Location: 7 Northside Drive, Whenuapai, AKL
Hours of Operation: 7.00am – 6.00pm weekdays
All meals are provided for children, except formula.
All nappies are provided for children under the age of 3.5 years.
Weeks of operation: 52 weeks of the year
Recognition of Each Individual Child
A Balance of Education, Play & Care
Children love to discover through fun, play and interaction. We nurture the children to love learning through stimulating and fun experiences.
We view play as a fundamental part of a child’s development. In this aspect, part of our philosophy is based on Friedrich Fröbel, the inventor of Kindergarten in 1940. Fröbel advocated the importance of free play in childhood, and designed activities and equipment to be given to a child as part of their self directed activity.
Our programme aims to provide a children’s garden – a social experience for children in their transition from home to school where they will be taken care of and nourished like precious plants in a garden.
Early education is one of the most important and formative times in a child’s life. From birth to age 5 children are exposed to a lot of new information and situations. Since these years form an important aspect of a child’s personality and impression of the world, our early childhood education service asserts that both care and education should be a part of a young child’s experience. Incorporating educational and social learning situations into a child’s life at this stage means reaching them at a time when their minds are open to learning, which prepares them for life, productivity and school.
Curriculum Principles and Strands
Our curriculum is based on Te Whaariki – the New Zealand Early Childhood Education Curriculum.
As we set out to educate and care for each child, our curriculum provides infants, toddlers and young children with wonderful experiences that focus on the following principles:
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Empowerment. Our early childhood curriculum empowers the child to learn and grow
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Holistic Development. Our early childhood curriculum reflects the holistic way children learn and grow
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Family and Community. The wider world of family and community is an integral part of early childhood curriculum
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Relationships. Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things
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Through the guidance of qualified and experience educators, these principles are woven into place with the following strands:
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Well-being. The health and well-being of the child are protected and nurtured
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Belonging. Children and their families feel a sense of belonging
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Contribution. Opportunities for learning are equitable and each child’s contribution is valued.
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Communication. The languages and symbols of children’s own and other cultures are promoted and protected
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Exploration. The child learns through active exploration of the environment
Learning Groups
Infants (3 - 12 months + 12 - 24months)
Our goal for this age grouping is to nurture independence in a completely supervised environment through lots of love and attention. We have two spaces for our infants; one dedicated to care for younger infants who are not yet walking, and the other for our older babies who are a bit more independent. We nurture dependent babies and infants to discover a new and exciting world.
It is important that babies receive our 100% attention and therefore our staff to child ratios at this level are higher than the required standard of 1:5. There will always be a calm and peaceful environment in this area, where teachers will carry out their duties in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. We endeavour to work in close partnerships with parents, as we care for their babies.
Toddlers (24 months-3.5 years)
Our goal for this age grouping is to extend independence and develop skills that encourage and support toddlers to communicate and develop social competence. Teachers are patient as they care for and encourage toddlers as they encounter challenges and sometimes frustrations relating to fast developing minds and bodies.
Young Children (3.5 years-5 years)
Our goal for Preschoolers is to support independence, develop individual potential and encourage social competence at a higher level in preparation for Year 1 at school. This is achieved through a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities that vary from day to day. Whilst we provide lots of opportunities for children to develop intellectually, socially, attitudinally, spiritually, and physically – we ensure a fun environment.
A holistic approach allows for learning opportunities to occur naturally for each child in every activity and development is focused around individual interests.
Cultural Awareness
We provide an environment where culture is valued and people will not feel out of place no matter what culture they belong to. Our curriculum promotes respect for other cultures, and values Maori as an official language of New Zealand. We aim to assist children to become culturally aware, and learn how to respect, tolerate and celebrate the diverse cultures in New Zealand.
We celebrate some important calendar events such as Easter and Christmas. In celebrating cultural diversity, we also acknowledge other important celebrations such as the Chinese New Year, Independence Days, Matariki, Hanukah, St Patrick’s Day, Waitangi Day, and others where appropriate.
Creativity & Assessment
We believe each child has a creative side and therefore provide lots of opportunities for children to develop creative talents and potential in every aspect of their development.
Each child’s development is monitored closely and collected in a variety of ways thorough assessment strategies. A popular method is through a portfolio – this is put together by teachers and documents how each child learns over the year. Opportunities are provided for parent to meet with teachers to view and discuss their portfolios – we welcome any feedback from parents concerning their child’s learning.
Portfolio stories are also on our online portal through Educa, with parents permission.