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Our Programme
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Hours available: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm (Monday – Friday)
Open 50 weeks of the year. Annual close down is usually between Christmas and New Year observances. (Closed for all statutory holidays).
School day session: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Full day session: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Owner/Licensee: Catherine Holden
Centre Manager: Vanessa Maguire
Licensed for 50 children in total per day:
Tui Room (6months- 2.5years)
This room can cater for up to 22 Under Two’s aged 6 months and above to 2, 2.5yrs (dependent on children’s needs in relation to transitioning)
Find out more about the Tui's Daily Routine
Kiwi Room (2.5years-5years)
The numbers of the children in this room are dependent on the balance of spaces available once the under two spaces have been taken into consideration, however this is a very large space and can cater for many more children than attend. (From 2-2.5yrs- 5 years of age)
Find out more about the Kiwi's Daily Routine
Transition to School/ Four Year Old Programme
Four year olds are offered their own group time to build and extend on knowledge already gained. There will be some emphasis on literacy, phonics and numeracy skills as children’s personal interests develop in these areas. However, the main purpose of these group times is to foster children’s love of learning while developing children’s concentration, co-operation and communication skills in preparation for a classroom environment. This group time is optional for the children and although they will be encouraged to join in they will not be forced. You can find information about the four year olds programme in the Pukeko room (situated off the Kiwi room).
Find out more about our Four Year Old's Programme Philosophy
Find out more about our Four Year Old's Daily Routine
Stretch and Grow Programme
At Acorn, as part of our programme, we offer Stretch and Grow classes to our children (at no extra cost). This happens once a week with ‘Coach Charlie’ who comes to our centre to assist children in learning about music, movement, exercises and staying healthy and safe. We aim to rotate the day that Coach Charlie comes each term to enable us to try and meet all children’s days on our roll. This is a fabulous class and has many benefits for children.
Maori lessons and waiata with Celess from Orakei Marae
At Acorn, we also believe in promoting all cultures. As part of our NZ heritage, we are fortunate enough to have Celess from our local Marae visit with us once a week to play games, sing maori songs and teach us about Maori history and culture. There is no additional cost for this.
Special Needs
Please inform us of any specific dietary requirements your child has. Severe food allergies or intolerances will be treated with respect to the child concerned. Two copies of this should be given to the centre, one for the cook, the other kept on file. Please avoid nuts, and nut products as a food option.
In planning for children with Special Needs, we may use the help of trained specialists from Special Education Services to determine the best outcomes for your child.
Educational Focus
We value the child as a whole child and this includes their emotional, social, cultural and creative development, as well as their physical and cognitive skills.
We believe that the best way to develop children’s skills and knowledge, is by encouraging them in self directed learning, discovery and play. Research shows that children learn best when they are choosing learning in relation to their own interests.
With this in mind, we follow a format of :
Notice: Where we observe/notice children’s learning and interests, behaviour, interactions, dispositions, strengths, challenges and interactions within their environment.
Recognise: We look at and recognise what learning, social roles, behaviour, dispositions are valued by the child/ren and what learning is taking place. We look to see what knowledge, skills, culture and interests we can focus on or develop with them.
Respond: We use various teaching strategies, planning, reading, resources and experiences to respond to and extend and develop the child or children further to support their learning and development.
The above Notice, recognise and respond format will be used when we consider the following layers of planning-
Planning for an individual child: In response to their strengths and interests.
Planning for a group: Interests that have significance for a wider group.
Planning inspired by teachers: Based on interests, strengths, passions and ideas or initiatives.
We really welcome input from parents, so if you have any information about an interest or area of learning to develop that you have noticed at home, please discuss this with one of our staff.
In partnership with our own learning programme above, we incorporate Te Whariki. This is the New Zealand early childhood curriculum document published by the Ministry of Education in 1996.
Teachers use the goals in this context to help them plan for children’s needs and interests during their early childhood years.
Te Whariki - a Maori term meaning the weaving together of a mat, refers to the principles and strands that interconnect with each other.
The 4 Principles are: Empowerment, Holistic Development, Family & Community and Relationships.
The 5 strands are: Well-being, Belonging, Contribution, Communication and Exploration.
You may ask to see or borrow this document once your child is enrolled, you can learn more about this here.
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