History & Identity

The Bright Buttons story, philosophy, mission and values.

The Bright Buttons Story

Ingrid Green is a qualified Educational Psychologist with a Masters degree in Psychology. Bright Buttons was born in her home as a Mother and Child programme in 2009. With her three older children at school, she wanted to do something with her fourth child. She started developing a programme for children aged 2-6 years old while living in Ireland. She also brought back suitable age appropriate equipment from Ireland. Using her Neuropsychology and Developmental Psychology, she developed an approach to learning that is unique and fun, and which she used with her own four children. It is through play and having fun that children are able to learn. No learning will take place unless a child feels safe, secure, loved and happy. This is why Bright Buttons looks at the whole child including personality and character, and aims to develop the whole child – the physical, emotional, social and intellectual. The starting point for every child is giving lots of love and attention. Class sizes are intentionally small so that quality individual attention can be given to each child.

Once the Mother and Toddler groups were established, requests to start a school were made by the parents from the groups, as they wanted their children to continue in the programme in which they were thriving. As a result, Bright Buttons Preschool was born in July 2010 with five children from the Bright Buttons Mother and Toddler groups. In 2011 this grew to a full class. Every year from 2012 a new class was formed until there were five classes. This exponential growth was exciting. The decision was made in 2015 to buy a dedicated property to house the school, so in 2016 Bright Buttons moved into the neighbouring road where the school is currently located.

Here a sixth class was started, and Bright Buttons has grown and established itself as a fully-fledged preschool.

Ingrid currently has three children out of school and studying at university. Her fourth child is currently in high school. All four children have been awarded various scholarships to either private high schools and/or university. Ingrid taught all four children the love of learning from a very early age, and all four could read and do maths before they started school. Her love for teaching began with her own four children.

Founder, Principle and qualified Educational Psychologist Ingrid Green.

Philosophy & Mission

Bright Buttons is a Pre Primary School which fosters the development of the Christian values and principles in a loving and supportive environment.

Our Aims & Goals:

To teach children about God and show them His love.

To love and care for each child as an individual.

To stimulate each child beyond the expected norm.

To develop the whole child: spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically.

To have exceptional standards with regards to staff, programme and facilities.

We Value:

The way in which children are unique, and our curriculum supports this.

Tolerance, respect, kindness, responsibility, accountability, perseverance and hard work.

A working partnership with parents and families to support each other for the well-being of child.

Our environment, and aim through our curriculum to teach respect for our world and how we should care for it.

Those less fortunate than us, and aim to help them in any way we can.

Bright Buttons aims:

To love each child unconditionally and develop excellence (child).

To encourage teacher unity and professionalism (teacher).

To encourage parental involvement (parent).

To maintain school improvement of a high standard (school).

To reach out and serve the community (community).

What Sets Us Apart?

On-site educational psychologist
Small classes with 10-12 children in each class
With a max of 14 children in higher classes.
Gr R maximum 16 children with 2 teachers.
Each class has a teacher and an assistant
A high teacher:child ratio of 1:5 or 1:6
Loving passionate qualified teachers
Educated teacher assistants who love children
Innovative and inspiring learning programme
Teaching children beyond the expected norm

Our classes are arranged into age by colour,
we take kids from ages 12 months to 6 years.

Rainbow Group

1 – 2 years, taught by Nicolene Rollandi.

Yellow Group

2 – 3 years, taught by Shannon De Chalain.

Red Group

2-3 years, taught by Shayleen Rudd.

Blue Group

3-4 years, taught by Roxy Gorven.

Orange Group

3-4 years, taught by Danica Rudd.

Purple Group

4-5 years, taught by Kirsten Bold.

Green Group

4-5 years, taught by Ilana Liebenberg.

Grade R

5- 6 years, taught by Caitlin Sharp.

Attendance options

There is the option of sending a child 2 days, 3 days or 5 days per week.
The school terms generally follow the private and the government school terms.

