Te Kawau Playcentre

At Te Kawau Playcentre we run mixed aged sessions from Monday to Thursday where anyone can attend from ages birth to six. Friday’s are our special ‘lunchbox club’ sessions run for our 4 – 6 year olds. These sessions are more structured in order to prepare the Tamariki for the classroom environment and they all bring along lunch to eat together at this session. 

 Te Kawau Playcentre aims to provide something for everyone. We base our play around 16 key areas; family play, science, art/collage, outside play, music, carpentry, clay, play dough, paint, blocks, cooking, sand, water and books/library. We love to extend the interests of the Tamariki and venture on many outings ranging from a simple bike ride or walk or stroll with the doll prams around the block, walks to the local sale yards, visits to the local school pet days and productions as well as adventures further afield like the beach, bush walks at Mt Lee’s or the Manawatu gorge walk and visits to Te Manawa, to name a few.

Te Kawau Playcentre recognises parents as the best first teachers and our philosophy is strongly focused around children learning through their own initiated play. We have trained ECE educators on session as well as a parent help roster system to ensure a fun and safe environment for our Tamariki. We are government funded and operate under ECE licensing and we also follow the early Childhood curriculum of Te Whariki.

You are entitled to 3 free no obligation visits and we encourage you to come along on different days to see what works for you and your family.

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!