Preschool Tauranga
At The Children’s Garden, our preschool gives 3–5 year olds the best possible start to their school journey — through play-based learning, weekly Bush Kindy adventures, and the unhurried care of qualified teachers in a small, homely centre.
- 30 free ECE hours per week (20 ministry + 10 extra)
- Weekly Bush Kindy in the Johnson Reserve
- School transition programme for confident kindy starters
- Te Whāriki + Kaitiakitanga-led learning
Preparing Your Child for School Through Nature & Play
The years before school are some of the most important in a child’s development — when curiosity takes off, friendships form, and the foundations of learning are laid. At The Children’s Garden, our preschool programme is designed to nurture every part of that growth: cognitive, social, emotional, and physical.
Our two purpose-built centres in Welcome Bay sit minutes from the Johnson Reserve, with our oldest preschoolers heading into the reserve itself for a weekly Bush Kindy excursion. Add in qualified kaiako, small centre sizes, a structured school transition programme, and 30 free ECE hours — and your child arrives at primary school confident, capable, and ready.
Free ECE Hours / Week
Preschool Age Group
Children at Our Preschool
Between Our Two Centres
What Makes Our Preschool Different
Six reasons Welcome Bay families trust The Children’s Garden with their preschoolers.
School Transition Programme
A structured programme in the months before primary school — building independence, literacy fundamentals, and confidence to walk through the school gate.
Weekly Bush Kindy Excursions
Our oldest preschoolers head into the Johnson Reserve each week for nature-based learning — tree climbing, mud play, stream exploration, and real connection with Papatūānuku. It’s the rite of passage as your child prepares for school.
Experienced Kaiako
Our team blends qualified ECE teachers with experienced kaiako — many with us for years — so your child builds real trust with consistent faces, not a rotating roster.
Small Centre Sizes
Two purpose-built centres mean smaller groups, lower teacher-to-child ratios, and a homely feel — your preschooler is known by every kaiako, not lost in the crowd.
Te Whāriki Curriculum
Our programme is woven from Te Whāriki — Aotearoa’s bicultural early childhood curriculum — so every child grows their identity, language, and understanding alongside their learning.
Kaitiakitanga at Heart
Caring for the environment, others, and ourselves — Kaitiakitanga is woven into daily routines, from how we tend our garden to how we treat each other and the world around us.
Bush Kindy in the Johnson Reserve
Each week our oldest preschoolers swap the centre for the bush — heading into the nearby Johnson Reserve with their kaiako and a backpack full of curiosity. Bush Kindy is a rite of passage in our preschool: when your child is one of our oldest 12, they earn their weekly adventure outdoors. It’s a core part of how we prepare them for school.
What it builds
Risk assessment, gross motor confidence, focus, resilience, and a deep connection to the natural environment — all the things research shows matter most for school readiness.
How it works
Small groups, full kit (rain layers, gumboots, hot drinks), trained kaiako, and full first-aid coverage. Children spend several hours in the reserve regardless of weather — because every season teaches something different.
- Weekly
- Johnson Reserve
- Qualified kaiako
- All weather
- Te Ao Māori grounded
A Structured School Transition Programme
Starting school is one of the biggest steps in a young child’s life. In the months before they turn 5, our preschoolers join a dedicated transition programme that builds the practical, social, and emotional skills they’ll need from day one of primary school.
Independence skills
Lunchbox management, toileting, dressing for weather, looking after their own belongings — the small wins that make a five-year-old feel capable on their first school morning.
Early literacy & numeracy
Letter sounds, name writing, counting and patterning — introduced through play, conversation, and rich learning environments rather than worksheets.
Confidence & relationships
Group time, listening skills, taking turns, articulating needs and feelings — the social muscles that quietly do most of the work in a Year 0 classroom.
- Independence
- Early literacy
- Early numeracy
- Confidence
- Friendships
Play-Based Learning, Woven from Te Whāriki
Children learn most powerfully through play — and our environments are set up to make that play purposeful. Open-ended natural materials, mixed-age moments, and uninterrupted time to explore mean every day’s learning is led by the child’s own curiosity.
