About Us

Our Philosophy

Children have a right to a positive childhood

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn.” (Benjamin Franklin)

We embrace the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This guides us in our bicultural approach and all that we do. All languages, identities and cultures are recognised to ensure educational success is in our learning journeys. We show and encourage passion: about life itself and the enjoyment of learning.

Our place is a respectful and nurturing environment where we feel confident to express and explore our own ideas. (Respect/Manaakitanga)

Ours is a place in the community where expression, creativity and friendships grow, where we focus on literacy, numeracy, imagination, and exploration all through fun and involvement which is our key to learning. We provide the environment and resources needed to discover and pursue new interests, and we foster inquisitive minds with encouragement and support. (Participation/Ako)

We believe that relationships are paramount, it is the heart of our centre, our community and our mahi. We maintain positive connections with our whānau, our local community and our iwi. We especially celebrate being part of New Zealand, Leeston and the surrounding areas.

We believe that the environment is our teacher and that language, in its many forms, is the vehicle of culture. Our mahi is to develop capable, competent, and resilient people who are willing to give back to their communities in the future. (Partnerships/Whanaungatanga)

Me te rongo, kai mahio: Ma te mōhio: Ma te marama, ka matau, Ma te matau ka ora.
(Through resonance comes cognisance; through awareness comes understanding; through understanding comes knowledge; through knowledge comes life and wellbeing.)

Children Playing at Children First Preschool

About the Centre

We are a licenced ECE centre with the hours of 7:30 am to 5.30 pm. We are flexible, offering those who require different hours fortnightly, weekly or monthly the freedom to change as they need.

Our licence is displayed on the parents’ notice board next to the sign-in desk.

You are also welcome to view our ERO report

We recommend that you view our policies and reviews which are available to you at any time. When these are updated, we will encourage you to share your comments and thoughts. Any parent/guardian comments will be greatly appreciated and valued.

As always whānau involvement is valued, so please feel welcome to call in, email or ring at any time.

Our hourly rate is $7.00 with a minimum enrolment of 2 sessions.

  • There are no minimum hours to be enrolled in per session.
  • We also offer 20 ECE hours for children 3 years old and over.
  • Fees are charged at the hourly rate and will be calculated from the start of the enrolled session time or the time of arrival (whichever is earlier), until the time of departure or end of the enrolled session (whichever is the latter).
  • Accounts will be made available via email each week. Interest will be charged on any overdue accounts.
  • Unused enrolled hours will be charged at the normal rate.
  • An early dropoff/late pickup charge will be $25 per hour or part thereof.

We welcome parents and guardians to apply for a WINZ Childcare subsidy. Please see the manager if you wish for any assistance with this.

The centre receives Ministry of Education funding each year, this is to help cover staffing costs and to buy and maintain equipment. This amount can be found on the parent notice board for your convenience.

We are closed every public holiday and for a 2-week period over Christmas. You will not be charged fees for public holidays or over Christmas closure.

In addition to this we offer up to (depending on your child’s enrolment) 15 days at half rate should you wish to enjoy time with your child. For this to occur you must email the centre approximately 2 weeks before.

When starting preschool, it’s an exciting time however, it can be a daunting time for both you and your child.

We recommend at least three settling sessions before their start date. These are times when you come and join in on our activities, helping your child get to know the teachers and routine. Please allow the teacher to interact and care for some of their needs, this will help gain trust and belonging to the preschool. You are not charged for the time you are with your child.

Please remember to never sneak away from your child, let your child know you are going and that you will be back. This protects their trust in you.

Please feel free to talk to your child’s teacher with any concerns regarding your child settling into preschool

In our place we have respect for ourselves, others, our environment, and our community.

In our place we are learning and growing through fun, risk taking and challenging experiences.

In our place we nurture express and manage our feelings and needs.

In our place we like to recognise and respect the uniqueness of languages, identity and culture of all learners.

In our place we gain trust by building responsive and reciprocal relationships.

In our place we value and grow creative and inquisitive minds.

Our vision is to support all children to become great citizens of the community that we can all be proud of.

Aroha, Love

Kotua, Respect

Tiakitanga, Trust

Katakata, Fun

No current vacancies

Parent’s Testimonials
Anna Hayes

Lovely staff who really care about the kids x

Genevieve Williams

The staff are fantastic, caring and creative. Great playground and great daily routine. My kids love the time they spend there. I definately recommend this pre-school.