Childcare options in Ohaeawai

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Ohaeawai 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!

Here at Ohaeawai we are busy, with family-making, mudpie cooking and hut building on the top of our agenda. We pick up play from the previous day, and deepen our play experiences. Each day is a new creation, different from the next. There’s lots of communication, problem solving and core intelligences unfolding, with everyday day  being a new learning opportunity. We are a community of kaiako, whanau and tamariki who shine through the joy of play!

Our space is an environment that supports and allows your child to be creative, to be an inventor and innovator. We put the emphasis on the importance of play, as this is their way of challenging themselves. We need the next generation of leaders to think outside the box! That’s exactly the opportunity play gives children. Add to that love and kindness as non-negotiable ingredients and we are, in the words of the children, “the best place to be”. Can we get any more praise than from our own tamariki?

The environment

There is nothing like being amongst real life to feel alive!

Supporting our young tamariki with their learning and development, we recognise the importance of involving them in real life experiences, being apart of the process that is involved in the work itself. When childcare environments mirror a home away from home, siblings are able to share many precious moments together, just like they would at home.

Taking risks in play is essential for children’s growth and development, supporting our tamariki as they learn their strengths and weaknesses and become more aware of their limitations so that they can learn to take care of themselves.

Care, beauty and love is an essential part of our environment set ups for our children, an environment that ignites the senses, and provides children with security and self worth.