Childcare options in Lower Hutt Cbd

At Waiwhetu Kindergarten we play, learn and teach outside in all weathers because we believe that the weather and seasons provide rich learning opportunities.   

We have a forest where children can explore in a natural setting. Our large sandpit is always a hub of activity, and outdoor area allows children to develop their physical skills and gain confidence.  

Our spacious indoor area provides a wide variety of opportunities for the children to learn through play. Experiences children can choose from include creating art, constructing, engaging in role play and using books, puzzles and games. Our dedicated teachers work collaboratively with the children and develop learning programmes based on children's interests. This empowers children to take responsibility for their own learning.  

Nurturing and growing relationships is at the heart of everything we do at Waiwhetu.   We welcome families to visit and experience our kindergarten. We would love to see you!

Our home has five beautiful rooms. Children progress from our two infant groups, to toddlers and then through our two preschool groups as they grow, and when they are ready.  

Our two infant rooms are side by side and share their own sweet little garden, complete with sandpit, low level climbing challenges and lots of toys with wheels, balls, textures and items that stimulate and delight.  

Toddlers and our preschool group share a bigger and more challenging outdoor space with bigger climbables, a huge and very much loved and engaged with sandpit, their favourite sculpted mound with a tunnel and space to build, create and explore. Both this, and our infants outdoor area are surrounded by native tree hedging.  

Our rooms all have loads of natural light and bi-fold doors that open the room up to the outdoors in summer. Our walls sing with examples of children’s work and the curriculum in action.

NAU MAI, HAERE MAI KI ALICETOWN PLAYCENTRE

At Alicetown Playcentre we offer quality, friendly, and fun early childhood education.

Our centre is a parent run co-operative.  This means all our members contribute to the running of our sessions and the operation of our centre and become part of an inclusive and supportive community.

If you are still looking for your village, come and check out Playcentre.

WHERE?

Our Playcentre is located in the rainbow building, nestled between the Victoria Street playground and Hutt Central School in Alicetown.

WHAT?

We run child-led, adult-supported, free play sessions in our well resourced facility.

Tamariki are encouraged to explore and learn new skills through free play. They have the freedom to choose from a range of activities available on every session; including music, dress ups, messy play, painting,  playdough, baking, carpentry,  crafts, water, and sand play.

It changes everyday, and our parents all bring different skills, interests, and cultural backgrounds to add to the rich learning environment.

We have a large outside play area for children to explore, including sandpit, swings, fort, slide, and bike track all providing lots of opportunity for adventure and imaginative play.

Free adult education in parenting and early childhood education is provided to all members to allow us to run high quality sessions.

Our role as parents is to play alongside our own and other children – to interact with them whilst providing them with nurturing support, guidance, and encouragement to become independent and confident individuals.

WHY?

Free play is children teaching themselves; it helps them develop cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills all by following their own interests at their own pace and level . Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children.

We believe parents and whānau are the first and best educators of their tamariki.  By supporting parents, and helping them be involved in their child’s education it empowers them and provides great outcomes for families.

With whānau and friends (both children and adults!) all around them, our children feel loved and a great sense of belonging.  This in turn leads to the best environment for learning.

WHEN?

Our whānau sessions for newborns up to six year olds run Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 11:30am.

We have tuakana sessions for our tamariki nui (big kids) that run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am to 1pm.  These extended sessions help develop problem solving, social skills, resilience, and self-care so all our kids are well placed for the transition to school.

Our centre also regularly runs SPACE programmes for babies in the early afternoon – you can find out more at www.space.org.nz.

HOW?

We offer three free visits so come and check out what we do – we would love to meet you and your family!

Tucked away in a quiet spot at the back of Glen Iris Grove in central Lower Hutt, you will find a nurturing environment where our Tamariki are supported to explore, discover, create, and grow. We believe that child initiated play allows children to become confident and competent self-directed learners.

Our morning sessions run Monday through to Friday and are inclusive for ages 0-6. This allows for siblings to attend together and provides opportunities for empathy, care-taking and mentoring between age groups. All activities are planned with consideration of inclusiveness for all ages.

Lower Hutt Playcentre parents and caregivers are actively involved with the running of our centre and sessions. Our adults are supported on their Playcentre journey as they grow their knowledge of early childhood education and being a part of a parent co-operative.

The high adult to child ratios on session ensures balance and support for both group and individual play activities, and quality sessions and learning opportunities are able to be provided for our children.

No two days are the same at Lower Hutt Playcentre and sessions are planned based on our children’s current interests, however, activities that you will regularly find at our centre include painting, clay, play-do, music and dance, blocks and building, collage, water play, sandpit, large motor skills/physical play, puzzles, story telling, science and nature, baking, family and fantasy play, carpentry, messy play. We also have a baby-zone with dedicated heuristic baskets, and texture bags.

