Little Wonders (Oamaru) Childcare Centre has 100 children from 3 months of age to 5 years, and provides full day hours to meet the needs of working parents and to cater for the urban – rural mix of families in the Oamaru area. It is a privately owned centre, provided for Oamaru families by Ben Hurst who lives in Auckland. 

Open:  Monday to Friday 7.30 am-6.00 pm. Remains open during the school holidays.

Minimum and Maximum Hours of Enrolment:  The minimum hours of enrolment are two days a week (6 hours daily for children under 2 years and 6 ½ for children over 2 years). The maximum number of hours a child can attend is 52 ½ hours a week.

Address:  303 Thames Highway, Oamaru.

Online: http://www.littlewonderschildcare.co.nz/

Children with Disabilities:   The purpose built Centre was designed to ensure it was fully accessible to children and adults with most physical disabilities.

Children with Medical Conditions: The centre cook plans and prepares meals to meet the dietary requirements of individual children. The Public Health Nurse and other health providers are pro active in supporting centre staff with training and information to ensure the physical, cognitive and emotional needs of children with medical conditions are catered for.

Gifted and Talented Children:  Children are extended in their own age-group class through provision of extra activities and the option of one-on-one time with teachers. Children are also exposed to more challenging experiences within the environment for older children, and they can return to their peer groups and teaches for much of the day without being identified as different from their peers. The staff have a good relationship with the Ministry of Educations Group Special Education Services and local schools who they liaise with on teaching strategies and provision of transition to school programmes once a week for the older children

Children with Special Learning Needs:  The staff are flexible when it comes to deciding when children are ready to move into the next class. This is discussed with families and any specialists or support services that are also involved in supporting the child.

Staff Gender:  All staff are women.

Languages Spoken by Staff Fluently:  English, Tongan and Chinese/Mandarin

Range of Different Qualifications held by Staff:

• NZ Free Kindergarten Union Teaching Diploma
• Diploma of Early Childhood Education, Pacific Island University
• Bachelor of Education (Primary teaching)
• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)
• Certificate in Business Studies
• First aid Certificates

Parent Say:  The best outcome for the service is believed to be achieved when management and parents consult and work towards an agreed outcome.

Grouping Practices:  In the morning children are in different age-group classes. In the afternoon they mix freely.

Features Little Wonders Say They Are Proud Of: 

1. Our Children

• The most noted feature of our Centre is its calm ambience from the time you enter the foyer to movement from room to room. 
• Our children are welcoming and have close relationships with their peers and teachers.
• Our children are encouraged to have fun, use imagination, take risks and be confident in their communication with others.

2. The Indoor Environment

• Our large foyer allows adults and children to be welcomed and to become familiar with the environment before entering the class.
• Our diverse cultural community is recognised through visual displays in the foyer alongside information about the centre and the staff.
• The resources in the learning environments/class rooms are present to promote and enhance the learning of the children and to encourage enquiry and investigation in the learning process.

3.  The Outdoor Environment

• We have two playgrounds (one for under 3yrs and one for over 3yrs).  Both have large sand areas and bike tracks and grass areas.  The playgrounds were designed to promote enquiry and challenges for our children. Because of their easy access from the indoors our playgrounds encourage a continual investigation of the indoor-outdoor environments.
• Our outdoor play equipment is moveable which supports teachers in extending and challenging children’s interests and emerging skills.