Kindercare Upper Hutt is an early childhood care and education centre at 51 Whakatiki Street, Trentham, serving families across Upper Hutt, Silverstream, Wallaceville, Elderslea, Maidstone, Ebdentown, Riverstone, and Trentham since 2011.
The centre provides age-appropriate care and learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with a kindergarten-style programme for 3–5 year olds running 9am to 3pm, up to 20 hours a week. Lunch, morning tea, and afternoon tea are provided daily, and families can choose full or part-time enrolment to suit their needs. The centre also runs a generous annual leave policy designed to ease pressure on families when a child is sick or away from the centre on holiday.
Led by Centre Director Julia Dixon (Pou Kaitiaki), the team describes its approach as heart-centred, aiming to build strong relationships with whānau and create a sense of belonging for both children and their families. The centre's programme is built around fostering innovative thinking, discovery, and curiosity in a nurturing, fun-filled environment.
Kindercare Upper Hutt has been part of its community since 2011, providing early childhood care and education from its centre at 51 Whakatiki Street in Trentham.
Centre Director Julia Dixon, who holds the role of Pou Kaitiaki, describes her role in personal terms: watching each child's growth and development, from a first step to mastering a tricky puzzle, and the privilege of running into tamariki she once cared for out in the community. That relationship-first philosophy runs through the centre's approach, which aims to build strong, supportive relationships with whānau and create a sense of belonging for both children and their families.
The centre provides age-appropriate care and activities across infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. For 3–5 year olds, Kindercare Upper Hutt runs a kindergarten-style programme from 9am to 3pm, for up to 20 hours a week — a structure aimed at preparing preschoolers for the transition to school while still offering the nurturing environment of early childhood care.
Beyond the core programme, Kindercare Upper Hutt offers a generous annual leave policy, designed to ease the pressure on families during times when a child is sick or away from the centre on holiday. Families can also choose full or part-time enrolment depending on what suits their household, and lunch, morning tea, and afternoon tea are provided daily so children have nourishing food to support active bodies and growing minds.
The centre describes its programme as one that encourages innovative thinking, discovery, and curiosity, delivered in thoughtfully designed environments. The aim is to offer nurturing care, creative learning, and social opportunities tailored to each child's individual needs — with the centre noting that families have different childcare requirements, and that it aims to offer a tailored approach to care, learning, and fees to support each child's growth.
Kindercare Upper Hutt is conveniently located for families across Upper Hutt, Silverstream, Wallaceville, Elderslea, Maidstone, Ebdentown, Riverstone, and Trentham. Reviews from parents describe the centre as feeling like a second home, with educators recognised for genuine care, patience, and encouragement — including families who have enrolled more than one child at the centre over the years.
Families interested in enrolling can make an enquiry or book a visit directly through the centre's website, and can reach the team by phone or email during the centre's Monday to Friday operating hours.
What comes through from Kindercare Upper Hutt's own materials — and echoed in parent reviews — is a consistent focus on relationships: between educators and children, and between the centre and the whānau it serves, all within a programme structured to flex around real family needs.