Childcare options in Kelburn

Welcome to Aurea Preschool & Nursery

At Aurea, we believe every child deserves a golden beginning. We are committed to providing a warm, empowering and enriching environment where Tamariki develop into confident explorers and lifelong learners through positive learning experiences inspired by Te Whāriki, New Zealand's early childhood curriculum.

As a privately owned early childhood education provider, we pride ourselves on building strong relationships with children, whānau and our local communities. We welcome children from birth until they begin primary school. We warmly welcome visits and encourage you to come and meet our teaching team and experience Aurea in action.

Our Philosophy

At Aurea, we provide a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment where children thrive through meaningful relationships with people, places and the natural world. We believe that strong partnerships between tamariki, teachers and whānau create the foundation for confident, capable learners.

Our play-based curriculum balances child-led exploration with intentional teaching, allowing children to follow their interests while being supported through thoughtfully planned learning experiences. These include:

• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
• Literacy and language development
• Creative arts and imaginative play
• Physical development and active learning
• Opportunities to build confidence, resilience and independence

Why Families Choose Aurea

• Caring, experienced and passionate teaching team that nurture children’s social and emotional wellbeing by encouraging empathy, self-awareness, curiosity and critical thinking.
• A diverse, multicultural team that celebrates different cultures, languages and perspectives where every child and family feels welcomed and valued.
• Every child is recognised as a unique individual with their own strengths, interests and learning journey.
• Our daily programme that reflects the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and celebrates the identity, culture and aspirations of all tamariki and their whānau.
• Inspiring indoor and outdoor learning environments.
• Rich learning experiences including literacy, STEM, art and creative play.

Growing Together

We understand that choosing an early childhood centre is an important decision. Our goal is to create a place where children feel a true sense of belonging, develop confidence, build friendships and thrive as they begin their learning journey.

• THIS CENTRE HAS 250 -300 ON THE WAITLIST

Clermont Terrace provides care and education for children from birth to five years. The centre provides an inclusive community atmosphere where children of all ages can interact and siblings of different ages can be together.

Traditionally Clermont Terrace has enrolled children of university staff only. Increasingly, families using this centre are students who are at the Kelburn and Pipitea Campus or caregivers working around the Lambton Quay/Thorndon area.

Children are cared for in three age-based programmes but are able to interact across the age range during parts of the day.

Clermont Terrace has recently been refurbished and is located on a flat, sunny and sheltered section with a large garden for the children to enjoy.

All food is provided, and a weekly menu is displayed for families. Dietary requirements are catered for, so you can be sure of your child’s wellbeing. Parents are just required to provide bottles and nappies.

Our Clermont Terrace Centre is open Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to 5.15 pm and offers a range of session options. We have a minimum booking requirement of two full days or four sessions per week. We need children to have a number of settling in visits before their start date to enable them to become comfortable with the centre and to meet the staff.

Kelburn Playcentre has been supporting tamariki from birth to 6 years to learn in a warm, encouraging, family-based environment since 1941. We are a parent-led cooperative committed to the Playcentre philosophy that parents are the first and best educators of their children, and that children learn best through play. We believe in empowering adults and children to play, learn, and grow together; in providing ongoing educational opportunities for our parent volunteers; and in the educational benefits of messy, noisy and child-directed play.

Our large, purpose-designed space adjacent to Kelburn Normal School offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor play equipment – everything from books to read, painting and art supplies, dolls, duplo and musical instruments to a sandpit, swings and slide, bubble wands, trampolines and big muscle climbing equipment. There is no such thing as a “typical” session at Kelburn Playcentre. Our wealth of resources and the diverse experiences, skills and interests that our parents bring means that new ideas are constantly being brought forward and no two days are the same.

A Kelburn Playcentre parent needs to be prepared to get stuck in and get their hands dirty – or if that’s not your thing you might prefer building… or reading stories… or making an obstacle course… In return we offer a strong adult education programme, a supportive and friendly environment, and plenty of tea and coffee.

If you’d like to come along and find out if our whanau is right for yours, we’d love to welcome you for three no-obligation visits. We run mixed-age sessions for tamariki aged birth to six years on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Wednesday our Pikopiko session is for tamariki aged birth to 2.5 years, and their families. All sessions run from 9am to 12pm.