Educare Pokeno

Educare Pokeno Educare Pokeno is a new purpose built centre with rural views and a magnificent outdoor area.

Spring is in the air in our under 2 space! Our little explorers are enjoying our recent environment refresh. With a focu...
04/09/2026

Spring is in the air in our under 2 space! Our little explorers are enjoying our recent environment refresh.

With a focus on sensory play, movement and developing independence, our refreshed space offers plenty of opportunity of learning through play.

We're so excited to see our youngest tamariki explore, discover and enjoy their refreshed space ✨

This week, something special took place at Educare Pokeno - an environmental reset.Our spaces were reviewed, refreshed a...
03/09/2026

This week, something special took place at Educare Pokeno - an environmental reset.

Our spaces were reviewed, refreshed and reimagined, with the introduction of new resources designed to support learning through play.

Behind the transformation was a collaborative effort involving our Kaiako, Head of Curriculum and our Leadership Team. All working together to create spaces and resources that inspire our tamariki to learn, grow and play.

Our refreshed spaces have been designed to support each stage of development, from sensory exploration for our youngest tamariki, through to communication and problem-solving activities that support confident transitions to school.

As we welcomed tamariki back to the centre today, they quickly made themselves at home in their new environments, exploring and sharing their excitement with friends. There's a genuine buzz throughout the centre!

We're incredibly proud of what we've created and are excited about what it means for our tamariki.

Endless new possibilities for learning, discovery and play

Loose parts play in early childhood education is a type of open-ended play where tamariki use materials and resources wi...
31/08/2026

Loose parts play in early childhood education is a type of open-ended play where tamariki use materials and resources with no fixed purpose, that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, taken apart, and put back together in endless ways.

Our tamariki learn about loose parts play through experiences where a single object can transform into multiple things depending on a child’s imagination.
It has been amazing to see the different creations our tamariki have made since introducing different loose parts materials such as the wooden cable reels.
Kaiako are always looking for more ‘outside the box’ resources to encourage the learning and development of tamariki imagination and creativity.

It is through Te Whariki Strand, Exploration that we see tamariki learn by actively exploring, refining their working theories, and using their senses. Loose parts play offers variables that provoke critical thinking, problem solving, and spatial awareness as tamariki stack, balance, and test hypothesis.
This is what loose parts play looks like in action.

We are looking forward to seeing our tamariki and teachers dress up as their favorite storybook character.From the wise ...
26/08/2026

We are looking forward to seeing our tamariki and teachers dress up as their favorite storybook character.
From the wise words of Dr Seuss
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go"

Book week in our Under 2s room was all about celebrating shared story time with whānau. Over the week we had various par...
21/08/2026

Book week in our Under 2s room was all about celebrating shared story time with whānau.
Over the week we had various parents come in to share their joy of reading with our special little readers. From this first day and right through to the end of the week our parent readers left with their cups filled to continue their day.
It is always a beautiful experience having our whānau join us to read stories and sing waiata with our pēpi.
These lovely moments strengthen the connection between home and our centre, nurturing our pēpi sense of belonging and showing them that their whānau are valued partners in their learning and development ❤️.

This week, our babies were fascinated with simple cause and effect experiments, exploring alongside their kaiako and dis...
13/08/2026

This week, our babies were fascinated with simple cause and effect experiments, exploring alongside their kaiako and discovering what happens when they pour, mix, touch and move liquids and solids. Their reactions are just adorable! ❤️

For babies, learning happens through watching, touching and noticing. Alongside nurturing care, routines, cuddles and rest, we offer them a range of meaningful provocations and carefully planned experiences that stimulate their senses to support their holistic development.

Building Our Waka! One morning, we were gifted some huge pieces of cardboard, and our tamariki couldn’t wait to get crea...
13/08/2026

Building Our Waka! One morning, we were gifted some huge pieces of cardboard, and our tamariki couldn’t wait to get creative! Together, we explored measurement, mathematical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration as we measured, cut, joined and decorated our very own waka. This hands-on experience supported their Mana Aotūroa (Exploration), as tamariki used curiosity and creativity to transform materials, while their Mana Tangata (Contribution) was strengthened through working together, sharing ideas and contributing to a shared creation. Our tamariki had so much fun using their recycled waka for imaginative role play and storytelling!

Our toddlers had so much fun exploring poi through music and movement! 🙂By watching, imitating and experimenting differe...
13/08/2026

Our toddlers had so much fun exploring poi through music and movement! 🙂

By watching, imitating and experimenting different ways of movement, they developed coordination, body control and confidence while connecting with te ao Māori.

It was wonderful to see their excitement, laughter and creativity as they danced together ❤️.

Even in winter, our babies love making the most of the sunshine and spending time outdoors. Our indoor-outdoor flow give...
07/08/2026

Even in winter, our babies love making the most of the sunshine and spending time outdoors. Our indoor-outdoor flow gives them the freedom to move between spaces and choose where they would like to play and explore.

Outdoor play gives our babies opportunities for fresh air, movement and connection with nature, supporting their health and wellbeing. Our kaiako carefully provide open-ended and sensory-rich activities, making every part of the environment an opportunity for learning through play 😊.

As our Commonwealth Games celebration comes to an end, we look back on an action-packed time filled with fun, movement, ...
05/08/2026

As our Commonwealth Games celebration comes to an end, we look back on an action-packed time filled with fun, movement, challenge and discovery! Our tamariki have embraced every opportunity to have a go, developing coordination, balance, strength, spatial awareness, focus, fine and gross motor skills, confidence and body control through basketball, swimming, tug of war, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, bike racing, athletics and Educares own take on bowls!

More importantly, we have seen our tamariki grow as confident and capable learners — taking risks, persevering through challenges, supporting their friends and celebrating their achievements along the way. It has been wonderful to watch them discover new ways their bodies can move, while building a strong sense of confidence and enjoyment in being active.

A huge mahi whakamīharo, tamariki! What an amazing Commonwealth Games it has been!

Address

66 Pokeno Road
Pokeno
2472

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+6492326794

Website

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