Whitford Early Learning Centre

Here at Whitford Early Learning Centre we firmly believe that care and education go hand in hand and we strive to continually provide the right balance of care and learning experiences for the different ages, stages, and needs of your child.

Our Centre has been carefully set up with this in mind with our well thought out curriculum, experienced team, and four well-designed age-appropriate rooms all on-site. Each room is organised to provide the appropriate level of education and care to suit the age and needs of your child.

• Fantail Room – 3 months to 18 months
• Tui Room – 18 months to 2.5 years
• Pukeko Room – 2.5  to 3.5  years
• Kindy – 3  to 5 years

Age ranges are a guide, children are transitioned to their next room as they show readiness, for some this is sooner, others later.

“There’s a clear focus on what would most benefit the children including attractive, age-appropriate settings...” - Education Review Office, November 2012

We pride ourselves on our well-structured transition programme to support your child and your family through the process of transition, right from when you first come to our Centre,  within the centre, and finally off to school.

Parents are also encouraged to be fully involved with this transition process, visiting the next room with their child, meeting the new teachers and also familiarising themselves with any new routines and the environment.

“Systems for ensuring seamless transition within the centre have helped strengthen relationships and supportive sharing” - Education Review Office, November 2012

Outside, as well as the spacious playgrounds, there are petanque and picnic areas and supervised swimming pool facilities. Along with the meadow, there are also hills to climb and our wonderful farm animals. Whitford’s Alpaca’s Pacman, Chico, Alfonso, and Albert are much loved by all the children.

Fantail Room:

Many of our children start their journey at Whitford Early Learning Centre as a Fantail. This is our under 2’s Centre for children aged from 3 months up to 18 months.

Tui Room:  

Our adventurous Tuis, from 18 months to 2.5 years, enjoy stimulating art activities, play facilities, and learning games in a fabulous indoor-outdoor environment that supports both their cognitive development and all the social skills they are going to need through life.

Pukeko Room: 

The 2.5 to 3.5-year-old children form the Pukeko group.  Together they explore our outdoor classroom and bring what they learn back into the classroom which is reflected in their art and play.

The covered and uncovered play areas provide opportunities for workshop and adventure play.

Kiwi Room:

From three years to school age, the transition to school is made easy with the amount of learning that takes place in our Kindergarten.

The children enjoy lots of independent learning opportunities in a wide variety of activities including music and art, literacy, and numeracy skills. From approximately 4 and a half, the children take part in Kiwi explorer's extended learning programme, giving the children an extra boost just prior to going to school.