Childcare options in Warkworth

Tiny Explorers is an amazing, purpose-built centre. It has been designed to cater for the children’s needs and provide them with the best possible environment. We have wonderful spaces for our Infants, Toddlers and Young Children, where they have the opportunity to safely learn, grow and explore in their own world.

Our centre offers separate learning environments for our Infants, Toddlers and Young Children, these large spaces allow children to actively explore within an inclusive setting which provides quality care and education for all children.

All of our staff are committed and passionate about Early Childhood Education; this is reflected in the responsive relationships and daily interactions with children, parents and Whãnau. We value and encourage strong relationships with our parents and whãnau. We believe it is important to form these partnerships, valuing whãnau’s aspirations for their children.

We encourage children’s learning through experimentation, exploration and play. Our project investigations holistically incorporate all aspects of the curriculum, which includes song, music, drama, art, movement and the natural world.

We have an outdoor environment that is second to none! We believe that our well designed and generous playground stimulates the diversity of children’s play experience and contributes to their healthy development.

We are committed to ensuring all children are genuinely cared for by dedicated teachers who have the well being of the child as their priority. We provide a nurturing environment that has high quality education and care practices that are appropriate for all stages of a child’s development.

Our resources are personalised to the interests and developmental levels of the child and provide opportunities for their extension. As they approach school age our programmes develop the very important foundation skills of numeracy and literacy. 

We understand that it is an important event when your child moves from preschool to school and this is reflected in the curriculum within our transition to school programme.

Welcome, Haere mai, Mauri to Mahurangi Kindergarten.

Mahurangi is the shortened version of the Maori phrase, ‘Mahu hu ki te rangi”, which translates to, “The rock that points to the sky.”

While literally referring to a landmark in the area, we have taken this meaning and made it into an inspiration for our kindergarten.

We are an Enviroschool – teaching children to be kaitiaki/caretakers of their world. Teaching and learning respect for our environment and each other.

Our kindergarten has a strong bond with whānau /families and our community which is semi-rural in the town of Warkworth.  We are within walking distance to our local Warkworth Primary School which helps with our transition to school programme.

Our Purpose

To provide effective early childhood education services to ensure every child leaves kindergarten with the foundations of personal development and a love of life and learning

Your Child, Your Place

At our centres your child will learn:

• How to relate to other children and their teachers
• How to take responsibility, develop independence and self-confidence
• How to share and explore their understanding of people, places and things
• How to express ideas and acknowledge feelings
• Negotiating, turn taking, cooperation and conflict resolution
• Respect for other cultures, languages and traditions
• How to better interact with family and the wider community
• Hauora (the four dimensions of health), physical, mental, social and spiritual health
• Sustainability and the natural environment

Our History

Kaitiaki Kindergartens were originally known as the East Coast Bays Free Kindergarten Association. Torbay was the association’s first kindergarten which opened in 1954 and it is still a very active kindergarten to this day. As we grew we became known as the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association. Today, we go by the name of ‘Kaitiaki Kindergartens’. Kaitiaki means, “a guardian or trustee, typically of an environmental area or resource.” This change reflects our responsibility to each and every child, community member and kindergarten in the Kaitiaki wider family.

We’re about:

• children, families and whanau
• quality early childhood education
• a qualified and registered workforce
• community
• not-for-profit
• home grown
• kiwi owned

Kindergarten is a partnership between:

Teachers

Qualified, registered teachers provide and deliver educational programmes under the guidance and support of the Professional Practice Leaders.

Our communities

Support teachers and the Association to help raise funds to ensure it has the resources required by the teachers and staff and to build community relationships.

Board of management

Elected by the community by members (parents/whanau) to govern the Association. The board sets policies and the strategic direction of the Association and appoints the General Manager to manage the Association on their behalf.

Kia ora and welcome to Snells Beach Kindergarten

At Snells Beach Kindergarten, the children have many experiences in the local coastal environment and are passionate about conservation.

Snells Beach Kindergarten is involved with many community facilities and events like trips to the library to see cultural performances, the annual flower show and the Warkworth Santa Parade.

Here at Snells Beach Kindergarten we follow childrens’ interests and extend their learning through activities and events including educational trips to exciting places.

Why Snells Beach Kindergarten?

• Play-based programme, children’s interests supported
• Stimulating and challenging outdoor area
• Qualified teachers
• Community involvement including trips out to interesting places
• Wide range of educational experiences offered
• Parent Whānau Group organise social events
• Join our wait list from 2 years old

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.

Our children are supported to become confident, competent self-directed learners through play based around their interests. Our children gain knowledge through play, participation and positive guidance.

Our Children’s curiosity and creativity is nurtured through the fun range of experiences provided … no two days at Playcentre are the same.

Our children develop nurturing and social skills which have lifelong benefits. Siblings attend together, allowing older children to mentor younger children and practise empathy and caring.

Our parental relationships developed through Playcentre provide support from parents and help them develop new parenting and life skills.

Our parents are actively involved in providing our children’s learning programmes. The high adult to child ratio allows a good balance for group and individual support during each session.

