Central Park Early Learning Centre is an early childhood centre for babies and young children at 133H Central Park Drive in Henderson, west Auckland. It is licensed for up to 82 children, including up to 25 under two. Its rooms are split by age: the Piwakawaka room for infants under one, the Kereru room for children from one to two and a half, and the Ruru room for children over two and a half. Each room has its own outdoor play area with climbing frames, slides, sandpits and space for bike riding. The Ruru area also has a fenced area for closely supervised carpentry. The centre runs a working vegetable garden and grows herbs such as rosemary, sage and parsley, and the children help with the compost, the planting and the harvest. The centre serves morning tea at 9am, lunch at 11am and afternoon tea at 2pm, and it follows each child's home routine where it can. It is open 7am to 6pm, with last pick-up at 5:45pm, and it offers 30 hours free for children over three.
Infants are cared for by a primary caregiver who builds a close bond with the child and their family. The website describes the centre as a calm, unhurried place where children choose their own play, with the teachers setting up activities around each child's interests. The centre pitches itself as affordable childcare, and it encourages a visit before enrolling. For a Henderson or west Auckland family looking for a centre with a large garden and outdoor play, it is a local option to consider.