Imagine Childcare runs a centre at 2 Burnham Street in Alicetown for children aged two to five, with a licence for 20 children. The company operates two centres, and the other is at 77 Hutt Road in Petone, for children from six months to five years. The company describes its centres as family-friendly and home-like, and its teachers are fully qualified and registered. Centre hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, and the centres are closed at weekends.
Both centres are licensed by the Ministry of Education and receive government funding for 30 hours a week per enrolled child. The company says external reviews are carried out by the Education Review Office. The philosophy centres on the natural environment, and children explore a garden with an oak tree, a lemon tree, a sandpit and a playhouse. The centre recycles paper and cans, composts, and is part of a paper recycling scheme that gives native trees for the garden. For a family near Burnham Street, the garden and the recycling and composting routines are part of the daily programme.