OUR PHILOSOPHY
Relationships
Whanaungatanga
Relationships are at the heart of everything we believe in
Through connecting with the world around them, children can discover and nurture the essence of their own being.
Collaborative partnerships within our community, aim to foster a shared language of love, kindness and respect, allowing us to know our families and nourish their cultural identity.
Through an environment rich in authentic relationships, children are emotionally fulfilled and ready to delight in a journey of learning and self-discovery.
Curiosity
Māhirahira
We believe curiosity is the driving force of learning
Thoughtfully questioning individuals who are passionately curious, playfully resourceful and relentless in their quest for understanding, are who we believe will leave a positive footprint on the world.
Curiosity is fostered through an environment rich in opportunities, time and space, and nurtured by loving teachers.
We are born with multiple intelligences, and multiple ways of expressing ourselves, and we believe in empowering children to explore and embrace these through their learning journey.
Nurture
Whangai
We believe in nourishing the earth, to in turn nourish our bodies.
Nutritional health and physical well-being are nurtured in our community, through our sustainability efforts and nutritionist-approved menus.
Wholesome meals are lovingly prepared for our growing children. In growing our own gardens we are learning how to nourish our bodies and live sustainably, while fostering connections with the land and respect for the earth.
OUR CURRICULUM
As with our Centre Philosophy, our learning programme is underpinned by Te Whāriki, The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, and recognises the uniqueness of The Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi). We acknowledge that the Treaty is seen as a commitment to Māori and all other New Zealanders living together in the spirit of honourable relationships, with the promise to work together in partnership, participation and protection. We are dedicated and committed to honouring the Treaty, and we place significant importance on being an Early Childhood Education service that weaves core kaupapa Māori into our own core values and centre philosophy.
We draw inspirational influence from the work of Pennie Brownlee and from the teachings of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The natural environment is important to us, hence we have started our own sustainability journey and include these practices into our learning programme. This includes growing our own vegetable and herb gardens, fruit trees, worm farms, compost bins, and collecting rain water. We view the environment as a crucial element in triggering children’s curiosity. We take pride in our environments by thoughtfully considering the use of space, colour, light, learning resources and by creating beautiful invitations for children to explore and navigate through their play. We provide an abundance of natural and authentic resources offering unlimited learning experiences for the children.
Our beautiful villa houses three thoughtfully designed indoor learning spaces catering to different age groups and developmental levels of children. These rooms are fondly named Sweet Peas, Bluebells and Cherry Blossoms, and each have an adjoining outdoor play area. The Sweet Peas have their own separate outdoor area, and the Bluebells and Cherry Blossoms Rooms share 2 large outdoor spaces. Our outside cottage houses our Atelier room (Art room).
