Kauri Kids East Coast Bays

THIS CENTRE CLOSED on 15th December 2023 

We're a small centre nestled in the heart of Browns Bay that looks after the full and part-time early childhood education needs of the local community.

As part of the East Coast Bays Leisure Centre, we offer preschool gym classes and daily walks to explore the community green, as well as visits to the local library.

Why choose Kauri Kids?

At Kauri Kids, we believe that with the right nurturing all tamariki can be as mighty as the kauri tree. Our goal is to enable our tamariki and their whānau to develop the skills they need to reach their potential and live a healthy and prosperous life. Kauri Kids' vision and values:

Our commitment to sustainability.

We empower tamariki to care for the environment so they can become kaitiaki (custodians), use resources wisely, and take an active role in fighting climate change. Each centre has its own environmental initiatives. These could include:

• using cloth wipes and nappies instead of disposables
• wet bags instead of plastic bags
• worm farming and composting food scraps
• collecting and repurposing bread tags
• recycling yoghurt pots and baby food plastic pouches
• a shared vegetable and herb garden.

The power of free play

We're strong believers in the power of free play and play-based learning. That's why you won't see many 'typical' toys or structured activities when you walk into our spaces. We set tamariki up with real, everyday objects and natural play materials, and leave it up to them to choose what interests them. We help them to develop their imaginations and explore the environment around them. Children love moving and being physically active is an important part of everyday life. With this in mind, we actively encourage children to move freely on their own, as their capabilities and development allow. Tamariki are also given daily opportunities to practice climbing, balancing, kicking, throwing and jumping.

Nurturing relationships

We value respectful relationships. At our centres, our kaiako (teachers) recognise and respond to tamariki as individuals. We value their mana (self-esteem) and their sense of belonging. Kaiako also encourage tuākana / teina (older person/younger person) relationships. We teach social skills by supporting and guiding tamariki in their learning. We encourage them to be resilient, take risks, understand and express their emotions.

Creating global citizens

In order to succeed in our rapidly changing, and increasingly interconnected world, we teach our tamariki to become global citizens. Global citizenship is the idea that everyone, no matter where they live, is part of a worldwide community and they should respect other cultures and the environment and contribute to wider society. Our curriculum helps tamariki develop essential skills that will support their lifelong learning and promote respect for diversity such as:

• problem-solving,
• communication,
• collaboration and
• cross-cultural awareness.

Our prices

We offer a minimum of 20 hours free early childhood education for children aged over 3 years, with a minimum of 2 days per week.
We also offer 30 hours free early childhood education for children aged over 3 years, for 6 hours per day/5 days per week (additional hours are charged at an hourly rate)

Under two years old      $7.70 per hour

Two to three years         $7.20 per hour

Over three years            $7.20 per hour for every additional hour over 20 and 30 hours free EC