Ngā Ririki Early Learning Centre is a kindergarten at 40 Ballance Street in Kawerau, where the outdoor area looks out towards Pūtauaki Maunga. It takes tamariki from 0 to 6 years, in spacious grounds with mature trees. The centre is run by Central Kids, a non-profit kindergarten association that has provided early childhood education since 1951 and has 47 kindergartens in 26 towns across the central North Island. The programme is child-led and play-based, follows Te Whāriki, and encourages each child to grow at their own pace. The centre describes its staff as committed and experienced, with good staff-to-child ratios, and its atmosphere as calm and respectful. Central Kids is bicultural and places an emphasis on environmental care, teaching children to be kaitiaki, or guardians, of the natural world. Fees are kept low, and the association offers flexible financial options so that cost is not a barrier for families.