Happy Kids Parrs Park Early Learning Centre

Brand new early learning centre catering for children from 0 to 5 years old.

Modern and state-of-the-art architectural design, dedicated and experienced teaching staff, high quality early childhood education with affordable fees.

Our philosophy

We aim to nurture and encourage each child’s thirst for knowledge by providing an exciting environment where they can explore and develop their interests.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is encompassed in our philosophy. Teachers, children and their families/whānau come from a variety of cultural backgrounds with a variety of languages spoken at home. As teachers, we respect and value our children's unique family culture and language through the spoken word and our daily routines (karakia, waiata and music); our environment (materials for displays, dress-ups, instruments and natural resources); and our curriculum planning. We are constantly working and reflecting on this through our training.

Our rooms

In our 0-2 room we are largely inspired by the principles of Magda Gerber’s Educaring® approach/RIE and Pikler and operate under the guidelines of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum - Te Whāriki.

The principles of Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach/RIE and the Pikler philosophy are that the focus is on the child.

Happy kids values the importance of relationships and builds on respectful interactions between children and educators. The focus of Te Whāriki is also on the child and how we value the different relationships children can learn from as they grow and develop.

Together Te Whāriki, Pikler and Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach/RIE create a curriculum with an emphasis on education and care.

The over two’s while still being inspired by the RIE and Pikler approach, will also be practicing some of the Reggio philosophy. It allows young children the chance to participate in decisions regarding their own education, places an emphasis upon self-expression, cooperation within the community, creativity, and a respect for the natural world. Our environmental approach to integrating subject matter into the curriculum aides in a true understanding and teaches children respect for our earth. 

As a result, the Reggio Emilia approach provides the following values:

• Reinforces critical thinking and true comprehension so that the children actually understand what they are learning, and can apply it to the real world.
• Children learn best through hands on approach, therefore, it enables children to explore their environment and express themselves through movement, drawing, painting, reading, writing, building, sculpting, shadow play, collage, drama play, and music among many other communicative and cognitive means.
• Children are not rushed from one activity to the next, instead encouraged to repeat key experiences, delve further into subject matter, continue multiple observations, consider and reconsider, represent and re-represent.
• Allows for a more gradual pace and more comprehensive approach enabling children to remember what they learn and form a firm knowledge base that facilitates learning in later schooling.
• Ensures students work at their appropriate developmental levels which:
• Increases pace of learning
• Decreases frustration
• Promotes higher level thinking that is essential to mastering mandated core curriculum standards.
• Motivates children’s interests and involvement.
• Facilitates the delivery of a well-balanced curriculum, which prepares students for higher levels of education