There is no other organisation for early childhood education and family development quite like it in the world. Thousands of kiwi children, and their parents too, have grown up with Playcentre … book in for your three visits today and come and join the fun.

Snells Beach is home to our established and peaceful Mahurangi preschool. With extensive outdoor spaces both upstairs (for 1-3 year olds) and downstairs (for 3-6 year olds) stimulating imaginative play and learning, the centre is spacious and ideal for all ages.

Our excellent, experienced teaching teams will be ready to welcome you to our Snells Beach Centre at any time. The centre has two separate learning environments, one caters for children between 1-3 years-old. The other caters for children between 3-6 years-old. The indoor to outdoor flow at the centre is ideal for children with an extensive range of areas available for play activities from baking, to painting, woodwork, games and reading.

Children should learn at their own pace and with plenty of free play, so our teachers engage the children on their level – observing, noticing, recognising and responding to what the child is doing.

The structure of the day is organised in such a way as to maximise a variety of learning experiences and to support individual styles of learning.

Each day we have a time together on the mat where stories and songs are shared, and at the end of the day music and phonics. Each mat time is highly interactive and creates a platform for relevant activities to follow.

We provide a high level of flexibility and options available for families. Choose your session times, take children out of preschool for the school holidays with no charge, and we allow for two makeup sessions per term. 

SESSION OPTIONS FOR 1-3 YEAR OLDS

Morning Session 8.30–11.30am

Afternoon Session 11.30am–3.30pm

Seven Hour Full Day 8.30am–3.30pm

Eight Hour Full Day 8:00am–4:00pm

SESSION OPTIONS FOR 3-6 YEAR OLDS

Seven Hour Full Day 8.30am–3.30pm

Eight Hour Full Day 8:00am–4:00pm

Please note: We recommend a minimum of two sessions per week.

We have an open door policy; parents and other interested adults are welcome to visit at any time without an appointment.

Welcome to Bunny Childcare Warkworth!

At Bunny Childcare Warkworth, we are dedicated to providing a nurturing and stimulating environment where your child can thrive. Our focus on early childhood education and development ensures that every child receives the support and encouragement they need to explore, learn, and grow in a safe, caring, and inspiring setting.

Our Mission and Values

Our mission at Bunny Childcare is to cultivate a love for learning in a secure and supportive environment. We are committed to fostering your child's comprehensive development by combining a professional education team, an innovative curriculum, and active cooperation between home and school. This collaborative approach lays a strong foundation for your child's future success.

Our Philosophy

At Bunny Childcare Warkworth, we believe in a holistic approach to early childhood education, guided by our core values:

• Love: Our caring and experienced educators provide a nurturing environment where your child feels loved and valued every day. We focus on creating strong, trusting relationships to support your child's emotional and social development.
• Health: We prioritise healthy growth through a balanced mix of indoor and outdoor activities and a nutritious, natural diet. Your child will engage in active play that promotes physical health and well-being.
• Happiness: We believe in the power of play! From digging in the sand and splashing in water to exploring scientific experiments, observing animals and plants, and enjoying story time, we fill each day with joyful, engaging activities that stimulate curiosity and foster a love for learning.
• Safety: Safety is our top priority. All of our teachers have passed rigorous safety checks, and most are qualified ECE educators with first aid certification. We ensure your child’s safety in every aspect of their day, from nutritious meals to restful sleep, supported by our team's extensive experience and training.
• Multiculturalism: We celebrate and embrace cultural diversity, creating a rich multicultural learning environment where every child feels included and respected. Our curriculum incorporates diverse cultural perspectives, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding in all our children.

Why Choose Bunny Childcare Warkworth?

• Professional Education Team: Our skilled and dedicated educators are committed to providing the highest quality of care and education. They bring passion, knowledge, and experience to create a dynamic and supportive learning environment for every child.
• Innovative Curriculum Design: We offer a unique, play-based curriculum that encourages creativity, exploration, and critical thinking. Our programs are designed to foster your child's natural curiosity and support their overall development.
• Active Home-School Partnership: We believe in working closely with families to ensure continuity of care and a consistent learning experience. We value your input and strive to create a collaborative relationship that supports your child's growth and development.

At Bunny Childcare Warkworth, we are more than just a childcare centre — we are a community where every child is cherished, and every family is valued. Join us and discover a place where your child can grow, learn, and thrive in a loving and stimulating environment.

We warmly invite you to visit Bunny Childcare Warkworth and experience our vibrant, nurturing community for yourself. Come see how we can support your child's early learning journey.

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Matakana 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!

Conveniently located close to the town centre and a couple of streets from the local primary school, this beautiful restored Villa with its extended additions welcomes children from birth to 5 years of age. The learning environment is full of quality resources which your children will love.

This centre is very popular so enrol now – phone 09 283 3433 – and feel free to pop in to see the Reach Forward Early Learning Centre difference.

Founded in 2005, Totara Hill is situated four kilometres from the centre of Matakana Village. Its beautiful landscaping blends the preschool into a peaceful, rural setting, which puts the children in contact with nature.

