First Years Learning Centre is a place where children can learn and grow alongside committed educators in facilitating the foundations for lifelong learning. Educators are committed to providing and maintaining the aspirations of the Early Childhood Curriculum.

All educators strive to support children alongside their families in a partnership to;

“… grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.” (Te whāriki)

Staff are dedicated to ensuring that their teaching practices are child initiated, valuing each child’s individual cultures while committed to celebrating the dual heritage of Aotearoa. Staff acknowledge and respect that each child and their families are one of a kind. Teachers value the individual cultural dynamics that make up a family and respect that these are what makes each family unique.

We provide a child initiated learning programme where learning occurs through every interaction that teachers have with the children. We believe that play is central to learning and is strengthened through conversations with teachers who have knowledge of how to extend their learning process. We value holistic development which reflects the holistic way that a child learns.

We acknowledge the importance of the first few years of a life and believe that they are essential for setting the foundations for lifelong learning. We understand and value the importance of creating connections in the brain which develop through environment, interactions and experiences and that these need to be positive, constructive, and educational as these connections help shape a child’s views, feelings, thoughts and attitudes for life.

We value communication and working in partnership with parents. We value reciprocal and responsive relationships because we know that families and community are an integral part of a child’s learning. As parents and whānau you are the child’s first teacher and we look forward to seeking guidance, sharing knowledge and working in partnership with you.

We value our teacher’s commitment to building their knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to be the best possible educators they can be. At First Years, we believe that educators, children and their families should be empowered in order to reach their full potential.