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Auckland Kindergarten Association Offer The Kindergarten Day Model

Wednesday 9 March 2016, 9:37AM

By Beckie Wright

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AKA or Auckland Kindergarten Association were definitely innovators in their day, establishing their model as early as 1908 and today providing early childhood education to over 14,000 young children. They are a charitable trust made up of 107 kindergartens and four KiNZ early learning day-care centres and they are also New Zealand’s largest kindergarten association and largest education provider outside the tertiary sector. Kindergartens and early childhood education centres have proved to be extremely valuable to young children as the best model for a learning environment, providing a safe and enriching atmosphere where kids can develop as confident and competent learners.

Recently, most kindergartens have shifted from the traditional sessional model to offer longer sessions each day mirroring the school day, with the majority operating school days. Many offer families the choice for children to attend part or all of the longer session, staying over the lunch period but morning sessions are still available in most cases. Most AKA kindergartens provide home-based services, operating full-day education and care centres.

All AKA kindergartens offer ‘20 hours free’ early childhood education from three years old to when children enter school. Sometimes, parents and caregivers may pay a donation, fee or a small optional charge to meet costs over and above those covered in the 20 hours, and for some families, a Work and Income subsidy is available to support children attending an early childhood education programme.

AKA kindergartens offer quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) to all Auckland children, with a strong focus on inclusiveness that values and recognises the rich diversity of the children, parents and whānau that attend. They believe that children learn and develop best when they are nurtured and extended by teachers who are responsive and who share an understanding of the world with the child which is why they employ kindergarten teachers who are qualified and registered and whose teaching practice reflects current theories of ECE learning and development.  Their high quality early learning programmes are based on Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s national early childhood curriculum.

At AKA kindergartens they believe that childrens’ play is essential to meaningful learning experiences, and their staff work alongside the children to enhance the value of this learning. To scaffold concepts and techniques, and introduce new ideas, their teachers explore language, mathematics, science, literacy, technology and sustainability alongside the children. They also value the natural environment as an essential facilitator for children’s learning and encourage outdoor exploration and physical play by ensuring that every AKA kindergarten has an appealing outdoor area.

For further information please visit the website at https://www.aka.org.nz .