Bear Park Herne Bay is an early childcare centre in a bungalow on the corner of Shelly Beach Road and Tweed Street, Herne Bay, a few minutes' walk from Ponsonby Primary School. The old house has a purpose-built extension that lets natural light into the learning spaces. The centre cares for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, with infants in the Fantail room and toddlers in the Kakapo room. The infants and toddlers share an outdoor garden and natural play area, separated from the older children by a low fence, so the younger children can see and join in with their bigger and smaller peers. Indoor and outdoor classrooms are set up for imaginative, creative and scientific play, and the preschoolers have a multi-layered learning space. The front of the property has a sustainable garden built as a calm place for families.
Parents write about a smooth transition into the centre and about the daily StoryPark posts and photos, which keep them in touch with their child's day. They praise the teachers and the warm, supportive environment. The centre works in small learning groups, and it says it puts children's self-worth and wellbeing at the centre of its work. For a Herne Bay or Ponsonby family, the centre is a local option close to the primary school.