Lower Hutt Playcentre is an allergy friendly centre. We are egg and peanut free, and with numerous children who have special dietary considerations we request that children bring their own lunchboxes for morning tea. Hot drinks and morning tea for the adults is provided in the kitchen.

Feel free to pop in during our opening hours, or give us a call to arrange a time to visit to find out more about our centre and if it might be a good fit for your family.

Gracefield Early Childhood Centre is a "not for profit", community based Early Childhood Education Centre situated in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt, Wellington. We are based in a rural like setting; however remain close to the hub of Lower Hutt. 

Our Early Childhood Education centre, or kindergarten, is in a friendly homely villa styled abode, with a spacious outdoor area that is utilized in all seasons. We believe in providing positive foundations for learning where children become confident and capable learners in an environment that is stimulating, enriching and captures the interests and needs of the children at heart. Gracefield Early Childhood Centre proudly accepts all children from the ages of 6 months to 5 years.  

Gracefield Early Childhood Centre is a "not for profit", community based Early Childhood Education Centre situated in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt, Wellington. We are based in a rural like setting; however remain close to the hub of Lower Hutt. Our Early Childhood Education centre, or kindergarten, is in a friendly homely villa styled abode, with a spacious outdoor area that is utilized in all seasons. 

We believe in providing positive foundations for learning where children become confident and capable learners in an environment that is stimulating, enriching and captures the interests and needs of the children at heart. Gracefield Early Childhood Centre proudly accepts all children from the ages of 6 months to 5 years.

Chilton Preschool is nestled among the main Chilton Saint James school campus.  Our tree-lined outdoor setting and spacious indoor environment welcome children from the moment they set foot on the grounds.

Designed for learning, the Chilton Preschool programme invites children to explore, discover, and delight in the world around them.

Our experienced and highly dedicated teaching team deliver a balanced curriculum, combining a proven mix of free play and structured learning that includes a strong focus on early literacy and numeracy.

With full day and extended day options for 2 – 5 year old girls and boys, Chilton preschool also offers the 20 hours ECE subsidy.

The Wellington Early Intervention Trust (commonly referred to as WEIT) is an independent charitable trust accredited by the Ministry of Education to provide early intervention services to preschool children 0-5 years from the greater Wellington region.

WEIT offers a centre based programme for families who have a young child with developmental delays (physical, intellectual or behavioural). There are four specialist therapies;

• Music Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Speech Language Therapy
• Early Intervention Teaching

The children who come to the centre have many different kinds of disabilities, such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Aspergers, rare genetic disorders and developmental delays with no specific diagnosis.

WEIT is governed by a Board of Trustees made up of past and present parents who are responsible for the policies and governance of the centre. WEIT is funded by both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to provide these services.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A SESSION?

Each week the children attend a 2 ½ hour session with their parent or caregiver. There are only 4 or 5 children in a session. As well as group music the 4 therapists spend an individual 20 minute session with each of the children and their families, working together to develop practical strategies and to establish programmes that can be continued in the home and community.

HOW DO WE DEVELOP A CHILD’S INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN?

As a team we complete an holistic assessment of the child’s strengths and areas of need using a range of methods. While observation and interaction with the child is the most helpful tool, we also use standardised assessments which mean questionnaires and reports to fill out with families. These assessment tools are current, evidence based and help us to gain an overall picture of the child’s strengths and needs, and from there to develop their programme. Every 6 months an individual developmental plan or IDP is written, based on the holistic assessment of a child’s skills and ongoing needs. The family and the therapists come together to form the plan, and often the process will include other people such as staff from the child’s early childhood centre and health professionals.

HOW DO WE HELP INTEGRATE THE IDP INTO A CHILD’S EVERYDAY LIFE?

In addition to the weekly sessions, we co-ordinate with other services and agencies such as Orthotics or Audiology, their early childhood facility, and schools.

LIAISING WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES:

Often our families want help in choosing an early childhood centre for their child, so initially we can offer advice on the different options available. On an ongoing basis we also employ trained adults called Education Support Workers, or ESWs to work alongside the child for a period of time while they are at their early childhood centre. And most importantly, our ESWs work with centre staff towards the goals set in the child’s IDP.

HELP WITH TRANSITION TO SCHOOL:

We place a lot of emphasis on providing support for families during the process of transition to school. This involves visiting a range of schools to choose from, applying for appropriate funding support when in school, and referral onto the Special Education teams working in the chosen school.

Our therapists are accredited to complete assessments for equipment, for example wheelchairs or communication equipment, that will help the children in their early years and when they transition into school.