ABOUT US

WELCOME TO LITTLE VILLA

We are committed to the provision of a high quality education and care service in the local area. Our starring point is developing respectful and nurturing relationships with children, their families and whānau.

Management and teachers aim to foster curiosity, exploration, self-responsibility and sustainable practices for our tamariki.

We have a strong bicultural focus that provides and promotes positive outcomes for Māori children and their whānau.

The centre has successfully established a culture where parents and whānau feel welcome, are happy to be involved, and participate and contribute to centre life. These partnerships are built on values such as whanaungatanga, manaakitanga as well as respect for each other and open communication. This has resulted in the strengthening of their partnerships for learning and a sense of belonging and community.

Curriculum

The centre’s curriculum priorities include:

a strong bicultural dimension where children’s language, identity and culture are celebrated
clear connections to the dispositions and bicultural assessment within Te Whatu Pokeka and Te Whāriki
a play-based programme where children’s interests and strengths are integral to their growth and development
connections with the local community including significant places, stories and tikanga of importance to Māori
children developing skills to support them to play cooperatively with their peers

The implementation of the centre curriculum contributes to an environment where children are happy, trusting, confident and engaged in meaningful play and learning.

Transition to School

We offer a 4-year-old learning programme where children 4-years-of-age are invited into a more structured programme 4 days a week. This helps the 4 year olds get used to sitting for longer periods of time, as well as extend their learning, as they are ready.

Under 2's

Children up to the age of two are well catered for in a separate area of the centre. Teachers care for and nurture these very young children, and provide a good range of activities for babies and toddlers to explore. Care routines are sensitively managed and are increasingly responsive to individual babies’ rhythms and expectations.

Our Teachers

Teachers have established strong and close relationships with children and their whānau. They know and respect children and parents well, and use this information effectively to guide their interactions and plan the programme. Improvements to the environment and resourcing of the centre have enabled teachers to increase their ability to extend children’s learning. Teachers are also developing their skills to notice, recognise and respond to children’s interests and care needs. They spend sustained periods of time with children at play, and provide relevant activities and experiences to engage them in purposeful learning.

Teachers have developed an agreed system for assessment, planning and evaluation. They have explored the use of a range of assessment resources including Te Whāriki, Te Whatu Pokeka, Tātaiako, Ka Hikitia and teacher registration criteria to design an assessment framework.

Philosophy

Partnership with Parents:
Management and staff will endeavour to promote and extend the development and learning of each child, though the positive partnership with parents.

Emphasis on Educare:
Management and staff will provide an environment that allows for child initiated play combined with semi-structured learning, allowing children’s development of being confident, competent learners and communicators.

Holistic Development:
Management and staff will promote a curriculum that reflects equitable opportunities and cultural appropriateness for all children and their whānau.

Open Communication:
Management and staff promote open communication at all times for families/tangata whenua/whānau, and community.

Professional Development:
Professional development amongst staff is an ongoing process, promoting quality educare.

Sustainability

We introduce sustainable habits and practices to our children by encouraging recycling, keeping worm farms and growing our own veges in our very own Little Villa garden. As a centre we use Storypark, significantly reducing the amount of paper used for forms and newsletters. We use local suppliers and partners where possible, supporting the sustainability of businesses in our community. At Little Villa we believe every little bit helps to ensure sustainability for our precious future generations.

Monday:	7:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday:	7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday:	7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday:	7:30am - 5:30pm
Friday:	7:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday/Sunday:	Closed