Montessori promotes hands-on, self-paced, collaborative, joyful learning. Children in Montessori follow their interests, wherever that passion leads; giving them strong foundations for transitioning to primary school.  

Children are naturally interested in learning about the world. It is this natural curiosity that leads to development. By providing the right environment, Montessori education assists children to cultivate the fundamental capabilities to become happy and fulfilled adults.  

City Heights encompasses Montessori philosophy through mixed age groups, which not only offer a wide range of activities to trigger children’s interest, but also by giving the opportunity to learn by tuakana/teina (older children supporting the younger).  

Children have the freedom to work at their own pace throughout the 3 hour uninterrupted work cycle. Each child is given the respect through encouragement to explore their own learning, they are given the opportunity to work things out themselves, make mistakes and correct them independently using their unique traits and talents.

Pioneers Russell Street.

Children and their families very quickly feel at home in the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere at Pioneers Russell Street. Conveniently situated just up the hill from central Dunedin, we provide a home-like environment in an extensive villa that has a large sheltered outdoor play area with beautiful mature trees.

Having fully qualified, registered teachers and high teacher to child ratios, Pioneers Russell Street provides a nurturing and stimulating learning environment for up to 40 children from two to five years. Our dedicated team take pride in ensuring that Pioneers Russell Street is where warm, respectful and genuine relationships are nurtured and children feel valued, happy, relaxed and enjoy being themselves.

We offer a rich and varied curriculum that supports parental aspirations and promotes positive learning outcomes for each individual child. Our teachers facilitate the children’s love of learning through stimulating their imaginations, by encouraging exploration, wonder, inquiry, discovery and problem-solving, and, most importantly, by having fun.

At Pioneers Russell Street we embrace our unique New Zealand context, our bicultural heritage and our Kiwi lifestyle. We foster innovative thinking, active movement and a love for our land, our native plants and animals. Our forest programme offers children the opportunity to be fully immersed in nature, nurturing mind, body and spirit.

We also take a hands on approach to sustainable education; our children are involved in each stage of the composting and growing cycles.

Fostering children’s social competency and sense of resilience is an important aspect of early learning and a focus for us at Russell Street. Our Kereru group offers our 4 year old children an interesting programme that promotes essential learning and life skills ensuring a seamless transition to primary school.

Pioneers Russell Street Nursery 

is dedicated to the care and education of children from birth to two years old and we are delighted to share in this magical time with your family. Your little one will be in caring and very experienced hands at our wonderful centre. We are often told by parents of children at our centre that the best part of the nursery is the warm, calm and homely environment.

As soon as your baby or toddler joins us at the nursery you will meet the key teacher who will be responsible for their individual care and learning. This special feature of our programme helps us to establish a close relationship with your child and your family. We will follow established routines from home and will keep in close contact with you throughout your child’s time at the nursery to ensure that their needs and those of your whanau are being met.

Pioneers Russell Street Nursery provides a friendly and relaxed environment in which young children can safely explore the world around them, develop and learn at their own pace and without hurry. We encourage children to connect with the natural environment all around them and our centre is focused on sustainability.

We love to sing and dance and encourage free movement and communication. Our highly qualified and fully registered teachers are there to support the children as they take their own first steps on the educational journey, gain knowledge and confidence and start to make decisions about their own education and care.

We believe healthy habits should start from birth and have a qualified cook at the nursery to ensure nutritious meals and snacks are available throughout the day. We are proud to have been awarded a Healthy Heart Award.

At Pioneers Russell Street Nursery we will nurture your child’s precious early learning years and help them to thrive.

College Centre is mixed-age centre with children from birth to five years learning alongside each other providing a home-like atmosphere. The strength of the mixed age group is clearly visible in the positive way the children work together across the ages learning through observation, peer tutoring and role modelling.

The programme is based on the aspirations of the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki and linked to its principles and strands. As teachers notice and recognise children’s learning they respond to, and share this knowledge amongst the children family / whānau andteachers and use this as the basis for the programme to increase the complexity of children’s learning. Children are active participants in deciding where their learning is going.

The Centre environment - the physical arrangement, the resources and equipment, time and space, and teacher’s encouragement and interactions encourage each child to become a confident and competent learner.

Our practices and routines include tikanga Māori - Māori protocols and Māori language - Te Reo Māori. We acknowledge and value the diversity of all the children in our centre and celebrate learning and knowledge that such richness brings.

OUCA College Centre socio-cultural perspective promotes and supports positive and caring relationships between adults and children. Learning experiences are based on the emergent curriculum of children, staff, parents and the community where interests are identified and learning experiences provided to further the children’s knowledge and understanding.

Children each have a profile that provides an opportunity to work in partnership with parents and extended family as teachers share in their lives and the community documenting the learning while acknowledging and working with the skills, interests and dispositions of each child to extend and challenge their understanding of the world they live in. The children’s profile books are easily accessible for children to revisit and respond to their own and their peers learning, which encourages and helps nurture children’s self assessment.

Family/whānau feedback and contribution to their children’s learning stories is encouraged and valued.

Each child has a designated teacher who provides the link between Centre and family while all the teaching team support each child’s learning.

Visits to the community are highly valued by teachers and children and include regular University College of Education gymnasium visits, Museum, Early Settlers, Logan Park, University College of Education campus, Library, Botanical Gardens, Otago Polytechnic Campus and theatre visits.

Visitors from the community are welcomed and have included musicians, ambulance and fire service, children and teachers from other early childhood centres.