Childcare options in Half Moon Bay

Saplings is a private, NZ-owned and operated East Auckland childcare centre located in Half Moon Bay Marina. We enjoy high teacher-to-child ratios, providing quality care and education in a modern, purpose-built centre including separate sleep rooms for babies and toddlers. Our amazing teaching team is over 85% fully qualified with early childhood teaching qualifications, and our competitive fees include nappies and plenty of healthy food.

Saplings Early Learning promotes a culturally rich environment - our teachers incorporate the children and their parents and grandparents, our local community and their own knowledge into our learning programme.

Our high-quality learning programmes are based on the children’s interests, not ours. Older children decide on their own learning goals, and set the questions they want answered. Walk into any one our four rooms to see this in action, and the evidence of the children’s learning on our walls!

Transition to school success: we know the learning programme we have developed for our 4 year olds is successful by the positive feedback from our local schools. Our past families often drop by to share stories about their children’s achievements.

We are licensed for 33 children, (of which up to 8 can be under 2’s). We take children from 3 months to 5 years.

Our ratios are, for under 2’s 1:4, and for over 2’s 4:25, which is more generous than the legal minimum requirement. At Frog Puddles we are proud to have 80% qualified teachers, plus additional staff, that are not legally required which enable our teachers to offer a higher qualify of care and education for your children.

We have an Under Two room and an Over Two room with teachers who specialise in these age groups.

We have 2 separate outdoor play areas. One which is specifically designed for the under 2 children. It consists of a wooden playhouse, slides, ride in cars, swings and a wonderful sandpit. The entire play area is covered in rubber matting and has great shade cover. Our over two outside area has a lovely big sandpit, a fort with firemans pole, swings and a range of other equipment which is offered to the children. This area is also covered in rubber safety matting and has plenty of shade cover.

Our centre, Rakiura Rugrats, embraces the unique and special opportunities of Rakiura, our Island paradise and playground.  The natural landscape and local community are Te Puka, the anchor stone for the learning of Nga Tamariki.  

We are committed to providing an emergent, bicultural curriculum in an environment that empowers children to contribute to their own learning based on Te Whariki.  

Our philosophy at Rakiura Rugrats aims to provide nurturing, high quality early childhood education for Stewart Island children.  Tamariki are viewed and treated as capable, competent, and valued members of our learning community, child-initiated and play based experiences are reflected through our centre values.  We support children to guide their own learning through observing, problem solving, and exploring the environment at their own pace.  

We support our Tamariki to be Kaitiaki, guardians, of Papatuanuku.  Rugrats provides opportunities for free range learning in untouched, natural environment of Rakiura.  Tamariki explore Mother Nature through Bush School, nature walks, and local beach excursions.  We utilise the local knowledge of our community and encourage reciprocal relationships to promote children’s connection with Tane Mahuta, Tangaroa, and all of their Tamariki.  

Our teaching philosophy aims to enhance and foster exploration and learning through working alongside Nga Tamariki.  Language, literacy, numeracy, and ideas around sustainability are integrated into our curriculum through teachable moments. 

The teaching staff aim to create an environment that is nurturing, warm, and stimulating.  Nga Kaiako view the environment as the third teacher and work hard to ensure that it is enriching, inclusive, and encourages a sense of wonder.  We are passionate about children respecting and valuing each other, themselves, and the world around them.  Our centre ensures ongoing support for teaching staff through professional development, and a strong connection with the Halfmoon Bay School teachers, and other southland practices. 

We are a community based early childhood education centre that is managed by a volunteer committee of dedicated parents who take shared responsibility in running the Centre.  All families are actively involved in the parent help rosters, working bees, and fundraising to ensure the ongoing viability.  
We are proud to live on Stewart Island, Rakiura in such a strong, resilient, and resourceful community and wish to pass on these values through our teaching, community involvement, and whanau.