Our Rooms
We have five spacious age-specific rooms, each with their own outdoor area.
Infants (Kakapo and Tuatara Rooms)
These rooms are for our children aged 3 months to just over 2 years. Infants need to build secure attachments to consistent caregivers for their social and emotional wellbeing and development. Therefore, we promote a responsive and stable environment with a team of teachers who develop a special awareness of each child’s physical, cognitive and emotional development and learning that is supported through role modelling, routines and repetition. Our teacher/child ratio is 1:4 or lower and while our infant rooms are licensed to 25, we limit numbers to 20 in order facilitate a calm and quality care environment.
We supply nappies and meals. Our menu provides for purees through to whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables and is prepared by our onsite cook. Bottles and formula are supplied by parents. Parents may arrange with the team leader to bring breakfast to the centre prior to 8am (but reheat only no cooking).
Daily routine: We follow each child’s individual daily routine, with a balance of selected and pre-planned activities. There are shared meal times and mat times each day, where children enjoy music and movement, stories and other fun group activities. Age appropriate resources and experiences including weekly music classes to extend learning and development. Infants have the same resources and equipment as the Toddler rooms but on a smaller scale (eg family play area, little tables and chairs, and outdoor climbing equipment).
Sleep policy: Children do not share linen and are physically checked at least every seven minutes and times recorded.
Daily information: There are daily records kept of nappy changes, sleep times, bottles and what children have had for morning and afternoon tea and lunch. For children under 1, more detail is recorded in a small book. Parents can also use this book to communicate with teachers anything that has happened at home (e.g. a restless night’s sleep).
Toddlers (Pukeko and Tui Rooms)
Equipped for our 2 to 4 year olds, the teacher/child ratios in our Toddler rooms is 1:8 or lower and rooms are licensed for up to 30 children. Rooms are well resourced with a wide range of activities designed to facilitate positive learning outcomes for children. Children and parents are supported with toilet training and through consultation, a routine is agreed. We provide a readiness checklist and guidelines to help parents. Our toileting areas are built with small children in mind and are fitted with small toilets and handwashing facilities at children’s height.
Daily routine: The daily routine consists of age appropriate activities and experiences designed to stimulate and challenge thinking and build independence. Teachers tap into children’s interests to incorporate literacy and maths into daily activities. Extracurricular activities include weekly music classes to extend children’s learning and development and are funded by Lollipops Educare. Playball is also offered for $10 per week.
Sleep policy: Children do not share linen; sleep is from 12.30 to 2.30pm. Teachers remain in the room during this time, for those that do not sleep it is a rest time.
Preschoolers (Kiwi Room)
The Kiwi room is where our 4 to 5 year olds prepare to transition to primary school. Our teacher/child ratio is 1:8 and the room is licensed for up to 30 children. The environment is well resourced and provides challenges and support for preschoolers widening interests and the development of key social competencies.
Daily routine: The daily routine is semi structured with age appropriate activities and experiences designed to challenge and expand their capabilities and problem solving skills as they get ready to transition to school. Our Rising Fives programme fosters school readiness in preschoolers and a school readiness profile is incorporated into their individual development plan. Teachers extend children’s interests in literacy, maths and the wider world by providing experiences linked to these. Extracurricular activities include weekly music classes to extend children’s learning and development. These are funded by Lollipops Educare. Playball is also available for $10 a week.