Abacus Montessori Nursery & Preschool is a small, family-run Montessori centre at 70 Wildberry Street in Woolston, Christchurch. It takes children from 0 to 5, with nursery care from 0 to 2 years and a preschool from age 2. The centre follows the Montessori philosophy alongside Te Whāriki, and children work at their own pace with specially selected equipment. The centre says it has been run by a family team for over 30 years.
Its 3½-to-5-year Pod programme prepares children for school or kura, with pre-writing, pre-reading, pre-maths, computer, independence and social skills. The centre states its staff ratios are capped at 1:8 for nursery and 1:4 for infants, and that at least 80% of teachers are fully qualified. Extended opening hours of 7.30am to 5.30pm are listed. Open Locally lists five other childcare centres within a kilometre. BestStart Ferry Road, 0.4 km away, is rated 4.7 from 20 reviews, and Little Cubs Early Learning Centre, 0.7 km away, is rated 5.0 from 14 reviews.