Stratford Central Kindergarten

18/08/2026

💜 Spaces Available at Stratford Central Kindergarten! With 20 hours free for all tamariki- including under 3's

If you’re looking for a safe, nurturing and community focused early learning environment, we’d love to welcome you and your child 🌿

What makes our kindergarten special:
✅ 20 Hours FREE ECE for ALL children - including under 3's
✅ 100% qualified teachers
✅ Learning through Te Whāriki - Aotearoa's world-leading early childhood curriculum.

🏠 Visit us at 50 Cordelia Street, Stratford.

📞 Call 06 765 7847 or register your interest today! https://wmkindergartens.org.nz/find-a-kindergarten/show/220-Stratford%20Central%20Kindergarten

09/08/2026

📣 WHĀNAU — YOUR VOICE MATTERS! 🗳️

As kindergarten teachers, we see every day how important quality, accessible and well-supported early childhood education is for our tamariki, our whānau and our communities.

With the 2026 General Election coming up on Saturday 7 November, we want to encourage all eligible whānau to make sure you are enrolled, check that your details are up to date, and take the time to have your say.

Why does this matter to kindergarten and ECE?

Because decisions made in Parliament directly affect:
🌱 funding for early childhood education
👩‍🏫 teacher pay, conditions and workforce retention
❤️ the quality and accessibility of education and care
👶 support for children with additional learning and development needs
🏡 affordability and access for families
📚 the resources and professional support available to our kaiako
🤝 the strength of the early childhood sector as a whole.

💬 We aren’t here to tell you who to vote for.

We simply encourage you to ask questions, look at each party’s policies, consider what they mean for your children and your community, and make your own informed decision.

Most importantly — make sure you have a voice.

🗳️ Enrol. Check your details. Learn about the issues. Vote.

For the 2026 election, you need to be enrolled by midnight Sunday 25 October.

👉 Enrol or check your enrolment at Vote NZ

Our tamariki are our future. Their future deserves a voice. ❤️

From your kaiako at Stratford Central Kindergarten

09/08/2026

💜 Our latest Whānau Pānui is out now!
👉 Read about the newest addition to our whānau, a name change for York Street Kindergarten, election year and enrolling to vote, teaching and learning plus catch up on what tamariki have been up to around the regions https://wmkindergartens.org.nz/parent-information/whanau-newsletters

20/05/2026

05/03/2026

The tamariki had an awesome surprise arrive today. Some Tredsafe boxes to fulfill the strong urge to climb and challenge themselves physically. What a great Friday before our long weekend. Also a big shout out to our trusty measuring stick, keeping us compliant since ages ago 👍🏻

01/03/2026

Happy Children's day!!

The foundations for tamariki growth and development are laid very early in their lives. The things that seem simple are often those that can have a large impact. The value of play is sometimes underestimated, and yet its benefits are many and varied.

01/03/2026

Today we have officially merged with Whānau Manaaki! This is exciting for us as kindergartens to now be the largest early childhood provider in New Zealand which is not for profit, with 100% qualified and registered teachers, and quality Early Childhood Education for all!

02/02/2026

📢 We are on the COUNTDOWN!
We have 1 month to go until Kindergarten Taranaki officially joins Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens on 2 March. The joining of our two associations will ensure the continuation of high quality kindergarten education for tamariki in Taranaki.

These are exciting times ahead for our kindergartens, and for early childhood education in Taranaki.

🟣 Who is Whānau Manaaki?
Whānau Manaaki are a community-focused kindergarten association that works for whānau, not for profit. All resources go directly into high-quality early childhood education for tamariki. Both Whānau Manaaki and Kindergarten Taranaki are members of Kindergartens Aotearoa - a collective of kindergarten organisations working together to build a strong, enduring future for kindergartens and communities in Aotearoa.

For more information on the merger, and about Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens go to: https://www.kindergartentaranaki.co.nz/kt_wm-merger-info/ and https://wmkindergartens.org.nz or you can have a chat with your Head Teacher.

14/01/2026

Kia ora everyone!

Happy New Year. I am just wanting to introduce myself. I am Karina Bolton and I am your new Head Teacher at Central kindergarten. I am so excited to be a part of the central community and I look forward to getting to know you all.

A bit about me. I live in Stratford with my husband Jason, and my 3 children Joel (13), Rhys (10), and Maeve (5). I have been teaching in kindergarten since I graduated university in 2010. Firstly in New Plymouth for 2 years then after having my first child moved to Koru Kindergarten for 12 years where I was a teacher for 8 years and then stepped up into the Assistant Head Teacher role there for the last 4. As much as I am sad to say goodbye to the kindergarten team and whānau at Koru Kindergarten I am just as happy to be starting this new adventure here.

Nga Mihi Nui

Karina