Childcare options in Timaru

Kowhai Kindergarten is situated on the southern outskirts of Timaru, and families attend from town and rural settings. 

Teachers welcome families and children to become involved in the learning environment and support each child to express their ideas and feelings while developing new interests and understandings. We celebrate each child’s progress and achievement and the curiosity of childhood, within this social setting.   

We invite families to visit and spend time at Kowhai Kindergarten, observing children at work with their friends and teachers so you make an informed decision regarding your child’s early childhood education.

Ranui Kindergarten offers morning and all-day sessions from Monday to Friday.  

Ranui Kindergarten is an exciting educational place for children from 4 months of age where they get to experience a range of high-quality learning opportunities which are provided by 100% qualified and registered teachers.  

We look forward to spending time with you and your family during your child’s journey through kindergarten.  Hours:  Monday to Friday – 8.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday Under Twos - 8.30-12.30

Waimataitai Kindergarten is situated in a beautiful park setting on the edge of the Ashbury shopping centre and just five minutes from Timaru’s main business area.    

The outside area has lovely well-established trees that provide a shaded play area in the summer. The terraced grounds are well equipped and offer a safe and challenging environment. The split level kindergarten building provides an interesting inside environment for both group and individual activities.   

Teachers enjoy the help of a very supportive committee who ensure the kindergarten remains well resourced and maintained.  

A warm welcome is extended to all families.

West End Kindergarten is situated at West End Park in the suburb of Highfield and offers a well-established, stimulating environment.  

The kindergarten is well resourced and the teachers offer a programme that encourages children to become confident, independent learners, risk-takers, problem solvers, decision-makers and clever thinkers.    

We support children to develop a strong sense of self, valuing their uniqueness and abilities.  

Children, family/whanau and teachers work together and form a community of learners.

BestStart Marchwiel early learning centre is located between Marchwiel and Waimataitai and has a great team of experienced teachers, dedicated to providing quality care and education for children.

A Place To Soar

BestStart Marchwiel is for whanau who want more. We provide quality education and care in our home away from home setting for children three months to six years. BestStart Marchwiel is committed to maintaining the highest standard of care for you child during the nursery and preschool years with a focus on developing strong independence, confidence and self-esteem. We offer two established classrooms where children are able to engage and challenge themselves in age appropriate environments and be active contributors to decision making in their space.

We're located in the heart of Marchwiel, Timaru and offer a warm environment where whanau and community are welcomed and encouraged to be part of our learning. We believe children learn best when they are secure in their surroundings and strive to provide a safe and engaging space where children are able to celebrate their own way of thinking and learning.

With place-based learning at the heart of our curriculum, we celebrate our surroundings and work together to ensure the success of our children and whanau. Through our community gardens and interactions with local services we collaborate to create lasting change within our community and children have the opportunity to learn the value of giving back and paying it forward. This learning is solidified through regular excursions out into our neighbourhood, whether it be dropping off produce to those close by or spending time with residents at Elloughton Gardens.

The team at BestStart Marchwiel pride themselves on providing an environment where children’s social and emotional competence are at the forefront. This paves the way for future success and with three primary schools close by.  BestStart Marchwiel provides knowledge and support around children’s transitions to school. We ensure our ‘Be School Ready’ initiative runs seamlessly throughout the day enriching interactions and preparing our children for the very best start to their formal learning journey.

Who is BestStart?

BestStart is for families who want more from early-childhood education. Safe, nurturing and educationally focused, we’re committed to growing caring people with curious minds.

Together we teach, learn and nurture.

Our vision is to work in partnership with families, whanau and communities to enable children to achieve their learning potential.

Ko tō mātou tirohanga hei mahi ngātahi i te taha o ngā whānau me ngā hāpori, kia āwhinatia ngā tamariki, kia tū pito mata ai rāatou, hei rangatira mō āpōpō.

We are committed to being a progressive and responsive leader in early-childhood education. We do this by enhancing our services, investing in our people, developing our support structure and continuously improving the educational outcomes and experiences of our children, families and the communities we serve.

Some facts:

• We’re licensed to educate and care for 15,000 full-time children daily.
• 18,000 families use BestStart services annually.
• We have over 270 centres nationwide located from Whangarei to Invercargill.
• Each centre is managed by a Centre Manager who is supported by a local Area Manager. This gives our centre teams ongoing quality training and support.
• Te Whāriki, the world-wide acclaimed national early childhood education curriculum, is used in all centres.
• We have over 4500 permanent teachers nationally. Over 90% of our permanent teaching staff are either fully qualified with a diploma or bachelor of teaching (ECE) or higher, or are in training. These figures are very high by national standards within the ECE sector.
• We provide a two-year Advice and Guidance Programme for all recently certified teachers, providing further mentoring and training. This gives strong support for teachers from provisional registration to full teacher registration with the NZ Teachers Council.
• We regularly spend around $4 million on teacher training per annum.

