Childcare options in Milson

About us

Tiny Nation is home-based care and education with a difference.

We believe that children have the best chance to flourish when they have secure attachments and a strong sense of belonging in their early years. This foundation is key to emotional, physical and mental growth and wellbeing. From this nourished beginning, happy, healthy and well-adjusted young adults can grow.

Enquire today

We would love to match you with the ideal educator in your area so send us an enquiry here and we’ll be in touch to provide you with all the information you need to make the best choice for your family.

How we look after our families

• High quality education and care using only trained educators and qualified teachers

Because we believe in quality, not quantity, we only work with trained educators and qualified teachers, who by completing their training have proven their commitment to nurturing and caring for children. We find the best trained teachers and educators and support them to deliver their own unique early learning programmes in their own homes. We hand-pick them for their passion, commitment, experience and qualifications. We know that qualifications are an indicator of quality when it comes to early childhood education and we’re proud to represent 100% qualified educators and teachers.

• Family and educator self-matches

When you enquire with us as a family, we support you to self-match with a Tiny Nation educator of your choice. The choice factor is huge here – you get to choose the person you leave your child with when you can’t be there. You will choose your educator based on the needs of your family and child, your values, your own early learning philosophy and, most importantly, your connection with them. This allows you to find the perfect educator for your family – someone who will become a part of your support village and who will advocate fiercely for your child when you can’t. Isn’t this what we all want as parents?

• Small ratios of no more than four children to one educator

By choosing home-based early learning, you are choosing small groups and responsive relationships. Tiny Nation educators have no more than four pre-school children in their care at any given time, with no more than two under the age of two. This allows them to engage with their care children in meaningful ways, dedicating time to support their development and getting to know them deeply. Having small ratios of children per educator enables respectful interactions and authentic connections. Your child is not just a number at Tiny Nation.

• Nurturing, natural and familiar home environments

Home environments stir up comforting memories for all of us. We make personal connections with this kind of environment because it represents our childhood. It provides a strong sense of security and safety as we are able to seek comfort through the familiar. Early childhood education in home environments provide a calm and settled foundation for learning to occur. Children have the space to explore the community around them in real and authentic ways.

Our vision

To empower a nation of children to reach their full potential

Our guiding principles

Leadership / Ārahitanga

We encourage, empower and inspire our educators and teachers to contribute to our thinking and re-define what leadership looks like in early childhood education.

Relationship / Whanaungatanga

We are founded on consistent, familiar and nurturing relationships. It’s vital to take the time to understand, relate to and acknowledge each other as relationships are the soil from which everything else grows.

Partnership / Whakahoahoatanga

We are collaborative and work in partnership with parents and whānau, educators, the community and other like-minded services so that they can participate in and contribute to our journey.

These are our values

Authenticity / Mana Pono

This means being real and accountable. We partner with people who are aligned with our principles, values and beliefs so that we can all show up for our children in meaningful ways.

Belonging / Nō Konei Hoki

We affirm the identity, culture and language of our community and ensure staff, children, families and whānau know they have a place with us. Our environments and programmes are inclusive and our transitions are thoughtfully planned.

Communication / Kōrero

Reciprocal and responsive communication allows us to express ideas and feelings. We’re as passionate about listening as we are about being heard. We model effective communication so that our children become capable and confident communicators.

Our commitment to families

“Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti aroha o tatou mahi.

Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work.”

When you enrol as a family with Tiny Nation, we make a commitment to you as we journey together to provide your child with the love and care that they need to grow and flourish. For us, early childhood starts with care and ends with education. We know that no significant learning can occur without there first being a significant relationship. Your chosen educator becomes your child’s special person – their ‘go to’ in times of triumph and trouble. Someone who loves them just like you do and an extension of your family.

Welcome to Ruahine Milson Kindergarten where every child is supported to achieve their learning potential through a rich mix of spontaneous and structured play.

We offer a child-centred programme driven by children's strengths, interests, creativity and knowledge. Each child is encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and their actions, respecting their environment and the people in it.

At Ruahine Milson Kindergarten we have a rich environment with oral language and literacy embedded in many areas of the curriculum. Our teachers work alongside families in sharing strategies to support children, lending picture books for home.  This sets well alongside our continued work on building children's social competence, and strengthens relationships between kindergarten and home.

Our experienced and enthusiastic teachers welcome parents, whānau and members of the wider community to participate and share their knowledge, and excursions into our community happen regularly.  

Our environment is also a place for fun, forging friendships and learning about sustainability and caring for the world around us.  

Electronic portfolios of children's learning are shared with whānau, and children are encouraged to incorporate concepts of literacy, numeracy and science into their everyday kindergarten activities, making learning meaningful and relevant to them. We look forward to meeting you and your child as we journey into learning together.

Milson Kindergarten - Literacy and relationships  — Image by: Rka Central

Ruahine Kindergarten Milson is open Monday to Friday, 8.45am - 2.45pm, and closed over the Christmas and New Year break, as well as three weeks during the year when teachers are engaged in professional development (dates to be advised on enrolment).

Three, four and five year old's may attend our kindergarten up to 30 hours at no charge, a fee of $2.50 (inclusive of GST) is in place for tamariki under 3 years of age - ask our Head Teacher for a copy of our Terms of Trade.Welcome to Milson Kindergarten where every child is supported to achieve his or her learning potential through a rich mix of spontaneous and structured play. We offer a child-centred programme driven by children's strengths, interests, creativity and knowledge. Each child is encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and their actions, respecting their environment and the people in it.  Our experienced and enthusiastic teachers welcome parents, whanau and members of the wider community to participate and share their knowledge.    Electronic portfolios of children's learning are shared with whanau and children are encouraged to incorporate concepts of literacy, numeracy and science into their everyday kindergarten activities, making learning meaningful and relevant to them. We look forward to meeting you and your child as we journey into learning together.

We understand that one size doesn’t fit all and that each and every family has individual needs and aspirations for their tamariki. At little Monkeys we have three preschool services available to meet these needs. Each offering a unique philosophy, vision, teaching team and environment.

We do however share the same ideals that smaller environments foster secure relationships, establish trust and connect with key Kaiako. To reflect this we choose to have lower child to adult numbers in our Learning Centre and Preschool. This also creates an environment where we are better able to meet individual needs, maintain a high level of health and safety and form closer connections with your children.

At After school adventures, we also maintain higher then required number of adults working with the children and always have at least two staff members onsite at all times. We have two separate large open rooms for different activities and a smaller room for our teens to have some chill out space. We also have access to a large outdoor grass area which we access most days.

Our Story

Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia o tātou mahi : Let the uniqueness of the child guide your work.

At Little Monkeys we believe that all children are taonga and unique and it is our responsibility to guide, encourage and support them in their educational journey.

Little Monkeys first came to life in 2008 when Little Monkeys Learning Center was opened.

We wanted a childcare for our children and for all children that enabled them to thrive and grow and to offer them a love of learning and a solid educational foundation.

We saw each child as unique, wonderful and whole and through passionate teachers, amazing ratios and quality and fun learning opportunities we have been privileged to watch hundreds of children reach milestones and thrive as young learners and people.

We wanted to create a service that wrapped around the whole whānau, offering support and guidance when needed and for families to have a place where they could come to in times of need.

Children are always at the forefront of everything we do at Little Monkeys and we do whatever we can to remove all barriers for learning.

He taonga te mokopuna, kia whāngaia, kia tipu, kia rea : A child is a treasure, to be nurtured, to flourish, to grow.