Te Whāriki strands
Wellbeing, belonging, contribution, communication, and exploration — the five strands of New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum are visibly threaded through how we plan, observe, and respond.
Bicultural foundations
Te reo Māori, waiata, karakia, and tikanga are part of everyday life at the centre — not a separate “cultural” segment. Every child grows up confident in Aotearoa’s bicultural identity.
- Open-ended play
- Te reo Māori
- Mixed ages
- Outdoor focused
- Child-led
30 Free ECE Hours, Every Week
Every child enrolled at our preschool aged 3–5 receives 30 free ECE hours per week — 20 hours from the Ministry of Education plus an extra 10 hours we cover ourselves, so families don’t pay a cent for ECE during the standard programme.
Across a typical preschool year, that’s well over 1,400 free hours of high-quality early childhood education — one of the most generous offerings in Welcome Bay and Tauranga. Full days (over 6 hours) are charged at $120/week; see our fee schedule for the full breakdown.
How the 30 hours work
Ministry of Education funded
Additional hours we cover
Total free per week
The Rhythm of a Preschool Day
Predictable, unhurried, and shaped around how 3–5 year olds actually learn.
Morning Welcome & Free Play
Settling in, indoor and outdoor exploration, mat-time waiata, and breakfast for those who need it.
Focused Learning & Outdoor Time
Structured group activities, project work, and plenty of outdoor learning — including weekly Bush Kindy excursions for our oldest preschoolers.
Kai & Quiet Time
Lunch together, a story, then a rest or quiet activity for those who need it — calm bodies, calm minds.
Afternoon Adventures & Pickup
Garden play, art, music, transition activities, afternoon kai, and warm goodbyes at the gate.
What Tauranga Parents Say
“This is an amazing, loving centre that treats the tamariki as their own. I have had three of my children here at The Children’s Garden over 10 years and still keep in touch with teachers who take real joy in seeing children grow and develop.”
“The environment is supportive, nurturing and full of creativity. The hands-on learning builds strength, independence and confidence. Blake never wants to miss a day—with weekly bush walks, swimming, school visits, cooking, singing and building.”
Common Questions From Preschool Parents
Once your child turns 3, they’re eligible for 20 ECE-funded hours per week from the Ministry of Education. At The Children’s Garden, we add a further 10 hours we cover ourselves — bringing the total to 30 free hours per week of preschool care. You only pay for any hours beyond that, plus optional add-ons like excursion contributions or Bush Kindy gear.
Our preschool is designed for children aged 3 to 5. For younger tamariki, we run a separate infant daycare programme for 0–2 year olds in a different age-appropriate space. Children transition smoothly from infant to preschool when they’re developmentally ready.
Our weekly Bush Kindy excursions are for our oldest 12 preschoolers — typically the children closest to starting school. Younger preschoolers spend lots of time outdoors at the centre and join in nature-based learning daily, building up to Bush Kindy as they get older. When children are in the Bush Kindy group, they go in all weather (we’re set up with rain layers, gumboots, and hot drinks); only genuinely unsafe conditions keep us at the centre.
Our school transition programme builds independence, early literacy and numeracy, social skills, and confidence in the months before your child turns 5. Our Preschool centre is within walking distance of Selwyn Ridge Primary School, and we run weekly transition visits there in the lead-up to your child starting. By their first day of school, they already know the school grounds, faces, and routines.
We have two purpose-built centres in Welcome Bay, Tauranga — our Babies & Toddlers centre at 64 Victory Street and our Preschool centre at 4 Pamir Place, just 100 metres apart. Both are minutes from Johnson Reserve, and the Preschool centre is within walking distance of Selwyn Ridge Primary School. See Our Centres for more and to book a tour.
Fill out the enrolment enquiry form with your preferred start date and days, and our team will contact you to arrange a centre visit. Enrolment confirmation happens after the visit so you can be sure The Children’s Garden is the right fit for your whānau.
Give Your Preschooler the Best Start
30 free ECE hours, weekly Bush Kindy, qualified teachers, and a structured school transition programme — all in two homely centres just minutes from your front door.