Childspace Karori is a back-to-nature, holistic early childhood education centre in Karori, Wellington, providing care and education for infants and toddlers up to two years old. Located at 81 Old Karori Road, the centre is licensed for 22 infants and toddlers per day, cares for both part-time and full-time spaces, and is supported by a team of 7 kaiako along with a dedicated kai creator (cook) who prepares nutritious meals for the children each day. The centre is managed by Chontelle Schierny.
The kaiako at Childspace Karori draw inspiration from the work of Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber, following a peaceful, child-centred approach that respects each child's individual interests and routines. Every child has a key teacher, giving them the comfort of a familiar, fully present adult who is sensitively attuned to their cues and needs for both care and play. This is complemented by a continuity of care approach, where a child's key kaiako moves with them as they transition from the centre's younger room, Kākano, to the older room, Rito, so the same familiar support continues throughout their time at the centre.
The centre's spaces are designed to empower infants through free movement and floor time, and to meet toddlers' specific developmental needs, with an outdoor area offering a safe but challenging environment for exploration. Each child also has their own 'discovery book,' recording stories from their individual learning and development journey.
Tucked into Karori, Wellington, Childspace Karori describes itself as a back-to-nature, holistic early childhood education centre, focused specifically on infants and toddlers up to two years old. Rather than a generic daycare model, the centre builds its whole approach around a respectful, child-led philosophy drawn from two well-known figures in early childhood education.
The kaiako (teachers) at Childspace Karori are inspired by the work of Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber, both pioneers of a peaceful, child-centred approach to infant and toddler care. That philosophy shows up in how the centre treats each child's individual interests and routines - not as something to be managed around a fixed schedule, but as something to be cherished and responded to.
Central to how Childspace Karori operates is its key teacher system. Every child is paired with a key teacher, giving them the comfort of a familiar, fully present adult close by - someone sensitively observing their cues and gestures for both care and play needs, rather than rotating between different staff members day to day.
That relationship doesn't reset when a child moves between rooms, either. The centre runs a continuity of care approach, where a child's key kaiako transitions with them from the younger room, Kākano, into the older room, Rito. It's a deliberate design choice that keeps the same familiar support and care in place through what can otherwise be a disruptive change for very young children.
Childspace Karori's physical spaces are designed with specific developmental stages in mind. For infants, that means room for free movement and floor time, letting babies build strength and confidence in their own time rather than being placed into positions before they're ready. For toddlers, the spaces are adapted to meet their more active, exploratory developmental needs. Outdoors, the centre offers what it describes as a safe but challenging environment - one that gives children room to test their abilities under close, attentive supervision.
Each child at Childspace Karori has their own 'discovery book,' a personal record of stories from their individual journey through learning and development at the centre. It's one more way the centre's programme celebrates each child's particular interests and strengths, rather than measuring every child against the same fixed milestones.
Meals are taken seriously too - the centre employs a dedicated kai creator (cook) who spends her days preparing nutritious and tasty food for all the children. The centre is licensed for 22 infants and toddlers per day and is supported by a team of 7 kaiako, with both part-time and full-time spaces available. Childspace Karori is managed by Chontelle Schierny and is based at 81 Old Karori Road, Karori, Wellington.
Given the centre's focus on a genuinely personal, key-teacher-led approach, spaces are naturally limited relative to a larger, less individualised centre. Families interested in enrolling can join Childspace Karori's waiting list to secure a place for their infant or toddler.