Whanganui Montessori Pre-School is a not-for-profit, community-based Montessori preschool for children aged 2½ to 6. It moved to 47 Raine Street in Whanganui East, into the former St Anne's Church building. The preschool offers 20 hours of early childhood education a week. Its programme mixes children of different ages, so older children act as role models for younger ones. Children choose their own activities and work at their own pace, with gentle guidance from the teacher. The learning areas are practical life, sensorial, language, music, mathematics, science and cultural topics, and the classrooms have hands-on Montessori materials and an outdoor classroom.
A typical day has a 10.30 am to 12 pm session where children can choose between the outdoor classroom and the indoor room. Children who stay all day wash their hands and have lunch at 12.30 pm, and play resumes at 1 pm. The preschool holds parent morning teas and cultural celebrations through the year. We hear there are limited spaces for Term 4, 2026, so families are asked to contact the preschool to secure a place.