Welcome to Weka Pre-School, where Learning and Discovery come's Alive.... offering quality Childcare in Winton, Southland.

Weka's Uniqueness ....

​Weka is a privately owned, managed, one off environment established in two beautiful villa's side by side. 
​Within the villas' is homely furnishings, natural resources, hidden treasures, cosy nooks, and an abundance of discovery opportunities within each learning lounge. Each Villa has learning lounge's inside and outside designed to cater for age appropriate learning, allowing children to learn at their own pace.
At Weka each child and their whanau's emotional happiness and security is paramount. We are committed to maintaining a peaceful and unhurried environment where children can foster a wonderful understanding and value for relationships, nga hononga, with kaiako, with tamariki and with the community.

Working together Step by Step....

Choosing the right early childhood centre for your family and whanau is a huge decision, this could even be recognised as one of the most important choices you will make for your child and your family/whanau.
At Weka we have an open door policy allowing you to make that connection before committing to enrolment.  The value put on connecting with the environment and feeling a sense of belonging the moment you walk in the door should be felt as a place you could belong too and could in-trust one of the most important humans in your life - your child.  We view your trust in us as a gift, a gift of trust, respect and value in the education and care we will provide for you all.

Bringing the wonder of learning to life....

The simple joy found in a spider web, puddle, rock or a stick always amazes us. The children at Weka play in nature every day. 
They also learn everyday.  They learn to be confident. They learn to cooperate. They learn to be curious and they learn to communicate. 
These are foundational skills.  We believe that for a young child, play is important work! Nature allows children to investigate and be creative in their play in a complex manner that also invites them to problem solve and strengthen foundational life skills.

Nature is a gift to us all, we are honoured to have such a beautiful and bountiful gift surrounding us.  We hope to honor our children by instilling in them a love of nature, and a peace within themselves that they may connect with later in life because of their early experiences.

Winton Kindergarten provides a Reggio Emilia inspired programme, with focus areas being whanaungatangata/relationships, the arts and the natural environment as a stimulus for creativity. 

Children are immersed in a culture where the ability to wonder, be inquisitive and eager to learn is fostered, with a willingness to ask and respond to questions. 

Our children are involved in both short and long term projects where they learn and discover aspects of the world around them.

 We provide a Nurtured by Nature programme which sees children visit Ivy Russell Reserve each Tuesday to explore and learn about our natural environment. 

We value connections with whanau in our rural and urban community and are lucky to have a very strong and supportive parent group. 

We also have responsive links with our twelve local primary schools, providing strong pathways for children to transition to school.

Why Choose Us

Individualised learning programme

At Blue Duck, each child has an individual development plan created which is based on their specific needs, their interests and dispositions. They are also involved in group project work which is based on the age groups collective interests. The plans are updated every few months to meet the changing needs and level that your child is at.

Purpose-built, new centre

Our centre has beautiful indoor spaces and outdoor play areas that meet the developmental needs of the children. Three separate rooms focus on providing quality infant care, toddler transitioning and a preschool programme. Our Indoor and Outdoor space well exceeds the Ministry of Education’s requirement of space per child.

Flexible and affordable options for parents

Our fees are affordable and give you choice, we have a flexible holiday and sickness policy and we are open on school holidays and through to 6 pm, We also offer a true and transparent 20 Hours free for 3 and 4 years.

Exciting outdoor programme

Our programme is devised so it stimulates the children’s imagination and their sense of fun and adventure, while also developing emerging critical skills like navigating obstacles and problem-solving. We want them to be able to engage with their curiosity, make connections and learn.

Fabulous home cooked meals

Meals are prepared fresh each day by our wonderful cook. We follow a nutritious menu that includes all food types with each day introducing different tastes and textures for our youngsters. Each day our children are provided with lots of fresh fruit and a range of vegetarian and meat-based lunches. If your child has special eating needs, come and talk to us and we can create a menu to suit.