Campbells Bay Early Learning Centre is built around the ideas of Dr Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber. Its teachers, called kaiako, follow the RIE approach in the Tui room, where children have uninterrupted play and a daily routine that the children help set. The centre on Beach Road has rooms named for native birds: Tui, Kiwi, Kea for toddlers, and Weka. The Kea room draws on Pikler's approach along with the values of the Reggio approach. The centre invites prospective parents and whānau to take a tour of the building.
The teachers work closely with whānau to build loving relationships based on trust and respect. The Kea room encourages self-help skills so that toddlers grow in independence and confidence. The Kiwi room is described as a warm, calm and welcoming space where social, emotional, cultural and cognitive development is supported through play. For a family in Campbells Bay on the North Shore, the centre offers a learning space that aims to feel like an extension of home, shaped by a clear set of ideas about how young children learn.