Childcare options in Hillcrest

Neemo stands for – Nurturing Early Education Moppets Oranga.

Our purpose-built childcare centres are friendly, warm and bright places and we strive to provide an environment filled with laughter and fun for children aged 0-5 years. Our learning spaces are well thought out and designed to accommodate every child’s individual needs.

Infants and toddlers:

Our practices are focused on caring for and respecting infants and toddlers. This is aimed at trusting the child to be an initiator, an explorer, and a self-learner.

Infants typically set their own routines and rhythms. We aim, to the best of our abilities, to maintain routines that are consistent to home. We provide a rich, safe, unhurried and challenging learning environment that encompasses a wide range of curriculum areas including story time, music time, messy play, visual arts, dance, pretend play, sensory play, sand play, and water play for the children to engage in, explore, and learn with in their own unique way at their own pace.

Pre-schoolers:

Our preschool areas are set out with resources that challenge every child’s ability and interests. It promotes the independence of children and encourages them to develop individually and in group settings.

We continually evaluate and adapt  our environment based on our observations of how children are learning  and interacting  within the environment. Any modifications  to our spaces are focused  on children’s best  interest. In addition we believe in building strong relationships with parents. As such, we define ourselves learning from each other and from our children too (AKO –the sense of reciprocal learning).

Our approach:

Our approach is focused on observing the interests of children while also incorporating strands of TeWhāriki.

Our teachers

Our teachers will encourage children to think for themselves, make their own decisions and work towards their own solutions. Our children will be encouraged to celebrate each other’s uniqueness, culture and strengths.   

Curious Cubs Hillcrest first opened in June 2013 and has been a popular choice for families in the local community for many years.

Our small size, excellent teacher to child ratios, and family values assure quality care and education. Curious Cubs provides an intimate environment in which family relationships are nurtured and respected. In our centre, we pride ourselves on knowing every family well, and we have several siblings who enjoy learning and growing together.

The owner Jenni Potter and several of her staff have or have had their own children attending the Centre with them. This creates a fantastic basis for the family environment Curious Cubs has.

Our Hillcrest Centre is licensed for 10 children under two years old and 34 children over two years old. Babies are cared for by a primary caregiver, which provides them with a sense of security. Our low roll size ensures a lovely family feel to the centre.

Healthy, delicious seasonal meals are prepared onsite by a dedicated cook.

Our Rooms

Cubs, Tigers and Lions!

We offer two rooms (age groups), Cubs for children under two and Tigers and Lions for those over two. Although separate areas are provided, children of all ages will be able to enjoy playing and interacting during the day. In this way, siblings can grow together and learn together.

Since the roll numbers are small and the layout is open, the younger children will have the opportunity to learn so much from the older children. These types of relationships and learning are invaluable and are encouraged and nurtured.

With a covered outside play area, children can always enjoy the fresh air and run around, whatever the weather!

The centre is located within the Rotorua Girls’ High School grounds and is accessible via the school’s Miro Street driveway. We are close to the central business district of Rotorua which includes a varied range of social, economic and ethnic groups. Rotorua Girls’ High School Childcare Trust generally operates in conjunction with the primary school terms. The centre is open for approximately 43 weeks of the year, opening for shorter hours in the first three days of each holiday period, then closed until the new term starts.

Welcome to Minimee Early Childhood Education Adventure.  We are a reputable early learning centre in the heart of Hillcrest on Auckland's North Shore.  Overlooking the valley and out to the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Island, our cosy learning environment in an early 1900's villa provides the setting for our children to explore their world, make exciting discoveries, and develop their thinking in a holistic and meaningful way.   Our teaching team offers the support and guidance children need to reach their potential and facilitate experiences that will help the children to develop a love of learning.  Our teaching is inspired by the Reggio Emilia and RIE philosophies and the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum document, Te Whaariki guides our practice.

Our opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and we cater for children between three months to five years of age.  Healthy meals are cooked and prepared onsite by our centre chef.

We look forward to welcoming you into our centre.

Montessori is not a franchise and there is no head office or controlling body. Schools are free to offer their unique blend of facilities and local personality. We welcome your enquiry and review of our beautiful semi-rural Montessori Centre in Hamilton.

The classroom is the childrens’ home away from home, it is carefully designed to facilitate the development of independence and a sense of personal empowerment. We allow children to learn for themselves, to learn at their own pace, to cultivate a positive attitude to mistakes, to choose activities for themselves, and to be allowed to repeat actions as often as necessary.

Children select their own activities — parents are very welcome to ask the guides about the equipment and attend open times to explore the classroom for themselves.

Whaihanga is a small intimate centre. All teachers are qualified and have a clear commitment to the Central Kids philosophy of using play as a vehicle for future learning.

