North Haven is a not-for-profit childcare and education centre at 23 Arthur Street in central Timaru, open from 7.45am to 5.30pm. It is guided by Te Whāriki and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, and its centre values are manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga. The centre sets a centre-wide learning priority from time to time, so that all rooms focus on the same thing for a while. It has Koru and Fern rooms for different ages, with a separate sleep room and safe floor spaces for babies under 12 months. The outdoor area is large and natural, with quiet corners for one-to-one time and more challenging spaces for gross motor skills. The centre offers flexible hours, including school holiday flexibility.
The centre says it has one teacher for every four children under two, which is better than the Ministry of Education requires. Families get daily conversations with teachers and access to the EDUCA online learning platform, and the centre has an open door policy. A room is set aside where parents can feed their child. The centre says its teachers are a professional, experienced team, and it describes a second-home feel. The centre can be reached by email at northhaven@northhaven.co.nz.