Pebbles Preschool is a privately owned Montessori early childhood education provider in Christchurch, operating across three venues: Sumner Montessori 0-6, the original Sumner Montessori 3-6, and Cashmere Montessori. The original Pebbles Preschool opened in Sumner in April 2010 and has since grown to include the additional Montessori preschools in Sumner and Cashmere. The centres are guided by the philosophy "He rõpū manaaki, he rõpū whakarongo, he rõpū ako mātou" — We are respectful, we listen, we learn.
Pebbles is owned and operated by Belinda, who emigrated from Bath, England, with her husband Steve and their children Sam and Daisy in 2000. Belinda is a special needs and primary school teacher with more than 25 years of teaching experience, and after her own children attended an early childhood centre in Bristol called The Red House, she pursued her passion for early childhood education, completing a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education at Canterbury University before opening Pebbles Sumner in 2010, followed by Pebbles Montessori Cashmere in 2015. Belinda remains hands-on at the centres, maintaining her Teacher Registration and building relationships with children, whānau and the teaching team.
Pebbles Preschool traces its beginnings back to April 2010, when the original centre opened in Sumner, Christchurch. What started as a single Montessori preschool has since grown into a small, privately owned network of three venues across Sumner and Cashmere, each guided by the same underlying philosophy of respect, listening and learning.
Pebbles was founded by Belinda, who emigrated from Bath, England, to New Zealand in 2000 with her husband Steve and their children, Sam and Daisy. Belinda brought with her a background as a special needs and primary school teacher, with more than 25 years of teaching experience. Her path into early childhood education began when her own children attended an early childhood centre in Bristol called The Red House — an experience that sparked a realisation that early childhood education was where her true passion lay, and a dream to open an exceptional centre of her own.
After ten years teaching in Christchurch, Belinda completed a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education at Canterbury University, and in 2010 she opened the original Pebbles Sumner. Five years later, in 2015, Pebbles Montessori Cashmere followed, expanding the network to its current three venues.
Unlike many larger childcare providers, Pebbles remains privately owned and personally run by Belinda and Steve. Belinda continues to be hands-on across the centres, maintaining her Teacher Registration with the Education Council and regularly spending time teaching in the classrooms herself. When she isn't physically on site, she remains available and focused on building positive relationships with children, whānau and the wider teaching team — a level of involvement that's relatively rare for an owner of multiple centres.
Pebbles operates from three locations: Sumner Montessori 0-6, catering to the youngest age group; Sumner Montessori 3-6, the original site where it all began on Campbell Street; and Cashmere Montessori, the newest addition to the network. Across all three, the guiding philosophy remains consistent — expressed in te reo Māori as "He rõpū manaaki, he rõpū whakarongo, he rõpū ako mātou," meaning "We are respectful, we listen, we learn." This principle shapes the day-to-day approach to teaching and care across every classroom.
Each of Pebbles' three venues has its own published Education Review Office (ERO) report, giving prospective families access to independent evaluation of the centres' teaching and operations before enrolling — a useful resource for parents comparing early childhood options in the area.
Pebbles maintains links with several local primary schools, including Star of the Sea, Sumner Primary, Cashmere Primary, Thorrington Primary, Beckenham Primary and St Martins Primary, reflecting its role as a stepping stone into the wider local school community as children transition out of early childhood education.
Families interested in enrolling can reach out to any of the three venues directly, or contact Pebbles generally via email for enquiries. With nearly 15 years of operation behind it and a founder who remains genuinely present in the day-to-day life of the centres, Pebbles Preschool offers Christchurch families a Montessori early learning option built on a clear, consistently applied philosophy.