Parent Info

Kindy Cottage welcomes families from all over the North Shore, including:  Albany, Browns Bay, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Rothesay Bay, Torbay as well as the suburbs of Pine Hill, Sunnynook, Rosedale, Unsworth Heights and Windsor Park.

Our early learning centre is licensed for 38 children and is open from 7.30am to 5.30pm, all year round except for statutory holidays and weekends. Children can attend for full days or short day. Children attend at least three days a week, and our fees are dependent on the days attended and the ages of your children.

We provide nutritious meals including healthy morning, lunch and afternoon tea.

Curriculum

Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum guides and inspires our work. Your child’s innate ability to learn will be sensitively supported by our uniquely qualified and highly experienced staff.

Our daily program focuses on building social and emotional skills through play-based activities, physical development through movement and exercise, and creativity by incorporating the arts and music.

We value each child as a unique and special person whose choices help to guide the course of our daily programme, such as:

• music and movement (supported by AbleKids)

• carpentry

• art and crafts

• pottery experience

• gardening

• loose part play

Healthy and fresh meals for our children

Kindy Cottage teams up with Nurture Kids to provide healthy and fresh meals for our children. Nurture Kids is a locally owned and operated food catering company established in 2017 by owners Frith Griggs and Kristin Burns. The meals are cooked from scratch, using the best quality and seasonal ingredients.

Nurture Kids has a great reputation for providing high-quality catering in the Auckland early childhood sector. They work to provide a daily menu that meets a variety of children’s food needs, reflecting the diversity of cultures and the unique needs of a centre. They deliver on their commitment to provide quality food and service. Nurture Kids have an excellent reputation, and recently they have been selected as the preferred supplier for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme.

FAQ’s

• What are the hours of operation for the centre?

  Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5.30pm.

• What session options are offered?

  We have several session options:

  Full time - 7:30am to 5:30pm

  A 7-hour day 9:00am-4:00pm

• Does Kindy Cottage close at anytime during the year?

  No, Kindy Cottage is open throughout the year and is only closed on statutory days and weekends.

• How do I pay fees?

  Fees are paid weekly in advance by direct bank transfer. Fees are paid weekly for the sessions booked.

• Do I pay fees when my child is on holiday and not attending Kindy Cottage?

  All children enrolled at Kindy Cottage receive two weeks holiday discount of 50% each calendar year. These two weeks can be taken at anytime that best suits you. The child must be enrolled at Kindy Cottage for at least 6 months before there is eligibility to use the 2 week discounted holiday period. At the time of taking the holiday your fees account must be paid up to date.

  These holidays cannot be carried forward from year to year.

• Can my child bring a favourite personal toy?

  Kindy Cottage is well resourced for children's play and we ask that you do not send personal toys from home unless these are special comfort toys which are essential for sleeping or settling/ security needs.

• How many children is Kindy Cottage licensed for?

  The Ministry of Education has licensed Kindy Cottage for 38 children, 12 under 2 year olds and 26 over 2 year olds.

• How many children are in the Caterpillar Room?

  Typically there are 9 children or less in the Caterpillar Room.

• I have 2 children, one would be in the Caterpillar Room and the other is over 3 years, would the children see each other and spend time together during the day?

  Yes, while the two classrooms are separated by a low partition, Kindy Cottage is an open plan centre where siblings can spend time together during the day. The playground is shared and all teachers at the centre know all the children across all age groups.

• What ratio of teachers to children do you have at Kindy Cottage?

  We have a very favourable teacher to child ratio in the Caterpillar Room of 1:3 and in the Butterfly Room 1:8.

• How do I find out what my child has been doing and learning at Kindy Cottage?

  We recognise the importance of communication with parents about their child, we do this through:

  daily communication book for each child in the Caterpillar room

  An overview of the days events are captured in our Daily Diary which are prepared for both our Caterpillars and Butterflies.

  child’s individual interests for the month are recorded on pin boards

  multiple learning stories and "snippets" each month are created and maintained in each child’s portfolio and also available online on a secure website

  parent/ teacher conversations at the start and end of each day

  parents can call during the day for any reason

• Do I provide nappies for my child?

  Yes, please provide nappies that are named along the fold. This ensures that your child receives the correct nappies that suit him/her.

• Do you offer a programme to help the transition between Kindy Cottage and primary school?

  Yes, Kindy Cottage runs a "Transition To School" Programme for 2-5 year olds, this helps prepare the child for transition into the New Entrant Class at school. Our programme is highly rated by local primary schools.