Tia Wooller is the preschool's owner and senior teacher.  Tia draws on more than 30 years of her own Montessori teaching experience to create the classroom's daily working environment.  She also oversees the preschool's administration.

Having established three centers during her career, her dream with Totara Hill has been to establish a small preschool that embraces the ideals of a quality education, with families from the community which fosters a feeling of belonging, thereby creating quality relationships.

High parental commitment means that the philosophy is encouraged at home too and parents have regular opportunities to attend information evenings where they can learn more about their child's journey.

Having a rural property gives the children the opportunity to be away from busyness and absorbed in nature. Long walks and days on the backfield are an integral part of the program.

We are a beautiful purpose-built childcare centre licensed for 75 children from birth to five years old.

We place a high value on incorporating natural resources & nature’s lessons into our daily life. A place where children & whanau can grow a deep appreciation of nature & its importance. This means within our curriculum, sustainability is at the forefront of our focus. Our environment in the centre reflects the magic of the natural world around us.

Our hours of operation are:

7.15am – 5.30pm – Monday to Friday

We offer families full day (7.15am-5.30pm) & school time sessions (8.30am-3.30pm).

We are only closed on public holidays.

Healthy nutritious meals are provided for the children.

The daily education programme provides a mix of some structure & child-initiated play. We incorporate a comprehensive transition to school programme in our daily routine for our preschool children. Our planning reflects this by being centered around the interests & strengths of the individual child & the centre as a whole. The planning process weaves emergent, environmental sustainability, individual learning & developmental experiences that are supported alongside a dedicated team of experienced educators.

Management & staff place high importance on ongoing professional development, this is a collaborative decision to ensure the interests of the individual & centre needs are met.

Our centre is a warm fun-loving place to be where children are treated with respect & dignity that empowers them to work & learn alongside others & where the staff foster & role model some traditional values & manners.

We look forward to the future & will ensure our centre is constantly reviewing practices & growing to meet the children’s, family & community needs.

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!

Welcome to Oak Tree The Early Childhood Learning Centre

We welcome you and your child to what we trust will be an extension of your home. By working together we will provide an environment that promotes quality care and education.

We are licensed by the Ministry of Education for 25 children aged two to five years.

We hope you and your family enjoy your time at Oak Tree.

Our Philosophy

The staff and Management at The Oak Tree believe that relationships form the key to the education that occurs in our centre.

We offer a homely friendly environment and encourage our families to be involved in our programme. We acknowledge that children contribute to their own learning through the relationships they form and the experiences they have. We provide a safe, warm and caring environment where children want to learn.

We value the reciprocal relationships that we have with parents. By teachers documenting the children’s work in a respectful way, we allow children to revisit their learning and help inform parents of the learning that has occurred.

Adults respect the children as confident competent learners and communicators. We encourage each child to reach their full potential by providing a stimulating and interesting environment that allows children to explore and engage in experiences that they plan and carry out.

Children learn best when they engage in experiences that they are interested in and by providing a flexible programme that builds on children’s knowledge we believe we provide a quality service to the families of Warkworth.

Values and Goals

• To value and respect each child as an individual.
• To extend and develop each child’s skills, knowledge, and interests through successful experiences which encourage the development of a healthy self-concept and positive self-esteem.
• To encourage social development so each child learns to interact successfully in a variety of situations.
• To be sensitive and respectful of varied cultural practices.
• To provide an environment that encourages children to develop their capabilities and interests at their own pace and according to their individual needs.
• To provide a warm, nurturing, and safe environment that encourages the development of the whole child.
• To be a support to all families in all aspects of each child’s development.
• To ensure that communication will be a two-way process, which recognizes parents as the primary caregivers.
• To provide qualified experienced and caring staff to meet the needs of the individual child.

Mother-and-daughter team Carol Mills and Kylie Steffener opened Sandcastles Early Childhood Centre in January 2013.

Carol had worked for many years in the early childhood sector and Kylie was a primary school teacher. Together, they developed a plan to create their own centre in the Snells Beach community. Choosing to relocate and redecorate a bungalow, Carol’s and Kylie’s vision was to create a true ‘home away from home’ for young children – a friendly and inviting space.

‘If we could all see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything’

Sandcastles provides stimulating, age-appropriate areas for under 2s and over 2s, including a children’s kitchen and ‘building site’ for the older children. For restful moments, there is a story time space and separate sleep room. The large outdoor area, complete with interchangeable playground, encourages children to explore and develop their physical skills. We value the importance of allowing children to wonder, dream and to just be!

Happy Kiddy Early Learning Centres are committed to providing an excellent, nurturing learning environment where children can learn at their own individual pace with continuous progress. 

Our goal is to cultivate an environment which will nourish and channel their natural love for learning and allow them to reach their full potential and develop into self-confident and responsible individuals.

Based on our curriculum, our spacious classrooms all have the basic learning areas in the "prepared environment" - Language Arts, Mathematics, Sensorial, Practical skills, and the Cultural Subjects which include, Geography, Science and History. Enrichment programs are also offered. These include music, art and gym. This provides a balanced curriculum for the academic, social and emotional development of each child.