Childcare options in Harewood

Our lovely villa  is located on the outskirts of town on Gardiners Road (close to the corner of Johns Road)  in a large country garden with plenty of room for children to run and play.

We pride ourselves in offering a quality programme, with lower than required ratios in our three class rooms for children from three months to five years.

With these great ratios we can support children to develop independence and build relationships with committed and qualified kaiako (teachers)..

What we offer at Poppies Gardiners Road

• A beautiful country Preschool

We are lucky to have such a beautiful character villa, with three separate classrooms inside and out. Our nursery is for children up to two years. Our Preschool is for children two to three and a half years and our  Prepschool is for the older children.  Each classroom has its own seperate large playground.

• Committed Kaiako (teachers)

With great ratios our experienced, committed  kaiako can provide the best edcuation and care for your child in a happy, secure environment.  We offer Primary Care Giving in the nursery, where your children can build special relationships.

• Our playground

At Poppies Gardiners Road we have large natural playgrounds with real grass, vege gardens and our own orchard. We love collecting the eggs and looking after our hens and worm farm. We have covered verandas which are perfect for hot or rainy days.

• Our environment

We are proud to be part of the Enviroschools Programme and believe in respecting Aotearoa and our environment as well as our resources and each other. We are working towards our bronze award.

• Our Programme

We provide children with opportunities to explore a number of activities including messy play, sand play, water play, books, carpentry, manipulative play, painting and collage, music, blocks , baking as well as a physically challenging outside environment.

We carefully plan indoor and outdoor environments to meet the children's individual learning goals providing stimulating and fun activities including dress up days and excursions into the community.

• Regular excursions into the community

We love visiting our community as part of our curriculum especially the nearby Smacks creek riverbank reserve and Willowbank. We also enjoy bus excursions to further away places from time to time.

• Transition to School

We work to ensure your child's transition to school is as smooth as possible by fostering independence, and encouraging children to take responsibility for themselves and their belongings.

In the mornings the older children's mini group focuses on ensuring the children are ready for school. We work on the five key concepts of maths, literacy, self help skills, social skills and children's choice.

• Reasonable fees

Our fees are reasonable with no charge for statutory holidays. We offer 20 hours free ECE. WINZ and Family Boost is also available.

We would love to meet you and show you around our beautiful country Preschool. Please come and visit or contact us to secure your place!

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!