When children are enrolled at the centre they are partnered up with a caregiver. We have three groups: the Keas, Pukekos and Kiwis. The Keas being our youngest infants and toddlers and the Kiwis being our pre-schoolers. When deciding what group would best meet the needs of your child we take into consideration 'the whole child'. We take into account age, how settled the child is with centre routines and staff, their ability to work co-operatively within a small group, their verbal language and comprehension. The decision to transition children into the next group is done collaboratively and in consultation with parents.
The primary caregivers in our under two area are influenced by the Magda Gerber Approach. It is an approach of love and respect where each child develops authentically without intervention, at his or her own pace. Children have the freedom to "do their own thing" and "be who they want to be" in a carefully structured environment.
They get security from permanency, consistency and anticipation: time to sleep, time to eat, time to explore inside and time to be outside. Within this predictable rhythm of centre life children have time for uninterrupted exploratory play, which is encouraged through the use of treasue baskets and heuristic play.
Heuristic play is used to describe play for infants and toddlers that actively encourages exploration and discovery. Infants and toddlers are essentially 'sensory-motor beings'. They are dependent on their senses to give them an understanding of the people, places and things that are in their environment.