Continue your learning journey with City Kids
City Kids is a licensed Early Childhood Education provider that supports families/whānau and their children over 2 years of age, with both full-time and part-time education options. We offer an incredible learning environment for your child, incorporating nature through our huge outdoor area, and we provide a nutritious morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a late snack, all prepared by our onsite cook, taking into account the elements of a balanced healthy diet as well as any individual requirements. 

We have high teacher to children ratios, meaning a teacher to guide, help or support children is close by at all times.  Throughout the day there are at least four teachers working with the children and additional support during food/kai times.

City Kids is open 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, all year with the exception of statutory holidays and two weeks over the Christmas period. We also have two Teacher Only days which we use to plan specific education experiences for each child, prepare our offsite excursion activities and create new resources for the children.   
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We create individual, private e-portfolios for each of our children, which are made available to parents and other family members you may like to share with. Throughout the week we update parents and whānau with photos, videos and stories about your child's day, special events and new experiences. 
​We use the Storypark app to record our children's learning stories as it allows parents and whānau to add their own stories and make comments on the children's learning stories. This e-portfolio belongs to your family, and you can take it with you when your child is ready to move on from City Kids to school.
We currently have two FULL TIME and three PART TIME spaces available for children over 2 years old. 
​Come and visit us!
City Kids Childcare Inc
21A Tinakori Road, Thorndon.
​Phone: (04) 473 1947.
Look forward to meeting you and your whānau!
Our Kaupapa
Our vision for City Kids is to create an inclusive, where tamariki feel nurtured, valued, and secure. We empower ākonga to be lifelong learners, with active engagement from whānau and the wider community. 

We are committed to the principles of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa – the strands of the woven mat for the children of New Zealand. Our Kaupapa are:

Ako
Teach and Learn.

Whanaungatanga
Forming and maintaining relationships and strengthening ties between kin and communities.

Manaakitanga
Showing respect, welcoming, generosity, kindness, and care for our whānau and communities.

Kaitiakitanga
Guardianship and protection, for the sky, the sea, and the land. 

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Be Kind, Be Safe
We place strong emphasis on our environment providing a high level of caring and kind interactions.  Our mantra is "Be kind, Be safe".  It creates a strong foundation where our children experience an environment that promotes respect, empathy, trust and friendship.

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Parent and Whānau Aspirations
Our vision and our philosophy leads our commitment to working in partnership with our families/whānau and to be responsive to their aspirations for their children's learning.
Heritage, Location and Community

City Kids has been operating since 1986 from a beautiful double storied, double bay Villa in Thorndon, Wellington.  It provides a very large, natural outdoor area, where our children spend a lot of time engaging with nature and our environment, under the cover of shade sails.

City Kids is a not-for-profit early childhood education centre and is owned and managed by the parents whose children attend, meaning that the centre exists to serve our families and children.  Parents have oversight and governance of all the centre does, and all it plans to do.  Any profit from the centre is invested straight back into playground equipment, learning resources, activities, excursions and other improvements. 

​The City Kids premises are owned by all current parents and the teaching team and are governed by a group which any parent is invited to join. 
Our Commitment to You​
  • We will introduce new experiences, challenges and discoveries in addition to providing educational and creative programs that are based on individual and group interests and observations.
 
  • We promote open and honest communication with our families, respecting their understanding of children and opinions on how to best support and nurture them.
 
  • We strongly encourage family involvement and feedback into the development and delivery of our educational programmes.
 
  • We will provide a learning environment which creates a positive sense of self and confidence is instilled.  We do this by encouraging and supporting our children to work through challenges, view mistakes as part of learning, and take positive, creative actions to solve problems.
 
  • We put a lot of effort into creating experiences that reflect and embrace the cultures of Aotearoa and each of the international cultures of our children by learning about and celebrating important international cultural days and events.
 
  • We provide a safe, fun, homelike, nature oriented and inclusive environment for our children to play, explore, and develop positive social interactions and memories.
Passion, Expertise and Support
Our Curriculum is based on the Ministry of Education's Early Childhood Curriculum, called Te Whāriki.  We use the curriculum Assessment and Planning Filter of noticing, recognising, responding, recording and revisiting to support our spontaneous interactions and our planned experiences.
 
Our excellent teacher to child ratio ensures your child is individually encouraged to inquire and explore at their own pace, with a teacher readily available to support them and extend their learning and interest by asking questions and listening to what is driving their curiosity.

A daily schedule ensures there are "time markers" for children to understand the pace of each day, focusing on routine times and planned daily music and literacy experiences.​
Still have questions? Please contact our Centre Manager on 04 473 1947, or email us at [email protected]