8 Te Rito Street, Marshland, Christchurch 8083
Accommodating 50 children. Three dedicated areas for babies, toddlers & pre-schoolers. High quality care with better teacher ratios. Prestons Preschool is based in Christchurch and conveniently located for families that live or work in or near; Burwood, Marshlands, Redwood Prestons, Bottle Lake Forest and the surrounding areas.
Our Rooms
We have a well thought out environment that values the importance of nature and the natural world, encouraging children to be curious about our world and their place in it.
We offer three dedicated areas for babies, toddlers and preschoolers with small numbers in each room.
Babies Room (Kowhai Room):
Kowhai room accommodates children from birth to 2 years.
Primary care is the core philosophy of our Kowhai (Nursery) classroom providing high quality care.
Here in the Nursery we value Respectful Practices and relationships with our Whanau and families.
A Primary caregiver is the child’s special Kaiako (teacher) who is responsible for care rituals, observations and communication with Whanau/families and setting appropriate learning Priorities.
This does not mean that the child and primary caregiver maintain an exclusive relationship, it just allows the primary caregiver to become the ‘in house’ expert on the child.
A caring and nurturing environment is provided for our infants and toddlers that recognises that each child’s emotional security is paramount and that this directly effects the learning and development.
We maintain a peaceful and unhurried environment. Our daily routine is relaxed and flexible allowing for each child’s home routines to be followed as much as possible to ease transitions between home and the centre.
Toddler Room (Totara):
This is for the children between ages 2 years to 3.5 years.
We believe that tamariki learn best when they are happy, secure and knowing they have a place here.
Here in the Totara ( Toddler) room we have taken a lot of time and care to create an environment that is intentional and designed to foster optimal development: aesthetically pleasing, welcoming, inviting and safe; where all the senses are engaged to foster curiosity, wonder and an ever-challenging learning journey. Our daily rhythms and rituals help children understand their place in natures cycles as well as framing their day and providing emotional stability.
We believe that play is the ideal place for learning when child-initiated and self-directed – we strive to create rich opportunities that encourage, empower, and allow children to use their strengths to enrich their learning. We believe open-ended resources like sticks, stones, ropes, timber, balls etc offer more possibilities for exploration, manipulation and problem-solving than toys with pre-determined outcomes.
Preschool Room (Kauri Room):
Children from 3.5 years onward are accommodated in our Kauri (Preschool) Room.
Here in the preschool room we offer a diversity of teaching styles which together weaves a whāriki of best practice that places the child at the centre of all our work here. We acknowledge that we are part of a wider learning community and seek to work collaboratively with whānau and families.
We teach with intent , responding to children's learning needs we seek to expand children's knowledge, skills and holistic development by utilising strategies such collaboration, mentoring, guided participation, observation and reflection.
The Inquiry Approach allows us to respond to children's questions in ways that engages and involves them through the learning process. Building on their independence and growing competent and confident learners ready and prepared for their journey into school.
Our Vision
To provide a small preschool in the heart of the Preston's community that ensures children receive high quality care and education.
Our Philosophy
It is vital that our preschool offers a warm and welcoming environment in which all children, parents and whānau feel respected, accepted and have a sense of belonging.
All children are unique, and our programme will respect and reflect on the individual child’s interests, providing all children with equal opportunities to reach their full potential.
All children will be given support through gentle, sensitive and informed guidance. This will encourage self regulation, effective thinking and self help skills.
The building of relationships with the child, parents and whānau is a vital part of our family based centre. We recognise the importance of linking home and centre life as we recognise that learning begins at home and that the parents are the child’s first teacher, for this reason we invite and encourage parent/whānau participation.
Play is an important part of learning. We understand and support the freedom for children to explore and grow at their own pace. Our environment will reflect this and will allow for self directed learning.
Cultural diversity is valuable and we acknowledge the importance this has on each child and their family, acknowledging that learning begins at home.
When children leave Prestons they will be capable, confident and independent learners.
Prestons Preschool is a wonderful preschool with dedicated teachers, a great philosophy and a family orientated place where the kids get treated in a very respectful, unique way, with a lot of attention and kindness. The school facilities are great; kids get to play a lot outdoors and develop their curiosity by many things outside the classroom, like plants, animals and playing freely. Our son loves going to Prestons Preschool and adores his teachers. We know that they do the very best in their abilities to nurture him & his interests. He is so happy when we drop him off and is even more excited to tell us everything about his fantastic day at school when he comes home. We could not think of a better place to give our child a head start in life.(Nick & Nina)
The teachers at Prestons Preschool are clearly passionate about what they do. Going to work isn't a chore, it is an opportunity for them to make a difference in kids' lives. I trust them to care for my children and help guide them as they grow and develop as individuals. I would happily recommend them and encourage a few visits to see them in action!(Debbie)
