The Rabbit Patch Saffron is a family-owned preschool at 24 Saffron Street in Bryndwr, Christchurch. The website says the centre has been locally family owned since it opened in 1990, and that its approach is inspired by the Reggio Emilia schools in Northern Italy. Children can be enrolled from 3 months to school-leaving age, and there is a nursery for infants and toddlers. Children can use indoor and outdoor atelier, or art studio, spaces with an artist in residence, the atelierista.
The centre is open from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday, 52 weeks a year except public holidays. The outdoor play areas are large and natural, and the website says the classrooms are filled with natural light. Staff listen closely to children's ideas, and families can arrange a visit through the website. One family says their daughter attended for two years before starting school, and that they still miss the preschool. Five other childcare services are within a kilometre. The Willows is rated 4.8 from 5 reviews, Enchanted Garden Early Childhood Centre is rated 4.4 from 10, and The Rabbit Patch Pre-School, on Greers Road, is rated 3.9 from 13.