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At Kakapo Creek, we have deliberately chosen mixed-age, family-styled preschool classrooms for our three to five-year-olds. This environment is designed to enhance and promote children’s optimal social, emotional and academic development, providing a safe and comforting space for your child. 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 while reducing the number of transitions. This allows preschool children to remain in the same classroom with teachers they know and trust for their preschool years. We are dedicated to evidence-based practice, and this is one of many areas where evidence is strong. We maintain a 1:8 ratio for children aged 3-5 years, ensuring individual attention and care.
The best way to see how this model works is to 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
Some Benefits of Multi-Age Grouping
5 Benefits of Mixed-Age Classrooms
Starting school can be daunting for both children and their parents. That’s why we offer a comprehensive school readiness program. Four days a week, our four-year-old children participate in our Tuakana program, designed to prepare them for the school experience in a stress-free and enjoyable way.
This includes essential skills such as pencil grip, number and letter recognition, recognising and writing their name, using a school lunch box and opening the wrappers, mat times, and other experiences. Our teachers use an internationally recognised phonics-based program for literacy and numeracy.
At Kakapo Creek, we understand that every child is unique. We support their unique developmental readiness and interests, ensuring that their individual needs are met. In close dialogue with parents and through careful observation of your child’s needs and interests, we introduce them to these learning opportunities, fostering a sense of personal growth and achievement.
We love that the New Zealand Ministry of Education recognises that not all children are ready for school on their 5th birthday. Introducing children to formal school education when they are not developmentally ready can damage their curiosity and self-confidence.
That’s why, at Kakapo Creek, we welcome children to stay up until their 6th birthday when parents believe their child will benefit from having a little longer to mature and prepare for a formal education in a school setting. Our curriculum and teachers will ensure that your child will not be left behind but will actually thrive as a result.
Mixed-age classrooms are shown to be far superior to the single-aged classrooms found in typical early childhood centres. They allow preschool children to develop and explore at their own pace.
Don’t be afraid that your child will miss out on attention! Fewer transitions mean that teachers grow to genuinely know you and your child over several years of relationship building. Being known is critical to feeling safe and loved. At Kakapo Creek, our teachers genuinely know and love their children and families because they spend so much time with them. The resources in our classrooms are carefully chosen to be safe for all ages and yet stimulating enough for various interests.
We use consistent caregivers so there is no jolting change on a child’s birthday. Research shows that this is best for children’s emotional and social development. All our classroom teachers work five days a week, so they are there for you and your child.
Children may be enrolled during school hours or long days – see our Fees page for further details.
Meet Mr Eric. He’s one of our next-door neighbours and a retired builder. He’s just one of our specialist itinerant teachers who visit each week to enhance our preschooler’s learning and development.
To provide an enriched learning environment, we invite specialist teachers to extend your children’s experiences. A seasonal selection of specialists includes but is not limited to, sports teachers, art teachers, retired builders and music, dance specialists, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths) specialists. Children look forward to these sessions and engage in amazing, fun learning opportunities.
We use a structured literacy phonics reading program and a structured numeracy program to teach literacy and numeracy skills. Some of our teachers are primary school trained and use this extra knowledge to ensure that our preschoolers are ready for a great start when they begin school.
No child is forced to learn, and teachers carefully watch for signs of interest in these concepts and encourage each child as soon as they are ready.
Most learning occurs through incidental play and conversations, while our dedicated school readiness program – Tuakana – works with children nearing school age.
Our school readiness group meets four times a week, giving our older preschoolers a small group learning opportunity to prepare them for school with a deeper focus on literacy, numeracy, soft skills, and self-help skills. This gives them an advantage when applying to enter private schooling and also sets them up for a successful start to their schooling, wherever that might be.
Once a week, Kakapo Creek Children are invited to an excursion to our Northern Campus—a day spent at our exclusive 1.2ha Farm School in Silverdale.
Here, children explore our one-acre bush, care for and learn about our animals—chickens, sheep, and fish—grow vegetables in our glass house and walled vegetable garden, and pick organic fruit from our orchard.
Preschool children can roam and explore our native bush and roll down grassy hills. This one-day-a-week farm school is in addition to our frequent exploration walks to the local playground and Mairangi Bay beach.
Note: our Farm School program is only for children over three and is an optional extra with additional charges.
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
