Mamma Bear Childcare branches out to Whanganui

Sam Paradise found the new Mamma Bear location using Google Maps.

Whanganui has a new early childhood education (ECE) centre, and spots are already filling fast.

Mamma Bear Childcare began in Tauranga 15 years ago, and has now branched out across the country.

Founder Sam Paradise said she had no business experience and no money when she started out.

“I did have two kids though, so I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’ Famous last words.”

Initially, she just wanted to be the cook and the cleaner, and to have more qualified staff run the Tauranga centre.

“When I stepped up to be the manager, I realised this was something I was okay at,” Paradise said.

“I managed to fill that centre, and everything just grew from there.”

The new Mamma Bear facility is a converted hilltop villa on Koromiko Road in Gonville.

“I spent two years trying to find somewhere, looking through the paper and on Trade Me, and travelling around the place,” Paradise said.

“In the end, I went onto Google Maps with a number in my head - 1770 square metres.”

Three properties came up, with the Koromiko Road site being one of them.

Paradise eventually met the owners, a couple that had lived there for 25 years, for a cup of tea.

They agreed to sell, and work began on the new centre.

The centre should be officially open by mid-March.

“I came down for the last month and worked 12-15 hour days to get it across the line,” Paradise said.

“With the help of a lot of good people, we got it done.”

She said the first centre in Tauranga started out with high fees, but that had been a barrier for some families.

“As I adjusted to the industry and lived it a little, I realised my path was to provide affordable care without compromising quality.

“Turning away people because the fees were too much was just heartbreaking. I felt like I failed.”

Mamma Bear began offering 30 free hours per week for two to six-year-olds, a move that had since been replicated by other childcare operators, Paradise said.

The deal is available to families in Whanganui.

“Whanganui has been good to us, and now we are in the position to return the favour.

“We’re not really making any money, but we’re paying our way and paying our teachers. We can sustain ourselves.”

She said the Ministry of Education would conduct a site visit in the next couple of weeks, and she aimed to open the doors officially by mid-March.

In order to meet new Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand regulations, a custom-designed ventilation system had to be lowered into the roof via a crane.

“The building team at the Whanganui District Council has been amazing, and so have all the extra contractors who had to work over Christmas and New Year.

“People have worked through the night and compromised their sleep, and I will remember that forever. It was really special.”