Childcare options in Herne Bay

Herne Bay is a vibrant and thriving community surrounded by the sea and city. We love teaching our kids a little bit about their local area.

We believe that children learn and develop in an early childhood environment where the teacher has a respectful image of children as being competent and capable young people. The teachers’ role is a co-researcher and co- constructor in the learning process, which allows children to explore, question, reflect, problem solve, theorise and encourage self-expression.

Our programming is based on observing children on a regular basis, evaluating their needs and planning activities from these observations. Each child will be guided to develop at an individual pace according to his or her unique, individual way. Programmes are founded on the guiding principles of Te Whaariki the early childhood curriculum from the Ministry of Education, and ideas, practices and values from Reggio Emilia.

We seek to educate and entertain children with a custom programme that includes Tiny yoga, Tiny beats, Tiny chef, Tiny pets, and more.

We practice and preach multicultural and non-gendered behaviour. We believe that play is central to children’s development and provide opportunities for both structured and spontaneous activities. Play is a child’s unique way to learn about their world. We aim to provide opportunities for boys and girls to play freely regardless of any stereotype roles they may choose.

We endeavour to provide an atmosphere that is warm, accepting and welcoming to both children and their families.

Centre environment

Each of our centres provides cutting edge design, technology and playgrounds, allowing children to contribute to their own learning through the relationships they form and the experiences they have. The centres have been specifically created by a curated group of specialists. Our general manager, Sophie Taylor, brings extensive of knowledge and experience, having run over 20 childcare centres in New Zealand. Each centre has its own unique environment and theme that carries through the centre with signage, staff uniforms, furniture and more. Our gorgeous Jervois Road heritage schoolhouse has unbelievable character, with two classrooms, two playgrounds and handpicked equipment. The centre provides a stunning environment for children and teachers.

All the little bits you need to know

At Tiny Voices Early Learning Centre we believe that open communication with parents is extremely important, we operate an open door policy, where parents and family are welcome into the Centre at any time. Parents are invited to join Story Park to watch their children throughout the day on the activities their rooms are doing and be regularly kept up to date on what is happening at the Centre.

Our Centre Manager, along with Sophie our General Manger, bring extensive ECE knowledge and experience. Tiny Voices is open Monday to Friday from 7.00 am – 5.30 pm and is closed on public holidays.

Nutrition

At Tiny Voices we know the relationship between nutrition, health and learning is undeniably strong, with nutrition being one of the major factors that impact a child’s development. Nutrition in a child’s early years is linked to their health and academic performance in later years. Our children are provided 3 nutritious meals a day that have been designed by Jess Daniell from Jess’ Underground Kitchen.

Meals are on a two-week rotation with a fresh menu each season. A sample menu can be provided upon request.

Sustainability

At Tiny Voices we seek to avoid the depletion of natural resources, in order to maintain an ecological balance. Our centres all use recycled goods as part of the centre environment, along with sustainable suppliers/child labour free new goods. We have a big emphasis on recycling, repurposing goods and waste reduction and make sure our children are involved in the process.

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Herne Bay Playcentre

Playcentre is unlike any other early childhood education organisation. At Playcentre, both children and their parents / caregivers attend.

At Playcentre children get the opportunity to learn and explore in a fun and safe environment.

The curiosity and creativity of our tamariki is nurtured in a way that allows them to learn about themselves and their world.

Your child will be given a chance to explore, create, climb, read, sing, experiment, play music, wear costumes, have their face painted (or do it themselves!), garden, do carpentry with real tools, bake and cook, build sandcastles, swing, slide, dance, spend time in nature and get messy.

The activities change every day. Playcentre parents all bring different skills, interests, and cultural backgrounds to add to the rich learning environment.

We welcome families with children aged 0 – 6 years. Mixed age play allows your children to engage with others older and younger than themselves. Pre-schoolers learn how to communicate, share and negotiate with empathy for their younger peers.

At Playcentre, families come together and lifelong friendships are formed.

We welcome you to visit any time during the year. You are entitled to three free visits so come and check out what we do – we would love to meet you and your family!

Looking for top quality care for your little one?  Pascals Herne Bay has been delivering exceptional care and education to local infants, toddlers and preschoolers for nearly 20 years.

Pascals Herne Bay operates out of two historic buildings, nestled side by side on Jervois Road.

