Greytown Kindergarten

The proposed changes to funding within Early Childhood Education (ECE) will have a wide-reaching effect on everyone who accesses ECE or works as a qualified registered teacher, especially those working in not-for-profit centres (such as kindergartens) or those who actively and intentional hire 100% qualified teachers.
What is clear is that education is not valued in the right way by the current government, with special focus on changing the ECE landscape despite research that supports just how vital education in the early years is!
The impact of these proposed changes will have a substantial effect on the fully qualified with bachelor's degrees, fully registered teachers, some of us may lose our jobs - especially if they remove the funding provided for 100% qualified teachers, others could be paid minimum wage with the removal of ALL pay parity (so not just pay parity between private and public ECE, but the pay parity that Kindergarten has with primary).
We have a world leading ECE Curriculum, yet it feels that we’re not worthy of being called teachers, our bachelor's degrees are not held in high regard, and we can simply be replaced by the untrained, unqualified and inexperienced
This government believes that your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren and your mokopuna are not worthy of qualified teachers, or of sufficient funding to do our jobs. This government and the funding review are not even looking at the mass amounts of profit that are being made by large private ECE companies in this country.
We love our jobs! We love TEACHING your tamariki, supporting & helping them grow into strong capable learners but if this government is elected again, it is highly possible that all of this will change, and quickly too.
You and your tamariki matter to us, and because of this we strongly encourage you to enrol to vote (and please vote), ask questions and talk to people about the impact this could have on your whānau and the people that matter to you.

We have had some new additions to the front of the kindergarten. For the past term the tamariki have been working with Martin the toy maker to create our Whare pukapuka and Pātaka kai. This project was about so much more than building a pantry—it gave our tamariki a hands-on way to learn about empathy, community support, and the joy of giving. They are so excited to help care for our neighbors and see the impact of sharing what we have.

We invite you to drop by with a non-perishable donation or you're welcome to help yourself to items to help keep the momentum going and show the tamariki their hard work is making a real difference! 💛

A special mention to Greytown Lands Trust and their ongoing funding support for Martin to work with our tamariki and build these amazing creations

The cold weather has created some amazing learning opportunities this past week as the tamariki has been exploring the properties of cold and ice. With lots of questions and sharing of hypotheses and ideas their knowledge and understanding grows all while having fun with their friends.

Construction comes in many shapes and forms. Whether it be with the big blocks or little beads it creates opportunities for Tamariki to practice their problem solving skills, share ideas, hypothesise and test out theories. Our Tamariki love construction and spend so much time building so many amazing creations

The skill and imagination that comes from using a pair of scissors is quite amazing. The persistence and fine motor skills to cut your desired shape, imagination to use the scissors to alter your creation adding to it or redesigning it completely. This is an ongoing interest for our tamariki as they explore their creative side with them.

Have you thought about Kindergarten for your child?
We currently have spaces available. If you have any enrolment enquiries please feel free to get in touch or pop in for a visit 😊

Creativity, problem solving, collaboration are the words of the day for these Tamariki. Our days at kindergarten can be super busy with friends and activities, these photos show a small glimpse of that. We currently have spaces available, if you think your child might enjoy all this fun and learning too. Please get in touch or pop in for a visit.

Communication from Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens Association:

*** All Kindergartens in areas where there is a red warning will be closed tomorrow Tuesday 21st April***

This includes Wairarapa, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt and Wellington. Upper Hutt Kindergarten is closed tomorrow.

With the heavy rain we’re experiencing, please avoid unnecessary travel.

Stay warm, stay dry, and look after each other! 💛

What a beautiful day we shared together at Papawai Pā this week. Our tamariki from both Greytown and South End Kindergarten came together as one rōpū and took part in a pōwhiri, experiencing this special tikanga in a meaningful and age-appropriate way. They showed manaakitanga, patience, and respect as we moved through the powhiri process, supporting each other and embracing the moment.
It was heartwarming to see their confidence grow as they joined in waiata and took part in the welcoming. These experiences help strengthen their sense of belonging and connection to Te Ao Māori, and to each other.
Couple of the highlights alongside the bus trip were having two Whanau with 3 generations of their Whanau amongst us. Watching them share an experience that they once had as tamariki at Papawai was just beautiful and watching ngā tuna glide up and down the stream and watching them be fed was definitely an exciting experience for all. Tamariki were so engaged and curious, watching closely and learning about these taonga and their place in our local environment. Moments like this help nurture their understanding of kaitiakitanga—caring for and respecting the natural world.
Throughout the day, there was a real sense of whanaungatanga, with tamariki building relationships, sharing experiences, and learning alongside one another.
We are so proud of the way our tamariki carried themselves and embraced the day. We want to give a big mihi to all those that joined us on the day as we could not have done it without your support and last but not least to tangata whenua o Papawai we acknowledge you with gratitude in our hearts and say a massive ngā mihi nui for having us and allowing our tamariki and Whanau the opportunity to spend time at the Marae, embracing our heritage and culture.
He waka eke noa - We are all in this together.

A big thank you to Joe, our student teacher, who organised for Sam Ludden- a well known Wairarapa ceramic and pottery artist- to visit our kindergarten. Sam specialises in sculpting tuna (eels) and captivated our tamariki by reading a story about tuna before sharing his expertise and role-modelling how to create tuna with clay.
Our tamariki were enthusiastic and fully engaged, enjoying the hands-on experience of creating their own tuna alongside Sam. This enriching opportunity was organised to coincide with our upcoming visit to Papawai Marae in a couple of weeks.