond academics, I’m passionate about helping children settle well into the centre and building strong, meaningful relationships with not only myself and the other Kaiako but also with other Ākonga.

Kim

Teacher – Kereru/ Piwakawaka Room

Hello my name is Kim.

I started my journey here at CPELC in 2023. I am currently working in the Kereru room and enjoying every moment. My focus is on providing a safe and nurturing environment were tamariki can learn and explore freely. I look forward to working alongside all of the children and whānau to create a positive and engaging learning environment.

Rashmi

Teacher – Kereru/ Piwakawaka Room

Hello,  My Name is Rashmi, and I recently relocated from South Africa in April 2023. My hometown is the sunny Durban.

I’m a Piwakawaka room teacher with a background in Health and Safety. Now that my own kids are grown, I’ve found joy in sharing my love and attention with children in the early childhood sector. I have a gentle and caring personality, and I’m passionate about building strong relationships with our infants and creating a safe and loving environment for them. In my free time, I love exploring New Zealand with my family and enjoying nature.

Amy

Teacher – Kereru/ Piwakawaka Room

Kia Ora, my name is Amy and I am a Kaiako in the Piwakawaka & Kererū room.

Since working at CPELC I have gained a fair amount of experience and knowledge and I really enjoy working with the infants and toddlers and watching them learn and grow. Since having my son Felix, it truly ignited my interest in child development and working alongside tamariki. I enjoy getting to know each individual child and learning about their strengths and interests. I believe it’s important to build strong relationships with whānau and pride myself on doing so.

Shalisha

Centre Chef

Kia Ora koutou katoa

My name is Shalisha and I am the cook here at CPELC. I have been a centre chef for 2 years and really enjoy that I get to cook nutritious meals for our tamariki. I am a mother of two beautiful boys. In my spare time I love to go on adventures with my family and play/watch sports. I was born in Auckland but raised in Kaitaia. I am of Māori & Niuean decent and love to learn about other cultures.

 

Tena koutou, Tena koutou Tena tatou katoa!