We are an early childhood education centre for children aged from birth to six, and their families. The centre is run by parents and whanau. Together parents share all the responsibilities and roles of running the centre, and we are a community. We support our families through all the ups and downs of life; we are your village. Sessions are focused on child lead play, giving our tamariki the choice to explore different activities, including 16 Areas of Play which are set up around centre (paint, play dough, clay, collage, junk play, manipulative play, sand, water, science and nature, outdoor and physical play, family play, music, story telling and reading books, blocks and carpentry). We encourage mixed-age play and interactions, which benefit babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. We run general, mixed age sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9am-12.15pm. We also offer special weekly X-Club sessions on Wednesdays 9am-1pm for older children (age 3 to 6 years-old, but siblings can attend too) - this session is also open to any child over 3 years old attending any centre in Hamilton. Playcentre also emphasises the importance of parents and whanau as first and most important educators of their children. Members have the opportunity to attend adult education workshops to develop their skills in working with children. River Downs also offers whanau sessions, graduate sessions and runs trips, camps, and special events for members. If you would like to visit please message our page, email us or call us on 07 854 3606 during our session times. Visitors can attend up to three sessions with their children for free to assess whether Playcentre is right for them. We look forward to seeing you at Playcentre!
