Childcare options in Plimmerton

Our kindergarten is located in the beautiful seaside village of Plimmerton, in Porirua. We benefit from amazing community support and involvement here, strong relationships with our local schools, and have a hard working fundraising committee.     

A unique and innovative aspect of our programme is Bush Sprouts - Nga Tipuranga o te Ngahere. The ten oldest children spend one whole kindergarten day in the bush every week. Teaching in the bush is based on the philosophy of Forest Kindergarten, and aims to give children open-ended opportunities for learning and challenge and a real connection with the natural environment.     

Another unique aspect of our curriculum is our Te Ara Tatahi (beach) programme.  The next 30 oldest children head out on adventures to our local beach.  This is again grounded in promoting the care and ongoing relationship with nature.  Our kaiako are passionate about creating a culture of manaakitanga/care and kindness between each other and the environment, promoting kaitiakitanga/guardianship of our natural world.  Kaiako are skilled in developing children’s social competence through our robust induction process.        

We have a deep commitment to inclusive education, with an intentional teaching lense.  We value the child for who they are and know they learn best in a learning environment which embraces their individual skill and developmental level.   Working in partnerships with whanau we support each learner from our 2/3 year olds through to supporting tamariki in their transition to kura.   We celebrate and embrace diversity and believe children learn best when they and their family’s home culture and experience is valued and where they are treated equitably and with dignity.

Sand Dunes ELC is a privately owned and locally run Early Learning Centre. We are an innovative centre providing high quality education and dedicated care to all families in our community. We believe in providing a home away from home environment where families are supported in their philosophies and beliefs in child development.  

We offer a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment, rich in resources and enthusiastic teachers. Our daily program emphasises the importance of family and community involvement, autonomy, creativity, social competence and problem solving.  We believe in providing an environment and curriculum that lay the foundations of our children’s footsteps for the future.   

We are located in Plimmerton surrounded by sheep filled hill sides, native bush and a coastal village. We recognise the value of ‘kiwi kids’ in respect of our back yard being our learning canvas. We have our own animal farm empowering learning through the natural world.