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Children’s best learning and memories take place in relationships with adults who matter and in nature. That’s why, at Kakapo Creek, we have taken special care to maintain reliable, long-term caregivers so that the child-teacher relationship is optimised. Moreover, we’ve designed an environment that is rich in nature. Our farm school is an optional extra and offers a fully outdoor learning experience once a week. Evidence shows that a childhood rich in nature is beneficial for children’s academic and social outcomes.
At Kakapo Creek, children spend time every day in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities, closely connected to teachers who know them and their families. Our teachers encourage a sense of wonder and delight in children, ensuring their natural curiosity, joy and energy are nurtured.
Kakapo Creek offers a sensible blend of planned, intentional teaching and learning and ample free play periods. Our days have structure and playful flexibility. Our teachers create individual learning plans for each child. These plans are shared with parents, and their feedback is invited. We use the New Zealand Te Whaariki framework as our curriculum while drawing on the international teaching and experience our teachers bring to our centre.
Each and every day, children are invited to join in learning opportunities including:
We provide excellent teacher:child ratios above and beyond MOE requirements. This ensures our teachers have time to build quality relationships with each child. All our classroom teachers work a 5 day week so that they are there when your child needs them.
At Kakapo Creek:
0-2 years old have an average ratio of 1:4
2-3 year olds have an average ratio of 1:6
3-5 year olds have an average ratio of 1:8
Come for a visit to see for yourself why Kakapo Creek is not only different, it’s better.
Children’s best learning and memories occur outdoors in nature – nature is our second best teacher (parents of course, are our first and best teacher). That’s why, at Kakapo Creek, we have taken special care in designing and maintaining an environment that is rich in nature. Children spend daily time exploring and learning in our mini forest/bush. We have planted our gardens to enhance children’s knowledge and experience of NZ flora and fauna. So expect your child to come home explaining to you how to make fire from Mahoe and how you can eat Kawakawa. And yes, we even make huts in the bush. On special occasions, like Matariki, we light fires under close supervision. Check out our virtual tour here.
Our playground is made from natural eco-sourced up cycled timbers.
At Kakapo Creek, children are surrounded by nature both within the classrooms and without. Every room allows children to be connected to nature and is well-ventilated. Nature is like a learning medicine that ignites creativity, curiosity, and discovery. Bugs, trees, flowers, leaves, our creek, eels, fish, and ducks all create an interest in learning for a child. Every classroom has abundant fresh air, sunshine and natural timbers. We are generously resourced with the best learning and play equipment available. Children have access to both indoors and outdoors throughout the day.
Our native grass roof enhances children’s immersion in nature from every space, while our courtyard (“Nga Hau e Wha”—where the four winds gather) provides a connection between all our classrooms.
Children have an abundant choice of outdoor play areas – bush, courtyard, sandpit, grassy hill . . .
Our native grass roof adds to the immersion in nature from every space a child is in while our courtyard (“Nga Hau e wha” – where the four winds gather) provides connection between all our classrooms.
Kakapo Creek has four classrooms. Two of them form our nursery and consist of an under-twos room with a 1:4 ratio and a 2-3-year-old classroom with a 1:6 ratio. The two other classrooms are mixed-age and are for children aged 3-6 with a 1:8 ratio.
We have deliberately chosen mixed-age, family-styled preschool classrooms for our three to five-year-olds. This promotes optimal social, emotional and academic development in children. Numerous scientifically validated studies support mixed-age classrooms as preferable over classrooms with a narrow age group. This is more natural and promotes harmonious relationships between children and adults. It also reduces the number of transitions, thereby allowing children to remain with the same teachers for their preschool years. We are dedicated to evidence-based practice, and mixed-age groups is one of many areas where evidence is strong. We have a 1:8 ratio for children aged 3-5 years.
The very best way to see how this model works is to come and visit us. We invite you to book a tour to experience Kakapo Creek with your child.
To read more about this, we have provided some links to academic papers and articles:
Benefits of Mixed Age Groups in an Early Childhood Setting
At Kakapo Creek, we love and value our teachers. Children thrive when the adults who care for them are happy, responsive and engaged. We support our teachers through full pay parity, excellent teacher-child ratios, generous non-contact time, abundant resources, and professional development. This results in happy, fun teachers who are better able to care for your child.
We have a 100% qualified-teacher ratio, and many teachers have international teaching experience. Furthermore our teachers come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds and speak a variety of languages. Our teachers have been carefully selected for their kind, warm and loving ways, along with their academic qualifications, experience and teaching skills. You will find our teachers exceptional.
At Kakapo Creek, our commitment to meaningful attachment relationships is unwavering. All our classroom teachers work five days a week, ensuring they are here when your child needs them. When a relief teacher is needed due to illness or holiday, we don’t use an agency. Instead, we draw on our own relievers who understand our philosophy and practice, our environment, and most importantly, know our children.
Our quadruple bottom line purpose and commitment to attachment-rich care for children inform every decision we make and how we interact with children. As such, we ask families who join Kakapo Creek to demonstrate their support of these values and principles by participating in our parent education programs offered each term (we expect parents to attend at least one parenting course a year) and to support our attachment-rich philosophy.
Privately owned and operated by Ian & Kaye McKean, Kakapo Creek is designed using the very best evidence based family research, incorporating attachment theory and neuroscience.
09 410 2181
Monday – Friday
7:30am – 5:30pm
409 – 411 Beach Rd,
Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand
