Nau Mai, Haere Mai Ki
Happy Feet Childcare Lake Terrace

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At Happy Feet Lake Terrace, we believe that as an Early Education Centre we have an important part to play in our community and a very special opportunity to positively impact young children’s lives in their early stages of development.

With a safe and nurturing environment for your child, we provide a place for children to learn, develop and grow through social interaction in an engaging environment, carefully set up by kaiako, with lots of opportunities to explore and learn.

Our centre caters for tamariki aged 0-6yrs and we are open 7.30am-5.30pm, Monday – Friday. Nestled in the heart of Burwood near the Avon River and Horseshoe Lake, we are easy to find and within a short travelling distance to the local town, making us a natural choice for busy parents and local families in the community.

Your child will love the well laid out learning corners at our centre, consisting of a family play area, creative art corner as well as a quiet space for reading and reflection.  There’s also plenty of natural resources with space to explore.

Our teaching team is made up of passionate, experienced teachers who are warm, welcoming and naturally wonderful people. Our qualified Early Childhood Educators bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team and their special connection with our children is cherished and supported in our centre.

Teachers guide our Tamariki in learning, engaging them with fun, sensory and also challenging experiences to nurture their development.  All children are valued at their unique stage of life, respected for who they are and have equal opportunities to ensure the best possible start in life.  This special environment with a community of talented individuals, encourages the joy and wonder of learning to come alive.

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Nursery  (0-2 years)

In our nursery room, we provide a nurturing and caring ‘home away from home’ environment to ensure that children feel safe and secure in their own space, as they begin to explore and discover the world around them.  We respect that parents are the first teachers, so we want to work closely with you to ensure your child gets the best out of their day.

Transition

We encourage 3 settling visits, approximately 2 weeks before your child’s start date to ensure a smooth and settled transition for both you and your child.

Environment

Our infants have their own space, made up of many loose parts and ‘real’ items, we believe that with these items infants are able to gain an understanding of the world they live in, it encourages open-ended learning, and involves sensory development.

Nutrition

Giving bottles are special care times, where we take this time to nurture, sing, hold and support the infants to create a feeling of warmth, connection and aroha.

Communication

For children aged 0-12 months, we provide you with a communication journal so our teachers in the Nursery can keep you updated with daily information about your childs day.  We also use Storypark to share photos, videos and audio of your child’s development so you never miss out on those treasured milestones.

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Preschool (2-3.5 years)

Environment

We provide a space for our curious toddlers within an intimate small group size. Our ratios provide a cosy place for your child to explore their unique nature. We support childhood learning with a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and supportive of all children during this age of discovery and wonder.

Transition

For new children, we encourage 3 settling visits, approximately 2 weeks before your child’s start date to ensure a smooth and settled transition for both you and your child.  Children transitioning from our nursery room have regular accompanied visits to get familiar with their new environment and meet their new friends, ensuring this is a positive step in their learning journey. Our Transition Policy is available by asking a member of the team.

Communication

As well as daily face-to-face catch ups about your child’s day at drop off and pick up time, we use Storypark to share photos, videos and audio of your child’s development so you never miss out on those special moments.  Storypark also offer a handy mobile app so can have updates right to your smartphone.

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Kindy (3.5-5 years)

Environment

Our kindy room offers opportunities throughout the day for children to be involved in contributing to the curriculum helping to make decisions about what is set up, and sharing their ideas. Teachers work alongside the children to set up an environment which is challenging, provides curiosity and active exploration.

Children’s self-help skills are very important at this stage and children are supported to go to the toilet on their own, wash hands, dress themselves, serve up their own morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

The kindy children have regular mat times throughout the day where they learn songs, stories and are encouraged to share things with the other children.

Some of our group learning times arise from the children’s own participation in incidental moments when we are play with the parachute, outside games, at the play dough table or gardening.  We value that each child learns at their own pace and when they are ready, and that play is children’s work.

Transition

For new children, we encourage 3 settling visits, approximately 2 weeks before your child’s start date to ensure a smooth and settled transition for both you and your child.  Children transitioning from our preschool room will have regular accompanied visits to get familiar with their new environment and meet their new friends, ensuring this is a positive step in their learning journey. Our Transition Policy is available by asking a member of the team.

Transition to School Programme

We believe in building a foundation for children to transition to school as confident, capable learners. We encourage your child to dress themselves independently, pack and unpack their own bags, go to the toilet on their own, wash their hands, sit on the mat, listen and develop social skills and confidence within large groups.

Skills such as writing their name, holding a pencil correctly, counting, recognising letters and numbers are all aspects where we place a strong emphasis on learning experiences each day.

Nutrition

Nutrition is so important for young children as it is directly linked to all aspects of their growth and development.

Happy Feet Lake Terrace are a centrewide lunch box centre. The children thoroughly enjoy this, and it promotes independence and encourage self-help skills in preparation for school.

Teachers do regular baking with the children, which provides them opportunities to engage and learn a range of food preparations skills and fine motor movements such as pouring, sifting, spooning. It is a great hands on sensory experience for children to develop independence through self-help skills, practice simple maths as they measure and count quantities. The children feel a great sense of pride in preparing their own morning or afternoon tea.