Redwood Early Childhood Centre

OUR PHILOSOPHY

The Redwood Early Childhood Centre teachers and Management Committee are committed to providing quality care and education for children 0-5 years.

GROWING COMPETENT, CAPABLE, CONFIDENT LEARNERS AND COMMUNICATORS.

OUR AIM IS…

To provide a creative and stimulating environment which facilitates both individual and small group interests.

And to provide a curriculum which allows tamariki to make choices and participate at their own level.

To work towards providing experiences designed to help tamariki reach their full developmental potential, and to ensure their needs and rights are protected.

Our role as kaiako is to work in partnership with whānau to support and inspire tamariki to become confident and competent life long learners.

Rere atu, rere mai taku manu e, Rere ki tua, rere ki ko. Kia whetutangitia e.

Fly my bird, in every direction. Attain the countless stars.

As a community-based early childhood centre, management and kaiako believe in the importance of working collaboratively with parents and whānau in developing shared goals and expectations for both the tamariki and the operation of the centre.

Management and kaiako believe that for young children’s learning and development to be enhanced, there needs to be a strong focus on whanaungatanga; the fostering of warm, caring relationships within the centre and strong links between the centre, home and community.

Management have a commitment to employing early childhood qualified, experienced staff who are willing to be involved in ongoing professional development.

OUR NURSERY

• Primary Care-giving
• Small Group size of 10 maximum
• Great teacher ratio 1:3
• Close relationships between teachers and families
• Exceptional space indoors & outdoors’
• Qualified Teachers

Primary care giving is fostered in the nursery environment, this support infants and toddlers.

Providing primary care does not mean that that each child is involved ‘exclusively’ with one teacher but that at least one teacher will take primary responsibility to build reciprocal relationships with that child and tune into and respond to their needs in partnership. The aim is that each child develops a secure attachment relationship with a least one teacher whom they of all children

We work in partnership with families to ensure flexible routines based around the needs of individual children are the core of our programme.

OUR PRESCHOOL

• Devoted Kaiako – Fostering relationships
• Tamiti:Kaiako ratio 1:7
• Healthy eating promoted
• Edible Garden
• Qualified Kaiako
• Community outings
• Creative play environments

This area is licensed for a maximum of 30 tamariki with 4 kaiako plus a teacher support person who is extra during kai times etc.

Rolling kai is offered in the preschool within set times. By keeping the group size small during these times, an intimate social setting is created. Rolling kai means that when children are busily engaged in an experience they are not interrupted straight away but have an opportunity to be more independent.

“Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori

Respectful relationships – devoted kaiako, following principals from primary care giving support children and their families to develop a sense of belonging and well being, especially for those settling into the preschool.

Tamariki participate in a programme that encourages them to actively explore and develop their interests, abilities and understandings of the world. Both the indoor and outdoor environments are arranged so that tamariki can move freely from one area to the next and engage in individual or group play.Both indoors and outdoors incorporate areas such play dough, art and creativity, carpentry, sand play, waterplay. Learning is also extended out into the local community, with regular weekly trips to story time at the library, the park and the tennis courts.