What Our Parents are Saying

Bright Buttons was a gift for our girls

"We sent both our girls to Bright Buttons because we knew they would receive something that went far beyond teaching and playing. Under the guidance of Ingrid Green, the developer of Bright Buttons, our girls were inspired to learn more about themselves, and the world around them. They embraced a love for learning in an environment designed to foster their emotional, social, physical and cognitive development. Simply put….Bright Buttons was a gift for our girls."
Christy

A school with a passion

A school with a passion for teaching young minds in a nurturing and safe environment. I love the vast supply of educational toys, books and puzzles at the children’s fingertips.
Natalie

It has been an amazing chapter in our lives

Izzy has grown from strength to strength at Bright Buttons. She has loved her time in Green Group. Thank you for all your love, care and most of all your passion. It has been an amazing chapter in our lives being at Bright Buttons. We will cherish our memories.
Natalie

We can’t commend highly enough

When my husband and I were looking for a preschool, we wanted our children's first experience to be in a loving, caring and homely environment, where they receive professional care and feel safe. We found all these qualities at Bright Buttons. We can’t commend highly enough the team of teachers and assistants. They treat the children as if they were their own. There is so much thought that goes into the daily activities and both our children have blossomed in their time at Bright Buttons. I have been so impressed with what they have learnt and what they are capable of at such a young age. Thank you Bright Buttons team!
Hayley and Damon

Bright Buttons helped my anxious little girl blossom

Bright Buttons helped my anxious little girl blossom, launched her into the very exciting and fun world of learning through play, and ensured she always felt happy, loved and looked after! We loved being part of the Bright Buttons family and will always feel so grateful for the exceptional care and attention which was put into every single day. Our little girl took on Gr R with confidence and that little extra Bright Buttons polish!
Nicci

I could leave my son everyday with peace of mind

Our son spent three wonderful years at Bright Buttons. Ingrid, a psychologist, principal and teacher, along with her love for children, her passion for education and her team of teachers and assistants, makes Bright Buttons the special and unique place that it is. The children always come first and their psychological and physical welfare is always paramount. I could leave my son every day with peace of mind, knowing that he was utterly safe and loved. My son absolutely loved learning through play. Every theme is carefully planned and so much effort is put into creating wonderful learning moments. My son learned more about the world around him in one year at Bright Buttons than what he learned in three years at primary school. He developed an appreciation for music, poetry and languages and retains a love of books and reading from his rich and nurturing start to school life.
Rene

Our children developed a love for learning

We spent a very happy 5 years at this lovely, nurturing little school. Our children were so well cared for and loved by Ingrid and her wonderful teachers, and really enjoyed their days at Bright Buttons. They developed a love for learning and we were always amazed at what they had learnt. When they started in Gr R, we felt that they were so well prepared. We miss not being at Bright Buttons these days, but have lots of special memories of our time there.
Hayley and Dave

Every child is seen as unique

The dedicated staff provide the highest level of opportunities through their creative and interactive lessons as well as the extensive resources that are available. Every child is seen as unique and the children are genuinely loved. My little boy loves his days at Bright Buttons and I am most grateful to be a part of this family.
Caitlin

The school readiness is unrivalled

When we were looking for schools for our son in 2013, we visited 9 different ones.
Bright Buttons stood out for us, not because of the 4 year olds happily doing 100 piece puzzles or the Grade RR’s being able to read, but because whilst we were being shown around Ingrid had one child on her hip and another holding her hand tagging along. There was such genuine love and affection which was the most important thing for us as parents of a toddler.
The school readiness is unrivaled in our opinion and we see the benefits of it with our children currently in Junior Primary.
We spent 6 happy years at Bright Buttons and can’t sing this school's praises enough.
Alex and Cyndy Gordon

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send my child part-time?

Yes! Your child can come part-time, either 2 days or 3 days a week.

Does my child need to be potty trained to attend Bright Buttons?

No. We follow the child and when the child is ready, and together with the parents we will potty-train the child.

Are all your classes small?

Yes we believe in giving children individual attention and that is not possible with big class sizes of 18 to 20 kids so we restrict it between 10 – 14 kids per class, depending on the age group. . We can do so much more with each child when the classes are small and they love all the attention.

Do you offer aftercare until 5pm?

Yes, we do offer aftercare until 5pm.

Are the Aftercare fees included in the school fees?

No, aftercare fees are not included in the school fees.

Contact Us Today

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(031) 765 2532

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info@brightbuttons.co.za

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7 Leinster Place, Gillitts, 3625