Childcare options in Atiamuri

Atiamuri Playcentre is located next to Upper Atiamuri School on State Highway 30. Playcentre offers a unique opportunity for parents/caregivers to learn and play alongside their children!

Our purpose is to provide isolated rural families in Atiamuri access to quality early childhood education. Atiamuri Playcentre is a fun, friendly and supportive place to meet other families in the community.

So…if you have pre-school children why not come along and give Playcentre a go.

Our Philosophy

We see Country Kidz as a community hub situated in a vast rural area. Our place is a welcoming home for everyone in our community to connect.

We are committed to developing respectful relationships, valuing open communication and promoting inclusiveness in all that we do.

We believe in the unique place of Maori as tangata whenua. We support children and whanau to develop strong identities in the journey towards shared cultural understandings.  We do this by learning  Te Reo and becoming increasingly familiar with tikanga.

Our rural setting enhances children’s holistic development where we value Papatuanuku as an important teacher.  In nature herself the possibilities to learn and grow have no limits.  We use the forest, bush, farmland and marae in our wider community.  The weather at Country Kidz is never a barrier for children to explore freely.

We see play as learning; it is a way of finding out and a way of building understanding.  Children learn best by doing. Children are respected, they are heard and time to learn is unhurried.

Children are the directors and initiators of our learning program.  We listen to and observe children to provide an environment that reflects their strengths and interests.  Core curriculum components- literacy, numeracy, science and the arts are interwoven throughout their free play.

Providing quality education and care is at the heart of what we do here.  We support children to explore and play freely, which fosters the foundation of a life-long learner and leader.

4 YEAR OLD PROGRAMME      

Country Kidz is excited to launch their new 4 year old programme, called Nature Kidz. This programme has been designed by the teachers for the 4 year olds. They have designed this programme around the skills and values we believe are important as our children become school ready. It is about empowering our children to direct their learning and follow their interests in an environment that can grow their confidence, resilence, perseverance and responsibilities. 

At Country Kidz we believe children should have the opportunity to connect with nature where "the possibilities to learn and grow have no limits".