The Small House

Our Small House runs as a mixed age service and is particularly popular with our families who have more than one child attending the centre. Divided into three unique spaces, we have a main room for curriculum play, an art and messy play room and a dining room where children enjoy homestyle cooking daily. We also have our own amazing outdoor space, with a huge sandpit, playground and plenty of established trees and shade.

The Big House

Our big house has three separate rooms, enabling us to deliver safe, nurturing and age appropriate learning experiences for each age group.  Each room also has its own fantastic outdoor area including a huge covered deck area for our Nursery children.

Your child will love it here. The environment is rich and engaging, the teachers are passionate and dedicated, and our expansive outdoor areas and vibrant classrooms are the perfect backdrop for exploration, learning and fun.

Spanning two beautiful historic buildings on Jervois Road, we offer the choice of a mixed age service (great for siblings) or separate rooms catering for each age and stage. Choose the perfect fit for your family!

Lay the foundations for your child’s learning journey.

Our philosophy

Here at Pascals Herne Bay, we value the importance of respect. We want each child to have a sense of belonging, feel secure and loved when they enter their learning space. We aim to honour the ‘whole’ child (the physical, spiritual, emotional, cultural, nutritional and developmental) in order to acknowledge that teaching and learning is not done in isolation, but rather as a community alongside whanau and local identities.

We are committed to building, growing and maintaining strong relationships with children, their families and the local community. Through these relationships, children will build a strong foundation of trust, developing knowledge, confidence, communication and sense of belonging. We are here to set the foundations for a lifelong love of learning.

Our Rooms

Fern Room (Nursery)

Leaving your infant with someone new can be tough, which is why here in the Fern Room we practice primary caregiving. Our goal is for your child to form a secure attachment with a primary caregiver who will be responsible for their overall wellbeing. Primary caregiving reduces stress and supports your little one to get through long days away from you. It’s also an important aspect of the RIE approach which our classroom philosophy is inspired by. RIE is respect for, and trust in your child to be an initiator, an explorer, and a self-learner. As well as being inspired by RIE, our classroom philosophy is based on the Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whariki.

Our Fern Room team strives  to provide a home away from home feeling for you and your child, so that when you leave the centre you are secure in the knowledge that your child is nurtured, happy and safe.

Rākau Room (Toddlers)

Our Rākau Room is specially crafted to cater for children from the age of approximately 20 months to 3 years (this is flexible). Like its name, we are all about forming deeper roots with our families and friends while also branching out and discovering the wider world around us. We understand that for this stage in particular, your child is going through a lot of changes - physically, mentally, and socially. That’s why we focus on developing the right attitude to take on these new challenges. We will support your child through the trials and errors of making friends, grow their curiosities and ideas about the great unknowns, and perhaps most importantly, develop their self-help skills in terms of toileting, meal times and sleep.

In short, we aim for all our tamariki to be self-managing, resourceful, and independent in preparation for the next stage of their childhood—preschool in the Koru Room!

Koru Room (Preschool)

In our Koru Room we take the preschool experience a step further, catering specially for our children aged from 3/3.5 to 5.  Here we provide environments where your child can learn and grow through hands-on, open ended activities. This encourages children to develop new skills while fostering creativity and self-expression. Emergent literacy and numeracy are an integral part of our school readiness programme and we incorporate it into so many areas of your child’s play, even Playball! Playball sessions are available for you child once a week to improve movement, coordination and a host of other skills. We are a bicultural classroom and incorporate Māori celebrations and language into our daily routines.

Our goal is to facilitate the development of the “whole child” – a child who is prepared for today and the future, and ready to venture out into primary school with confidence, competence and resilience.

Why choose us?

There are a host of reasons why families choose Pascals Herne Bay. Here are just a few of them:

• Operating across two separate buildings, parents have the choice of a mixed-age service or separate age groups, all in a warm and welcoming home-like environment
• Amazing outdoor spaces shaded by established trees and filled with everything children need for adventure and learning
• Centre chef creates nutritious meals your child will love
• Excellent teacher to student ratios
• Extended opening hours great for working parents (7.30am to 5.30pm)
• Passionate teachers who have a wealth of knowledge and love what they do
• Engaging, diverse curriculum (including playdough, art, carpentry, cooking, dramatic play, music and movement)
• Strong relationships with our families and our community
• Great transition to school programme