Little Taki's Community Kindergarten

02/04/2026

Wishing you all a lovely Easter

27/03/2026

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported Little Takis Community Kindergarten so far, and to all those who have registered their interest in joining our journey.

We have been incredibly overwhelmed (in the best way!) by the response from families looking for childcare in our area. It truly highlights the strong need within our community for high-quality early childhood education and care, and we feel so grateful to be part of meeting that need. If you are interested in filling out an expression of interest form (so we can send you enrolment details further down the track)
Register your interest here: https://forms.gle/Vq664UNfAtKpc1bL9

As we continue with this journey, we would still love to hear from teachers—especially qualified teachers—who may be interested in joining our supportive team. If you or someone you know is passionate about working with young children and being part of a supportive, community-focused, rural environment, please get in touch via email : [email protected]

Over the next few months we are hoping to start our build! Something we are super excited about! We look forward to sharing this journey with you all in the future.

Thank you again for your encouragement and support—it means so much to us!

Description: We’re excited to be opening a brand-new Early Childhood Education (ECE) centre in Nightcaps! If you’re interested in learning more, please fill out this short form so we can keep you updated about our opening date, enrolments, and upcoming events.

20/02/2026

At Little Taki’s Community Kindergarten, our vision, mission, values and philosophy are more than just words on paper — they are the foundation of everything we do. Together, these guiding documents shape our daily practice, influence our decision-making, and reflect what we are truly passionate about: creating a nurturing, homely, country environment where children feel a deep sense of belonging and are supported to grow with confidence and curiosity.

They keep us grounded in who we are, what we stand for, and the kind of learning community we are committed to building alongside our tamariki and whānau. Every interaction, every learning opportunity, and every relationship is guided by these principles.

We have already had a wonderful amount of interest from families, and we are so grateful for the support. If you are interested in your child being a part of Little Taki’s, we encourage you to register your interest in securing a place.

👉 Register your interest here:
https://forms.gle/Vq664UNfAtKpc1bL9

And to our fellow educators — if our vision and values resonate with you and the way you see children and learning, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or to express your interest in joining our team via email, [email protected]

We are so excited about what we are building and cannot wait to grow this special community together. 🌿

19/01/2026

Welcome back after the New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed some of the warmer weather.

You may have already seen some exciting progress taking shape on site. It feels surreal to be in 2026 and finally be able to say that things are happening. This is only the beginning of the journey, and the best is yet to come.

With this in mind, we’d love to share a little more information about registering your interest in childcare at Little Taki’s Community Kindergarten. If you, or anyone you know, may be interested in care for your child/ren, please click the link below to register your interest.

We are pleased to be offering the New Zealand Government’s 20 Hours ECE scheme for 3, 4, and some 5-year-olds. This provides up to 20 hours per week of free, quality early childhood education, covering the average full cost for up to 6 hours per day and supporting strong foundational learning. Any hours beyond this for over three-year-olds will incur an hourly charge, as will all care for children under three years of age.

Please note that our kindergarten hours are yet to be confirmed. As we gather registrations of interest, we will work to establish hours that best suit the needs of our community. This form will help us gather details for potential enrolments and keep in touch as we move closer to opening.

Register your interest here:
https://forms.gle/Vq664UNfAtKpc1bL9

As we all know, a great service relies on great teachers. Both Manuela and I are qualified teachers and have worked across a range of early childhood settings, gaining diverse experience along the way. We are passionate about creating a kindergarten environment where teachers feel supported, valued, and comfortable — part of another family — while being encouraged to bring their own natural flair to the kindergarten.

For the right applicants, we are happy to negotiate full-time, part-time, relieving positions, and other flexible working arrangements. We will be looking for both qualified and unqualified teachers who share our values and enthusiasm for early childhood education. If this sounds like something you’d love to be part of, we would love to hear from you. Please email us with a little about yourself or any questions at [email protected]

We truly look forward to bringing this exciting new adventure to the community and having many of you be a part of it. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

That’s it for now!

Warmly,
Sarah and Manuela
Little Taki’s Community Kindergarten

17/12/2025

We just want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone for the incredible support we’ve received for this exciting new venture. We are truly overwhelmed by the interest, kind words, and encouragement so far – it means more to us than we can say.

As we head into the festive season, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year spent with family, friends, and loved ones 🎄✨

We’ve mentioned that Little Taki’s Community Kindergarten will be located on the Takitimu School site, and we wanted to share a little more detail. The kindergarten will be situated round beside the tennis courts, off Wairio Road, on a section of land, complete with a dedicated carpark. The building itself will be a fresh, new transportable build, thoughtfully designed to create the very best environment for children, families, and our community.

Over the summer break, you may notice some work starting on site. This will be preparation work such as drainage and stormwater – all the behind-the-scenes but very important steps to get the site ready.

Thank you again for being part of this journey with us. Please keep an eye out for more updates and information coming in the new year – we can’t wait to share what’s ahead and to bring this much-needed service to our community.

Send a message to learn more

25/11/2025

We are so excited and truly grateful for the opportunity to bring a much-needed early childhood service to the wonderful community of Nightcaps and the wider Western Southland area.

Little Taki’s Community Kindergarten
COMING LATE 2026 TO NIGHTCAPS

Situated on the Takitimu School site, Little Taki’s will offer a warm, welcoming, country-style environment licensed for 30 over-2-year-olds and 10 under-2-year-olds. Operated by local early childhood teachers Sarah O’Connell and Manuela Hogg, our goal is to create a space where children feel at home, families feel supported, and the community feels connected. A place where friendships grow, stories are shared, and everyone feels they belong.

As progress begins on site, we look forward to keeping our community updated. More information will be available in the new year regarding enrolment inquiries and future employment opportunities.

In the meantime, we’d love for you to join us on our page — a fun and interactive way for our community to stay involved, share excitement, and follow this journey together.