We promote a strong family-like atmosphere supported by tuakana/teina relationships among children, and a ‘key teacher’ system effectively supports children’s sense of wellbeing and promotes responsive relationships with families. 

Our philosophy statement aligns to the Central Kids Strategic Plan, and is underpinned by the concepts of whanaungatanga, aroha, taonga o Papatuanuku and whaihangatanga. Whaihanga is an Enviroschool and a participant in the Para Kore programme with a strong commitment to sustainability and reducing waste.

We welcome you to visit us anytime.

High-quality early childhood education in Hillcrest from birth to five years

Big Hugz Early Learning Centre offers a nurturing, safe and welcoming place where you child can experience high-quality early childhood education from qualified caring staff. Our team includes 90% qualified teachers and all of our team are well trained and truly enjoy working with children.

Currently licenced for just 39 children, Big Hugz has a warm and friendly feel and includes children and families from many different backgrounds and cultures.

Good food is of huge importance to us, and Big Hugz offers four homemade meals a day including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late snacks for your child. 

Environmentally friendly focus for early childhood education

At Big Hugz Early Learning Centre we want to protect the environment for the children we care for, so our centre is based on a number of eco-friendly principles.

The Hillcrest preschool has solar panels on the roof to provide electricity and eco-friendly cleaning products are used throughout the day. Rubbish is recycled wherever possible and new enrolments are given recycled reusable bags rather than plastic bags for storing dirty clothes.

Community and family centred early childhood education

It can be hard to leave your child in the care of others, but at Big Hugz Early Learning Centre you can rest assured that your child is in the best of hands. 

With just a small number of children, Big Hugz is a tight knit and friendly private daycare and we value the relationships with parents and whanau through day to day interactions, feedback about your child's learning and parenting courses to help you improve your own skills.

Children also get plenty of opportunities to interact with the local community as part of our community childcare focus which involves charity work, visits to nearby attractions and taking part in local events.

We are a small community based, mixed age whanau centre. We believe children grow and develop best when they are secure in their sense of belonging. We encourage our children to be happy, healthy and confident young people, who make valuable contributions to their environment and community. We believe children’s interests are extended through meaningful interactions, individual exploration and self-discovery. We cater to our children’s changing interests and provide opportunities for them to gain a rich understanding of their world. We also have heaps of fun!

The Centre is located at the rear of the High School grounds, off Carrington Avenue. We are close to the University of Waikato, Ruakura Research Centre, Waikato Innovation Park and close to Silverdale, Knighton and Hillcrest Primary schools. Our community is lucky enough to embrace a wide range of age groups, ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds.

We have highly qualified staff with a low adult/child ratio. Because of this we are able to spend more time with each individual child and discover their natural abilities and interests. We then have time to work together to develop their interests further.

Transition to School programme 

Through our before school programme we gently prepare our older children for school by encouraging them to work together and to stimulate and extend their thinking through questioning, suggestions and sharing information. Children spend time working in a classroom setting and having fun with language, developing familiarity with numbers and doing short activities driven by the children’s interests. The Transition to School programme also encompasses visits out of the Centre.

Other unique features of the Centre:

• Large shaded backyard complete with adventure playground, giant sandpit, slides, ramps, swings and more
• Centre vege garden and fruit trees
• Exciting School Holiday programme with theme days.
• Access to the local library and walks to the local park to explore our community
• Annual Centre excursions to the zoo, the theatre and other Hamilton attractions
• A great community of parents, grandparents and other whanau
• Ample, safe, off-road parking for drop-offs and pick-ups

We are a family-centred community kindergarten

We believe in empowering children to make their own choices, engage in adventurous play in a safe, fun and nurturing environment. All of our teachers are fully qualified Early Childhood Teachers & we are a registered Early Childhood Centre . We are a family-centred kindergarten, run by a parent-elected Committee. 

Our small session sizes (limited to 20 children per session) mean we can form close relationships with children, family & whanau. We encourage our children to be independent, self-managing and respectful of each other and their environment. We see children as competent, powerful and capable individuals.

Hillcrest Kindergartens Waikato is well-respected for delivering high quality, affordable education and childcare. We have a well developed and resourced outdoor and indoor environment. Our programme focuses on children’s wellbeing and their interests. We welcome and have a diverse number of cultures attending.

• Warm & welcoming staff who are passionate about teaching and learning.
• Safe, caring and stimulating environment.
• Well resourced and huge outdoor play area.
• Children develop social interaction and respect.
• Private online learning portfolios for parents (sharing photos, videos and stories about your child).
• An exclusive early childhood partnership with the Enviroschools Programme (eg. recycling, composting, gardening).
• In Partnership with Sports Waikato Under5 Energize to eat healthy, be active & have fun! 
• Learning based on the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki.
• Value family/whānau and kindergarten partnership.
• Transition to school programme.