A small Montessori preschool in Sunnynook on Auckland's North Shore, at 21 Kapiti Place, where budgies, rabbits and chickens are part of everyday learning. The centre takes children aged 2 to 6 and is licensed for up to 28 children. It was established in 2006, and it says ERO has recognised it for the quality of its education for more than a decade. Its teaching blends Montessori philosophy with Te Whāriki, and children in its mixed-age classrooms learn practical life skills, language, maths, cultural studies and creative work. Older children mentor younger ones. The ratio is one teacher to seven children.
Families who wrote about the centre said their children loved the teachers, their friends and the animals, and one child asked to go even on weekends. Another family said their daughter moved from anxious drop-offs to being eager to go each day, and left the centre confident and ready for school. The calm, structured environment is what parents mention most in the feedback on the site. The centre says it now offers extended hours, so get in touch to ask about them and about enrolment.