Pukekohe Central Kindergarten

Pukekohe Central Kindergarten was established and opened in 1954. We have a long history of involvement within the Franklin Community, serving generations of local families.

We are a multicultural kindergarten where children and families from different backgrounds feel included and valued, and parents, whānau, and aiga feel welcome to spend time with their children. We are a diverse and passionate team of four qualified kaiako/teachers and a teacher aide.

We provide a stimulating and well-resourced environment that invites and encourages ākonga/children to explore, learn, grow and create beautiful memories. We have a fun and educational space where children can meet and make friends while exploring and experiencing new and exciting challenges. Our beautiful wall mural tells a powerful local Māori myth: Te Mauri o Pukekohekohe.

We have close relationships with local schools as our tamariki transition into the next step in their learning journey.

Learning through play

We believe children are competent, curious, full of potential, and capable of complex thinking. The 21st-century skills children need, such as creativity, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration, are a major focus. At this age, children need to learn how to learn.

We believe that play-based and inquiry-based learning challenge and engage children to make sense of the world. Play is used to maximise each child’s potential in literacy, numeracy, social, physical, and emotional development.

Children and kaiako are partners in learning. Kaiako act as researchers to understand children’s thinking and provoke their ideas. They listen and pose questions to encourage children to test theories, justify reasoning, and assist in developing plans.

The learning environment, as the third teacher, plays an integral role in sparking and inspiring wonder and curiosity. Learning opportunities are a response to children’s interests with intentional materials that promote deeper thinking skills.

Together, kaiako, parents, whānau/aiga, and children present learning journeys through documentation. Children will have many ways to discover, think, communicate, and learn.

Our curriculum emerges from the children’s interests and unfolds and changes each day. We acknowledge and support children’s interests, ideas, suggestions, discoveries, and questions, empowering them to drive their own learning. Our teaching strategies are to co-construct and use a play partner role, getting down on the children’s level, drawing out their interests and sharing in these interests, discoveries and learning alongside the children.

Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association

We are a community based not-for-profit organisation, proud to be providing quality and affordable early childhood education in the Franklin and Counties Manukau areas for over 70 years. Our kindergartens and early learning centres provide high-quality environments that reflect the local community. We are New Zealand owned and operated and provide more qualified staff, equipment, learning opportunities, ICT, excursions and large attractive educational environments.

Book a visit today, we look forward to meeting you soon!