Children First Preschool is a privately owned childcare centre at 138 High Street in Leeston, Selwyn, with space for 55 children. It takes children from six months to six years under a mixed licence, and the youngest have their own purpose-designed room, with a lowered ceiling and soft lighting. The centre is open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, and families can change their child's schedule weekly, fortnightly or monthly. The website says teacher-to-child ratios are kept low, and that the centre has an ERO report from 2024. It works bicultural principles under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and its values are respect, fun, aroha and trust.
The hourly rate is $7.75 as at 2026, with a minimum enrolment of two sessions and no minimum hours per session. Children aged three and over are eligible for 20 ECE hours. Late pick-up is charged at $25 an hour as at 2026. Weekly invoices are emailed, and the centre can help families apply for the WINZ Childcare Subsidy. The website describes the centre as a warm, homely place in a rural community, where children learn through fun, imagination and involvement, and where whānau are part of daily life.