Childcare options in Te Awamutu

Learning Links Childcare Center is the leading childcare centre in TeAwamutu. At learning links we aim to build a strong and caring relationship with our families proving out parents the comfort that they seek. Our progressive learning philosophy is based on three important elements:

• Learning through play
• Keeping children emotionally healthy
• Educating children under a sustainable environment  
• We provide hygienic, high-quality, well-balanced meals to every toddler.
• Children can learn and play very comfortably around the vast indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Highly qualified and experienced team.
• Better than ministry of education guided ratios. 

We believe that Learning Links stands out from the rest through its commitment to three important educational priorities:

• Learning through play
• Keeping children emotionally healthy
• Educating with a sustainable environment focus.

Located at 81 Rewi Street just 140 metres from our Alexandra Street Centre you can expect the same amazing love and care from our team

Rewi Street will be a boutique size centre purely focused on providing amazing care for ages 0-2 years. All aspects of the centre design will be focussed on this age group.

Both Rewi Street and Alexandra Street work together under the same leadership ensuring that at all times the teachers know your child.

Creating Lifelong Learners

Tamariki natural curiosity is the foundation for exploration and growth. They explore to make sense of the world, develop and have fun. Tamariki start their lives by exploring the world around them. They learn through everything they see, touch, hear, smell, taste and do.

Through play, nga tamariki engage in active learning and exploration. They learn more about their interests and about the world. Most importantly, they learn how to adapt to a changing world. Play helps us remain creative and provokes our imagination.

Our People

Our team at Kids at Home is a dedicated team of individuals who have been chosen for their commitment to provide quality, educational in-home childcare. Kids at Home’s management team also consists of experienced Early childhood professionals and others who have worked within other roles in ECE for many years. We are proud of our positive workplace culture which can be felt as soon as you walk through our office doors!

Playgroups

Playgroup provides your child with a rich learning setting that encourages your child to build a foundation for future learning. Our groups provide your child with the opportunity to mix and make lifelong friends with other tamariki

Music Groups

Music groups provide your child the opportunity to participate in singing, dancing and experiment with musical instruments.

Music is an important part of any child care program. Listening to music, singing, playing musical instruments, and moving to music are all activities that support tamariki development.

Outings and Excursions

Visiting Teachers plan trips to events or places of interest in the community such as fire stations, the zoo, museum, parks etc. (Whanau and friends are welcome to attend).

High Standard of Care

Our Teachers and Educators pride themselves on the quality of care and education each child receives.

We do not limit ourselves to one teaching method or philosophy because we understand that your child is unique. We believe that each child has their own learning style and personality.

Kids at Home’s Visiting Teachers are fully qualified and certificated ECE Teachers with a current practicing certificate from the Teaching Council; our handpicked Teachers have many years of experience and expertise between them.

Kids at Home’s Visiting Teachers support Educators with regular visits and planning for education and development of tamariki.

We work hard to support the whole whanau by offering flexibility and a welcoming environment. We encourage children to grow and progress at their own pace, and be their own person. 

Our centre encourages learning and gives kids opportunities to develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

With a record of excellent ratings from the Education Review Office, and by keeping up to date with current research in early childhood education, we can provide the best start to your child's learning. 

We provide 

• Flexible hours (no minimum)
• High teacher to child ratios
• All meals, nappies and wipes 
• Free play and structure 
• Preparation for School programme
• Individual Learning portfolios 
• Primary caregivers for infants
• Regular trips for all children
• Support for children with special needs & allergies

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa provides high-quality early childhood education and care to children of students, staff and communities.

Each of our Whare Kōhungahunga (early learning centres):

• has a high proportion of qualified and registered early childhood teachers (at least 80 percent of staff).
• provides a learning environment embedded in Te Whāriki (the early childhood education curriculum).
• offers competitive and comparative fees.
• is registered with WINZ (for those who are eligible for a childcare subsidy)
• provides 20 hours of early childhood education (ECE) each week for children three to six years old.
• supplies healthy meals for all children at no extra cost.

We focus on providing a loving learning environment for our children aged 0-5. Our grounds are open plan and we have a wonderful playground with lots of different areas for the children to explore.

We hold our sessions in our purpose build building which is nestled between the community hall and Puahue Primary School.

We have close ties with the school which includes using some of their facilities and group school visits provide a smooth transition to beginning school. Even some of the Teachers are ex playcentre mums!

We pride ourselves on providing a safe, supportive learning environment for all. Set in in the centre of a working dairy farm, animals and machinery provide our tamariki with a different show each session.

We are privileged to have a marvellous outdoors area, purpose build building, and a wide range of wonderful resources. And as a bonus, we provide many activities that most adults don’t want to have at home – playdough play, messy play, paint, clay, fingerpaint and more! Children are free to create, explore and follow their interests.

Come and join us for fun, interactive sessions with your pre-schoolers!

Situated in the heart of Te Awamutu, in a beautiful character house, on 309 Rutherford St (Off Bank St., opposite Young St.).

Our centre is dedicated to delivering an authentic, genuine Montessori programme.

‘The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence’ – Maria Montessori

We called our school Montessori Little Hands because of this quote. The hands are linked to brain development and the materials used within our school are manipulative, preparing the child for writing from day one. The early formative years are the important foundation for the child’s life and we take our role in this seriously. The child is a competent being not a blank slate. Character building and a love of learning are developed that will stay with the child through life. And it all begins with the little hands.

