Collins Park, Greenhithe Rd
Ph  413 8053

http://www.greenhitheplaycentre.org.nz/

Welcome to Greenhithe Playcentre – a very special place where adults and children are learning alongside each other and having a lot of fun along the way!

We are affiliated to the North Shore Playcentre Association, which belongs to the New Zealand Playcentre Federation. This is an internationally recognised Early Childhood Education service unique to Aotearoa New Zealand, which has been providing high quality Early Childhood Education to families and their communities for over 60 years.

We believe that the family/whanau as the fundamental unit of the community, should be valued, promoted and supported as the most important setting for the nurture and education of our children. At the core of our philosophy is child-initiated or self-directed play. Put simply this means that children are free to choose their activities and decide how, when and for how long they play. The adults role is to set up a wide range of inviting areas of play with our excellent resources, observe, support and extend the children’s learning. The long-term result of this approach is that children learn to be confident decision makers who take responsibility for their choices and actions.

We are a parent co-operative with all members contributing to the running of the centre, and participating in making decisions. Adults enroll in the Playcentre Education Diploma on joining (NZQA approved), which aims to strengthen self-esteem, improve parenting and life skills and empower parents as the first and best educators of their children. With the training and support we receive we are indeed able to make a positive, ‘professional’ and quality contribution to the early childhood sector. In addition, there are opportunities to make life long friendships, gain support from experienced parents, make friends in the local community and learn skills which are useful long after the children have graduated to school.

We cater for children from birth to school age. Our mixed age group sessions reflect the structure of families at home, and encourage early social integration. Older children can practice leadership, turn-taking and nurturing, and younger children have a chance to learn from the modelling of older children and to experience more complex play than with their age mates.

We welcome families from any ethnicity, religion or family circumstance, and celebrate the diversity of Greenhithe residents. We have a strong commitment to biculturalism, acknowledging Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and incorporate the principles of partnership into our policies and practices.

We are a licensed and chartered Early Childhood Education service and receive bulk funding from the Ministry of Education. As such we are required to meet certain standards including providing a safe, hygienic environment, quality sessions, accurate record keeping and trained educators (that’s us parents!) We supplement the funding with our fees which are currently $35 per family per term, and fundraising activities. This enables us to provide quality sessions with excellent equipment and educational resources.

We currently offer five 2½ hour sessions per week, four family sessions and one for the “Big Kids” on a Wednesday morning. Each session is attended by approximately 25 children, with a supervision team of between six and eight adults. An enviable adult:child ratio.

If you would like to find out more about Greenhithe Playcentre, please give us a call! Or check out the website, http://www.greenhitheplaycentre.org.nz/ or the National Playcentre website www.playcentre.org.nz or call 0800 PLAYNZ (0800 752 969).