Making the right choice can feel hard
It can be hard to know where to start. There are heaps of great preschools, nurseries, kindergartens, playgroups & playcentres around the city.
Choosing a preschool or kindy
Getting started
If you ask any parent with a child in an ECE, they'll all tell you how their place is the best, which can make choosing one even more difficult!
We've done a bit of research and collated some information to help you get started:
1. Checking it out first
When choosing a child-care provider for your preschooler, we suggest you first visit the centre before choosing to commit. Things we reckon are important to consider:
- have a good look around the entire centre and see how well it is maintained
- chat with the teachers and get an idea of how they roll
- watch your child in the space and what they look to play with
- see how they interact with other kids, and
- see what activities are on offer.
You should get a good feel for the place, feel confident to send your child there, and know that they are happy with it too.
We also recommend you do some research, talk to parents or friends who've sent their kids there, visit some other centres to draw comparisons, and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions!
Read up on the Government's information on Early Childhood Education (ECE) care - learn about what to look for, and find out about ECE funding (up 20 hours per week) and whether you are entitled to other government subsidies.
2. Choosing a suitable centre
Check out the following resources which might help you decide which type of early learning centre is best for you:
- Kindergarten - most kindergartens accept children between 2 and 5 years and can have set morning and afternoon sessions for different age groups. Some also offer all-day education and care or part-day sessions.
- Playcentre - a parent-led service. Playcentres cater for children from birth to school age, and are run cooperatively by parents and member families.
- Te Kōhanga Reo - Te Kōhanga Reo offers a Māori immersion environment for tamariki and their whānau, and caters to tamariki from birth to school age. There are currently 5 Kōhanga Reo centres in Christchurch.
- Home based education and care - Home-based education and care is provided for groups of up to 4 children aged birth to 5 years in either the educator’s home or the child's home. Each educator must belong to a home-based service, which provides support through a coordinator who is a qualified and certificated ECE teacher. One example of a well-known in-home childcare provider is PORSE.
3. Where to start?
To get the ball rolling, search for an ECE provider in your area and call them for an initial chat, Have a look through the following resources:
- CINCH (Community Information Christchurch) - a directory of childcare centres in Christchurch, created by Christchurch City Libraries.
- Childcare Online - a directory of Christchurch childcare centres sorted by suburb.
- Use this map - to search for your closest centre.