Whippersnappers Early Learning Centre is a privately owned early childhood centre at 53 Edward Street in Lincoln, Selwyn, which opened in 2011 in a purpose-built building. Its distinctive feature is that the babies' room takes its approach from the Pikler and RIE ideas, giving infants open space to move and develop at their own pace, with a primary caregiver for each child.
The centre has a room for babies from about three months to 18 months, called Pihinga, and a room for toddlers from about 18 months to three years, called Tupu. Children's learning follows an individual, goal-based curriculum, with clear assessment of progress over time. The centre places a strong focus on social and emotional skills such as confidence, resilience and problem-solving, and it supports early literacy and numeracy through everyday play. The large outdoor area gives children space to climb, run and explore.
The centre has a stable team of experienced teachers, called kaiako, and runs a Transition to School programme with its local school community. A virtual tour of the centre is available on the website.