Glen Eden West Kindergarten

At Glen Eden West Kindergarten we foster a strong sense of belonging in all our children. It’s an inclusive and caring environment with teachers who support children to learn and develop skills in communication, literacy, mathematics, science, technology and other areas. This comes through directed and independent play as well as teaching which is adapted to the individual needs of each little person. The transition to school is also a focus for our centre, and we aim to make the next step as smooth as possible. We are closely tied in with the neighbouring primary school.

We follow the Te Whāriki teaching philosophy, an official New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum. This is based around five principles of learning: wellbeing (mana atua) belonging (mana whenua), contribution (mana tangata), communication (mana reo) and exploration (mana aoturoa). Each of these principles is, we believe, important in growing confident young learners.

The centre has recently been renovated to provide a modern setting for a top quality early childhood education in Glen Eden West.

There are many ways that our centre differs from the many other Glen Eden childcare options. Our kindergarten in Glen Eden is part of the Auckland Kindergarten Association, a longstanding organisation that has shaped the early education of many Kiwis. Kindergartens are family focused and community-based, ensuring that learners feel a sense of belonging in the wider world and encouraging whanau to be an integral part of their child’s learning.

Kindergartens also have strong links with local schools, and a focus on ensuring that children handle the transition well. Our centre will help to grow and prepare your child for life not just at preschool age, but into the years beyond.

Our learning philosophy

For the past 110 years, the Auckland Kindergarten Association has been igniting young minds by encouraging them to explore their imaginations through play. For many of us, kindergarten was where we began our life of learning; it was where we started learning skills like sharing, tolerance, patience, respect and self-confidence.

We view children as capable, competent, life-long learners, and our philosophy encourages children to make their own learning choices, problem-solve and observe and explore at their own pace…with support from teachers, parents, wider whānau and their peers. We value the importance of child-initiated, play-based experiences. Our kindergarten teachers nurture your children’s interests and natural curiosity by working alongside them, expanding language and introducing mathematical and science concepts, as well as literacy, digital technology and sustainable practices.

Our centres have gardens and natural outdoor spaces where children can create, explore, be imaginative and expressive. There’s plenty of room to safely run about, being imaginative and physically active. In fact, the natural world is essential to free-range play. AKA encourages each kindergarten community to explore and enrich their diversity and uniqueness. Some have regular excursions into the local community; some are Enviroschool kindergartens that live and breathe sustainable practices; while others engage in long-term research on child interest-based programmes of learning.

As an organisation, we formally acknowledge the dual heritage of Aotearoa / New Zealand, and work to uphold the spirit and intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in each kindergarten. We are accessible, secular and welcoming to the wide diversity of tamariki and whānau who attend our centres, and value ongoing partnerships between teaching teams and leadership staff with families and whānau. We value ongoing learning for teachers, parents and whānau, and the sharing of knowledge, skills and attributes is fundamental to achieving the best learning outcomes for children. Teachers and staff can access collegial professional time to ensure that quality practice is enhanced so current theories of learning and development within New Zealand’s world-class Te Whāriki early childhood curriculum are shared and understood.

Children learn

Children in our kindergartens have the opportunity to:

• Feel confident, develop responsibility and a sense of independence
• Play meaningfully alongside other children and adults
• Develop effective communication skills
• Persevere, problem-solve and take risks
• Explore limits, boundaries, routines and conflict resolution strategies
• Practice fine motor skills such as threading, writing, cutting and grasping
• Develop gross motor play such as physical games like climbing, throwing, kicking, balancing and lifting
• Develop creative expressions through painting, music, collage, movement, dance, finger-painting, drawing, cutting, pasting and story sharing
• Develop early numeracy, literacy and science skills
• Learn techniques through trial and error
• Explore the world through experimenting, questioning and curiosity
• Develop confidence and celebrate both attempts and successes
• Develop a passion for learning and a love of life
• Have fun!

Older children will be supported in their transition to school to make this process as simple and seamless as possible. Book a visit here on Kindello today, we’d love to meet you.