Tamariki are trusted to lead their own learning, to take risks and to follow their strengths and interests. 

We are regenerating a native bush environment in a section of our outdoor area. Learning experiences in the natural environment strengthen our relationship with Papatuanuku and develop our ecological identity. We encourage opportunities for exploration, thinking and developing working theories about the world around us. We welcome you to come and spend some time in our learning environment.

Te Awamutu Playcentre provides ECE for children aged 0-6 years. We offer 3 General Sessions open to all ages 9.30-12.00- Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays. And a big kid session for children age 3 and above on Wednesdays, 9.30-12.30. 

Families are welcome to come along to see “how Playcentre works” and can have up to 3 free visits.

Te Kōhanga Reo Puāwai o Te Awamutu is a centre-based kōhanga reo located in Te Awamutu and provides for up to 30 tamariki. Book a visit today to connect with our kōhanga reo and to learn more about the options for your whanau.

Te Kōhanga Reo

The kōhanga reo movement is a unique initiative based on total immersion in Māori language and values with the aim of passing on Māori culture to future generations.

Kōhanga reo emphasise the revitalisation of the culture through te reo Māori and are dependent on the active participation of the whole whānau. The kaupapa of kōhanga reo aims to strengthen whānau capabilities in cultural, social, economic, spiritual and political matters. Education, health and wellbeing are inherent within all aspects of the kaupapa. The prime focus is the whānau – its collective development, growth, accountability and wellbeing set within a Māori cultural context.

Kōhanga reo do not regard tamariki in isolation, but as important members of the whānau. The kōhanga reo philosophy is that tamariki will benefit when whānau successfully operate according to the kaupapa. Tamariki are an integral part of whānau development.

The following key goals are the foundation of te kōhanga reo kaupapa established in 1982:

• total immersion in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga in daily operations
• whānau decision-making, management and responsibility
• accountability
• health and wellbeing of mokopuna and whānau.

The key goals of te kōhanga reo assure that there will be:

• security in te reo Māori
• a supportive, caring environment for mokopuna
• whānau (collective) sharing of responsibilities, knowledge and expertise
• greater respect and appreciation of each other.

ABOUT THE BARNYARD:

The Barnyard is a purpose built 500 sqm Early Childhood Centre in a semi-rural setting. We are situated on a large 5000 sqm section at 504 Racecourse road, Te Awamutu. Our unique country setting means our children have the freedom to learn and grow a respect for the world around them. Daily activities involve the care and handling of animals, collecting our free-range eggs, growing fruit and vegetables, cooking and eating the produce we grow and feeding the food waste back to our animals. Through participating in these activities our children are learning about maintaining a sustainable environment as well as developing a greater understanding of their natural wider world.

Our large playground offers children plenty of room to play, explore, take risks, use their imagination and be at one with nature. Our forest area provides our children with another environment that they can freely explore at their own pace as they are able to direct their own learning in a natural setting. We have a large vegetable garden and orchard which is also where we have our very own fire pit which is used to roast marshmallows and cook sausages. Adjoining our playground is a large paddock which is home to our many chickens and season dependent a calf or lamb.

THE BARNYARD’S PHILOSOPHY:

All children at The Barnyard are valued as unique individuals who have their own needs, abilities and interests. Children are supported to grow as confident, competent learners and communicators, secure in their sense of belonging. Our teachers are committed to providing stimulating, inclusive learning opportunities that reflect the unique needs of each child. The Barnyard has a strong focus on nature, caring for animals and our environment. This helps the children better understand and appreciate the world around them. At The Barnyard we are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. Parents and whānau are actively encouraged to be involved, as our open door policy welcomes parents to visit at any time.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

The Barnyard Early Childhood Education Centre exists to provide a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for children. We are committed to providing stimulating early childhood care and an educational experience which promotes each child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Our goal is to support every child’s desire to be a lifelong learner.

We are a small centre who prides themselves on offering our community a home away from home.

We are licensed to educate and care for our precious tamariki from our community. Our tamariki can be aged from birth to 6 years if this is what your whanau requires.   We offer two learning spaces – Infant & Toddlers, for our up to toddler age group and Preschool. Movement between the two spaces is supported by our shared spaces and tuakan-teina philosophies.

Our experienced and culturally diverse kaiako are focused on building strong, loving relationships with our tamariki and connecting with Whanau, to provide the best learning and care outcomes for all akonga.

Philosophy & Mission

Little Rosebud’s Early Learning Centre is here to offer quality and affordable education to its diverse learning community, With aroha we provide a home for our tamariki, kaiako, whanau and community that welcomes and supports the uniqueness they each bring through the door,

Our experienced and multicultural kaiako empower our tamariki to learn with and alongside each other, through play, We value tuakana-teina as our community learns together.

We have two inviting learning environments, our babies to two year old Koru room, and our two to 5 year old Fern room.

Our aim is to offer children and their families a quality education programme firmly embedded within the bicultural and multicultural diversity of Aotearoa.

Our vision, values and philosophy

Vision

We have big hearts to grow little minds.

Values

Nurture, Culture, Identity, Love, Inclusion, Empathy, Community, Tuakana Teina, Respect, Trust, Whanaungatanga.

Philosophy

At Little Minds Early Learning Centre we believe in nurturing and inspiring little minds to reach their full potential, just as the koru unfurls into a silver fern.

We build a respectful community where all cultures and identities are embraced.

Through empowering our tamariki they will gain the ability to become confident and competent future citizens of Aotearoa.