Childcare options in Stanmore Bay

Hibiscus Kindergarten & Nursery provides premium care and education for children aged 3 months to 6 years in Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa.

Its owners share long and varied experience in education. Sue Milnes has been a high school principal and also worked for almost a decade in Early Childcare Education (ECE) evaluation in the Education Review Office.

Her business partner, Sangeeta Karmokar, was a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and innovation at AUT, specialising in creative technologies. When the pair met they discovered a mutual interest in ECE, and the opportunity of creating their own centre was too good to pass up.

While Sangeeta is mainly in a management and leadership role, Sue will be front and centre of Hibiscus Kindergarten & Nursery, along with five staff.

She says the centre is taking full advantage of the garden and nearby beach, offering a nature-based and child-led curriculum. There will be a strong emphasis on numeracy and literacy learned through play, enhancing the transition to school.

The large interior of the cottage has been divided into spaces to interest and engage the children, including an art deck that is always open to explore, a science space, music, performance and library. The decks have been glassed in, expanding the space without losing natural light. For the youngest, three months to 15 months old, there is a dedicated nursery.

Heart Foundation approved meals will be served, and the children can help grow vegetables in the garden that end up on their plates.

Sangeeta and Sue invite anyone interested in finding out more to book a visit - “Even if they are just curious about the house itself and want to see inside,” Sue says. “We welcome everyone.”

Montessori Beginnings Preschool is a centre where children feel safe, loved, and empowered on their own individual learning journey.

Situated in a quiet residential street in the heart of Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa, Montessori Beginnings offers boutique, research-backed education for children aged two to six.

We believe in creating an environment where children can build their confidence, curiosity, and ability to focus and learn. Our small numbers and dedicated staff mean our centre has a warm, whānau-centred vibe, and children are empowered to discover and unlock their own unique potential.

Our preschool is a warm, happy environment where children can get stuck into the most important work of all, which we believe is play. Families choose Montessori Beginnings because they are looking for a small, caring centre where their child will be seen, noticed, and cherished.

Above all, the centre is designed with the hau ora (holistic wellbeing) of children in mind. It is an unhurried place, where children can relax, connect with others, and settle in to work and play.

A cornerstone of the Montessori educational philosophy is observing and noticing the traits, interests, and personality of each individual child, so that they can be encouraged and supported to take the next step in their learning – whatever that step may be. Our incredible teaching team are passionate about making those connections with children and taking time to discover the ideas and potential each child has.

Enrolment Promo - First 2 Months fees - FREE

Here at Pukeko ELC we provide a home away from home for children aged from three month’s to school age.

We ensure a safe, caring, respectful, fun, and natural environment with excellent qualified staff ratios.

Our aim is to nurture happy, confident, and curious learners and to install a life long love of learning within them.

Our Philosophy

At Pukeko ELC we are inspired and influenced by the Reggio Emilia and RIE approach. We believe it is important for Tamariki and their whanau to feel welcomed and develop a sense of belonging and Aroha through open and regular communication. Kaiako acknowledge and respect parent's aspirations for their child, and value community contributions to the planning and curriculum.

We strive to provide a nurturing, respectful, and caring environment rich in open-ended and intelligent resources. As part of our sustainable journey, we aim to be more eco-conscious and encourage children to build an appreciation for nature and papatūānuku. Our learning environment is intentionally designed to create a sense of wonder and curiosity so that Tamariki can be challenged, develop dispositions, problem-solve, and become capable and confident learners.

Our curriculum incorporates bicultural and multicultural experiences which acknowledge the partnership of Te Tiriti O Waitangi and values the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Reo and Tikanga are respectfully interwoven through our curriculum.

Learning is ignited for Tamariki when their interests are captured, supported, enhanced, and co-constructed by Kaiako who listen and follow each child's developmental needs. Kaiako respect that each child is unique and has the right to be an individual or to be a valued participant of a group.

At Pukeko ELC, we see all Tamariki as a taonga and want them to reach their fullest potential while developing a lifelong love for learning.

Reviewed September 2023 by our Kaiako.

We accept children for 20 hours free - For free - no extra cost

Our children have chances throughout the day to interact with each other from their two age defined rooms. The babies learn from the older children (tuakana-teina), and the older children enjoy knowing the younger ones are following their lead…..just like being in a large family. We treat the care routines as learning experiences, fostering the children’s independence as they learn and grow. 

We have a very spacious indoor area which we currently have divided into two areas – one for under 2s (Pipi) and one for over 2s (Paua). We have plenty of resources for the children’s age and developmental stages, with the resources available on the shelves for them to choose from, being rotated on a regular basis. Our lovely sunny outdoor area is also divided into two areas – one each for the Pipi and Paua, with sandpits, and climbing frames; resources, activities and experiences are rotated, and changed around, aligning with the children’s current interests. 

We offer age/developmentally appropriate activities and experiences throughout the day, following the childrens’ interests. 

We use Educa to provide online Portfolios to share snapshots of your child’s fun learning day with you, and we also print these as the children enjoy looking at their pictures, and being able to show you.

We aim to provide enriched and challenging learning choices in a creative and nurturing environment, where each child shall experience a high level of personal success as a valued and respected individual.

Teachers

The teachers at Starfish Early Childhood Centre believe in providing an environment that is welcoming, safe, nurturing and stimulating to children and their parents/whanau within our community.

Each child is unique

We believe that all children are competent and capable learners who have naturally inquiring, questioning minds. We value their uniqueness and will treat them with dignity and respect. We provide a programme that recognises the holistic way children develop and learn. Children will have equitable opportunities to develop within a child-initiated environment that supports self-motivated learning and peer collaboration.

We acknowledge and respect parents/whanau as first teachers, and value their contribution in the well-being and education of their children. Parent/whanau participation and their voice (whanau korero) will be encouraged and welcomed.

Our early learning centre provides a loving, nurturing and stimulating environment which enables children to feel a sense of belonging, whilst they engage in meaningful play opportunities.

We established Muddy Toes Early Learning Centre to provide a warm, natural, safe and welcoming environment. Our centre is a small family run business which has been created with the help of our passionate Kaiako. We practice a forest-based philosophy.

We will provide a loving, nurturing and stimulating environment which will enable children to feel a sense of belonging, whilst they engage in meaningful play opportunities. Our centre is designed for play; we welcome “muddy play” and provide a natural environment for our tamariki to explore.

We will provide a loving, nurturing and stimulating environment which will enable children to feel a sense of belonging, whilst they engage in meaningful play opportunities.

Our centre is designed for play; we welcome “muddy play” and provide a natural environment for our tamariki to explore. We embrace Tangaroa, Papatunuku, Ranginui, Tawhirimatea and Tāne god of the forest.

M.U.D represents the core meaning behind our philosophy “make unique discoveries”. Our tamariki can make unique discoveries in our very own back yard, amongst nature.

We embrace the beautiful philosophical influences of Reggio Emillia and Montessori. Our overall learning objective is to let children lead us into a world of discovery. We encourage children to follow their own interests and take ownership of their learning.

This freedom of choice promotes self-esteem and encourages children to become capable, confident and independent learners. We encourage a love for learning and education.

In our view this means fun, laughter and love. We let your children lead the way and respond by extending on from each individual interest.

Relationships are our key to success! We base everything we do in the centre on respect; respect for ourselves, respect for others and respect for the environment.

Your children are on a journey so let’s make it fun while they learn!