We’re for children

At our heart is our commitment and passion for children. Central to this belief is our focus on the holistic development of children. We support children to explore the world around them, learning through relationships, creating a love of learning in an ever-changing world. Exploration, friendship and fun are part of the journey.

We’re for good

BestStart is a registered charity owned by the Wright Family Foundation. We support initiatives and programmes within BestStart and the wider early-childhood education sector (ECE) that support good outcomes for all children. We do this because we want to make a positive difference to the lives of all children.

Innovation leads us

At BestStart, innovation guides our thinking. We advocate positive change for learners through our research and practice. We’re proud to be thought leaders within ECE, openly challenging ourselves to think differently to provide the best for our children, families and staff.

We’re responsive

Our centres reflect their children, staff and communities. We celebrate individuality, uniqueness and diversity, encouraging a spirit of empathy, understanding and collaboration. Through our responsive relationships and our curriculum, we support learners to choose their own path.

Our people matter

At BestStart people come first. When we grow and develop our people, everyone benefits. We strive for whakamana/empowerment, nurturing a culture of excellence with engaged, talented professionals. Their commitment, skill and passion light our way.

We are an independent community based Kindergarten with a long-standing reputation for providing quality early childhood education. Our aim is to work in partnership with you in nurturing and encouraging your child to develop a love of learning.

Licensed for thirty children and fifteen sessions a week, we welcome children from two and a half years of age and offer a programme of learning through play with both structured and free-play components to each session.

Our Philosophy

At Craighead Kindergarten we nurture and encourage one another as we grow a lifelong love of learning.

We nurture:

• mana atua – feeling and being safe
• a love of play and exploration
• manaakitanga – kindness and respect

We encourage:

• curiosity and confidence as learners
• self-awareness and self-worth
• whakaaro pākiki – critical and courageous thinking

We grow:

• whanaungatanga – relationships and teamwork
• an appreciation of diversity
• kaitiakitanga – care and protection

Kotahi te kākano, he nui ngā hua o te rākau

A tree comes from one seed but bears many fruit

This whakataukī emphasises that in our commonality we are all different. At Craighead Kindergarten we celebrate those differences while maintaining our relationship with each other.

Garden Grove Montessori Preschool is for children aged 2–6 years.. The school is located at 20 Barnes Street, Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. 

The philosophical foundation of the Montessori approach is based on the understanding that learning is a process. In order to develop a child’s physical, intellectual and spiritual being to the fullest, children must have the freedom to develop in an environment that has been prepared and designed specifically for the purposes of achieving concentration, exploration and understanding.  This means that teachers observe children’s interests and extend their learning through their interests supported by the Montessori philosophy. 

Teachers at Garden Grove Montessori Preschool promote the respect for children, adults and the  environment. The philosophy promotes a supportive community where children look after one another. Teachers promote gentle and caring interactions.  Children are supported to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Teachers are committed to supporting parents and families to promote children’s co-operative learning. Teachers encourage children to attend regularly so that they get to know the teachers, so that children begin to form strong friendships with one another and that they establish a sense of belonging.    

Garden Grove opened in 1998 and provided South Canterbury with it’s first Montessori school. It is set up in a lovely garden environment in a spacious outdoor area. The attractive classroom area has child sized furniture and equipment. Specially designed Montessori materials have been imported from overseas. Real life tasks and academic materials promotes children’s interest in reading, mathematics, science, botany, biology, geography and history.  

Individual work with Montessori materials is supplemented with group music, art and outdoor play. Visitors and trips to local events link the children with the local community. 

Garden Grove have highly trained early childhood and Montessori teachers.

At Gleniti Playcentre:
-We believe in parents as first (and best) teachers.
-We believe play based learning is the best way for children to learn.
-We work together to build on the things your child is already learning at home, following Te Whāriki (the early childhood curriculum).
-Our high adult to child ratio allows us to do many activities that wouldn’t be possible in other early childhood centres.
-We believe in child-initiated play. Parent helpers set out activities based on a child’s interests, but the child is free to choose what they would like to do.
-Parents and children make lifelong friendships.

Children attend with a parent/caregiver until they are old enough to start doing solo sessions.
We cater for children from birth to 6 years old, with the younger children learning alongside the older children.

Parenting is hard, people are searching everywhere for this “village” that’s needed to raise a child. Come and find it at Playcentre!