About Us
The Park is a beautifully designed, purpose built Early Learning Centre located on the old Athletic Park rugby ground in Newtown.
At The Park we value the importance of relationships that provide the foundation for people to grow together, take risks and construct knowledge and understanding, through play. We believe that these values form a solid foundation for all children to become confident and capable lifelong learners.
Our ‘Village @ the Park’ retirement community is a unique aspect of our curriculum. We enjoy a special relationship with the retirement living complex through our Intergenerational Care Programme. Children and older adults experience planned and spontaneous interactions where they enjoy each others’ company and appreciate each others’ contributions within our community.
We have spacious environments that provide a range of opportunities for children to learn at their own pace. Our large natural outdoor environment encourages children to explore and discover the wonders of nature.
Please feel free to come and visit us, we would love to show you around our centre.
Our Team
The Educators believe that children learn and develop in an early childhood environment where they are happy and secure. We believe that the quality of the physical environment is essential to the well-being of the children and staff and that coupled with a quality educational programme, the parents will be confident that the choices they have made for their child’s education and care are the right ones. We also believe that quality Early Childhood experiences promote the development of the child and will increase the opportunity for success through the child’s life.
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Erica H.
Centre Manager
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Cecilia Woods
Administrator
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Abby Holden
Discoverers Team Leader
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Lydia Coe
Explorers Team Leader
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Chelsea Brassington
Adventurers Team Leader
Our Philosophy
We seek to honour Ti Tiriti o Waitangi and implement the principles of partnership, participation and protection alongside meaningfully integrating te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into our everyday practice.
Our curriculum is guided by Te Whāriki and we are inspired by the philosophies of Reggio Emilia and Respectful Infant Educaring (RIE) including natural movement, allowing tamariki to have agency of developing at their own pace.
Our values provide a foundation for the importance we place on manaakitanga as we strive to provide a caring, nurturing environment. We encourage risk taking and see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow resilience.
Tamariki have opportunities to be involved in a rich library of open-ended learning experiences, along with uninterrupted time to play. This supports the development of social competence, creativity, and imaginative play.
Building strong foundation skills in oral language, literacy and math are woven into our curriculum to support the ongoing success of every learner.
Health and sustainability are key elements of our curriculum creating a wairua approach to the whole foods menu that we offer. Tamariki are encouraged to show protection as they act as kaitiaki of our land, valuing papatūānuku as a rich source of learning and development.
Partnerships within our community are integral to the everyday life of our centre involving strong connections with whanau, Village At The Park and our local community.
We believe that all learners are born with immense potential, and we will support them to begin to realise that potential as we value their identity, language, and culture. This will prepare them to live confidently as valued members of society.