Childcare options in Parnell

Kia ora and welcome to Parnell Kindergarten

Parnell Kindergarten is an inspiring environment that supports positive learning outcomes for children.  We are proud of our strong community connections and invite you to visit Parnell Kindergarten to meet our teaching team and have a look around!

Parnell Kindergarten have embedded and well-resourced ICT practices.  This supports children by building on their creativity and fostering communication and collaboration.

Our kindergarten has three early childhood qualified and registered teachers, a teaching assistant and an administrator. The teachers are dedicated to and passionate about early childhood education. Our quality learning programme is based on the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whãriki.

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.

Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre offers children quality care, great teacher ratios, excellent outdoor and indoor play areas and the amazing health and activity benefits of our Green Kids programme. We hold a Gold standard certification in the Heart Foundation's Healthy Heart programme and our children eat nutritious chef-made meals and snacks.

Our centre accepts children aged from three months to five years old and offers a warm, stimulating, fun and family-focused environment where your baby or pre-schooler will be nurtured and cared for by experienced and qualified staff.

The purpose-built centre, located beside a park, provides a safe and exciting environment for children. The small group of babies and toddlers have a separate area where they can safely and confidently explore and grow. Older children play and work together, experiencing activities that promote their development. Each day four year-olds have opportunities to develop numeracy and literacy skills to support their confident transition to school.

Gladstone Park Early Childhood Centre is easily accessible from Auckland's CBD, major routes and motorways and has convenient off-street parking for safe pick up and drop off.

Parnell Early Childhood Centre has separate indoor areas for children, from babies and toddlers to over-twos and pre-schoolers.

Outdoors, infants and toddlers have a play space of their own, as well as having access to the large outdoor area used by the over two year olds, which includes a sandpit, trees to climb and covered places for play.

Our philosophy

The Village Square Trust is a place for all, with over 30 years of experience in bringing people in our community together.

Our purpose is to build strong, connected local communities by giving people places to meet, learn, create and grow.

At Parnell Early Childhood Centre, our purpose is:

• To provide an inclusive environment where our community of children feel valued, respected and empowered to be unique individuals.
• We value our whānau ideas and aspirations. Through collaboration we can build a holistic learning framework for all our tamariki that supports ethnicity, gender, ages, stages and abilities.
• By supporting each child’s uniqueness, we can amplify their individual strengths, abilities and knowledge, while protecting their right to inquire, learn and play.
• Through providing a safe space, every child can be supported in developing life skills, friendships, effective non-verbal and verbal communication, and self-care, along with managing and self-regulating their own emotions. This supports the foundation for a secure sense of belonging and wellbeing.
• By imparting knowledge around healthy kai, expertise of the Healthy Heart Award – Paharakeke, physical and taha wairua (spiritual) wellbeing, we are ensuring our tamariki will have a great start to life long wellness.
• Parnell Early Childhood Centre base their values of Whanaungatanga (family connection) by recognising and acknowledging whānau, cultural learning, language and identity. We need to ensure that we meet Kaitiankitanga (guardianship) for all our tamariki in a responsible and careful manner, ensuring that all tamariki receive an equal Tohungatanga (knowledge) and by acting in a Rangatiratanga (honourable) manner for all to see, hear and understand.
• As Teachers for future tamariki we need to be agents of Manaakitanga and work for a common goal.
• Every Child that attends Parnell Early Childhood Centre will leave with this ethos:
• Caring, Confident, Gracious, Generous, Forgiving, Friendly, Explorer, Loved and GREAT