• Flexible opening hours to meet the needs of your whānau, 7.30am – 5.30pm Mon – Fri 
• YES! We are open in the school holidays. 
• Children from 6 months to school age welcome 
• Up to 30 hours FREE* *limited spaces, conditions apply 
• Affordable fees of only $5.20 per hour 
• Fully qualified and registered teachers 
• Nutritious meals provided through KidsCan 
• Pick-up/drop-off van service available **limited spaces, conditions apply 
• A variety of enrolments options offered 

We are a lovely, newly refurbished early learning centre on the corner of Harper Street and Settlement Road in Papakura. 

What makes us unique? 

We provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, create, and imagine by providing innovative learning experiences in our wonderful indoor and outdoor environments. Our amazing playground is large enough to contain many native trees to give us shade and fresh air. We love harvesting fresh fruit and vegetables from our several fruit trees and kitchen garden that our children lovingly nurture through regular watering and removal of weeds.  

We are a play-based, child-led kura and believe that each child is an individual. As educators, we value and develop each child’s strengths, interests, skills, abilities, and knowledge to extend their learning. Our team of four fully qualified teachers, one teacher-in-training, and a lovely teacher-aid kaiako, work together in nurturing each child’s growth and education and upholding manaakitanga with our tamariki, whānau and community.  

Licenced for 40 over two-year-olds and 5 under-twos, we are a culturally rich and diverse early learning centre. A respect for individual differences underlies all that we do. We design local curriculum based on whānau aspirations that reflects the values and extends the richness of the diversity of our children, staff, and families. We support smooth transitions be it from home to the centre or vice versa. We work hard to ensure that all our tamariki feel a sense of belonging and that our centre is their home away from home. 

Reuse reduce and recycle! We are part of the Enviroschools programme.  

Early Learning Counties Manukau Ltd. Is a subsidiary company of Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association, a not-for-profit organisation. 

Our Programme 

We are a strong believer of ‘nurturing comes before learning’. Our centre curriculum consists of a child-initiated play-based environment that fosters self-confidence, trust, creativity, autonomy, and acceptance of individual differences.  

Our curriculum is built upon:  

• Trusting, respectful, nurturing relationships between children and their kaiako  
• Kaiako working as a facilitator  
• A play-based, hands-on, active learning environment 

Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, underpins our curriculum alongside Parents/Whanau aspirations for their children. These are valued and we work in partnership to provide the best possible outcomes/experiences for individual children as we prepare them for their lifelong learning journey. It encompasses the cultural heritage of both partners to Te Tiriti O Waitangi.