Lower Waitaki Playcentre

Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Lower Waitaki Playcentre.

At Lower Waitaki Playcentre we strive to be a centre that provides a strong foundation for confident, curious and resilient learners, affirmed in their positive relationships with others. We are a community of learners. We firmly acknowledge the part that our rural community and wider whanau play in learning. Children at Lower Waitaki Playcentre set their own pace for learning and alongside Te Whariki we incorporate strong play based models. We provide quality education, grounded in the knowledge that mana whenua (belonging) is the backbone of Lower Waitaki Playcentre. A place where warmth and community spirit are alive and well.

At Playcentre, early childhood education is a shared journey. We value parents as the first and best educators for their tamariki, which is why parents attend alongside their tamariki – to play, learn and grow together.

Whether you have a new pēpī, preschooler, or are new to a community, Playcentre provides a place for whānau and communities to come together.

If you care for tamariki aged 0-6, we invite you to visit and experience our affordable, unique, and child-led environment. Our centres encourage learning through free play and nurture imagination, confidence, and connection.

We also offer more specialised sessions where there is a real focus on the needs of newborns to 1 year olds, as well as the support and friendship of other new parents at our Space sessions.  

Our licensed early learning centres follow the Ministry of Education’s world-leading bicultural curriculum, Te Whāriki, offering 16 different areas of play set up to cater for different interests, skills, ages and abilities.

We also provide a free, NZQA-approved, adult education programme for enrolled whānau to add practical strategies and skills to your parenting toolbox.

We offer three visits before you enrol. Arrange a visit today and experience our supportive, fun and friendly community for yourself!