Our Centre
Forfar Nursery and Preschool is a not for profit community preschool. We have been operating in the St Albans community since 1987, with a strong reputation for providing high quality of care and learning for children aged 0 – 5 years. The centre is a large renovated, homely villa on expansive grounds that offer children a truly ‘backyard’ play experience – with mature trees and real grass! The centre also provides nutritious home-cooked meals.
Forfar has a separate nursery area for children aged 0 -2 years, and a preschool area for children aged 2 -5 years. Most children enrol in our nursery and continue through the preschool before heading off to school. Forfar will become you and your child’s home away from home, and being part of your extended family is something we really value.
Qualified and experienced teachers are a centre’s greatest resource. We have a fantastic team of long serving teachers who are warm and caring, heaps of fun, a little bit crazy sometimes, and are 100% dedicated to growing great kids.
At Forfar we are well resourced with equipment and toys that encourage children to explore for themselves and learn how to make sense of their world. We believe resources and experiences should entice, engage and challenge children to instil a love of learning.
We value independence and believe in teaching resilience in our children. We also offer a wide range of activities to encourage shared experiences, working cooperatively with their peers, while at the same time supporting individual learning styles.
Warm and genuine relationships with family are the cornerstone of what we do at Forfar. We recognise you and your whanau as your child’s first teachers and believe we can work together with open communication to nurture your child in their first years.
Our Centre Philosophy
Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa. The Child – the Heart of the Matter
At Forfar, we provide a nurturing, home-like environment where tamariki and whānau are the heart of everything we do.
Our aim is to promote excellence, equity, and lifelong learning.
We value the importance of belonging and connection, a place of creativity, curiosity, of care, friendships, and fun.
Our connections with each other are fostered and strengthened through Whanaungatanga, ensuring that relationships are warm, genuine, respectful and reciprocal. These relationships are aspirational, inclusive and reflect the principle of Mahi Tahi, being connected and working together in collaboration.
Our learning environment is guided by our core values:
Whanaungatanga: Positive, respectful relationships (belonging)
Tamariki feel a sense of belonging and connection to people, places and things. Whānau are valued partners in learning, and are empowered to share their knowledge and aspirations. We nurture respectful relationships that are warm and accepting and promote identity, language and culture.
Mahi Tahi: Working together (contribution)
Tamariki are empowered to confidently work alongside each other, listening to and including others in play. Whānau and kaiako work together to unify the learning and kaupapa for our community. We value collaboration, communication, and connection to foster a rich learning environment through shared experiences.
Manaakitanga: Kindness and caring (wellbeing)
Tamariki and whānau experience a welcoming, supportive, and nurturing environment. Kaiako have secure connections with tamariki that are loving, caring and respectful. We believe in fostering mana enhancing relationships and an environment where kindness, encouragement and respect are treasured.
Ako: Learning together (communication)
Tamariki build confidence by sharing ideas and knowledge through communication and playing alongside each other. Kaiako value lifelong learning that fosters a culture of growth and collaboration. We value reciprocal learning relationships where everyone can both teach and learn.
Kaitiakitanga: Guardianship (Exploration)
Tamariki are supported to explore, learn from, respect and make sense of the world around them. Their curiosity is encouraged as they actively explore and gain an understanding of Papatūānuku. We believe we have a shared responsibility to care for, connect with, and protect the natural environment.
Hours
The Centre is open from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday – Friday. We close for all public holidays and for a minimum of three weeks over the Christmas period. The minimum weekly booking is one day a week, with a minimum daily booking of six hours.
Age Range
We offer care for children from birth to six years, however most of our children are aged between 3 months and 5 years.
We are licenced for 47 children . In the preschool we have up to 32 children, with a child to teacher ratio of 1:8. In the nursery we have up to 14 children (although we are licenced for 15) and we have a child to teacher ratio of 1:4. We also employ a float teacher to cover teachers breaks and non-contact times.
Meals
A nutritious mid-day meal is prepared on the premises each day along with morning and afternoon teas. A record of what your child eats daily is sent home. We have a four-week rotating menu.
Morning and afternoon teas are included in daily fees. Lunch is inclusive of a daily booking of 6 hours or more.
Communication
Relationships matter! We strongly believe that it truly does take a village to raise a child and that if we work together we can all share in the delight of watching your child grow into a confident, resilient, caring little person. We are here to support you in your parenting role and are genuinely interested in your family. You are encouraged to discuss and talk about your child with their teachers on a daily basis.
Parent/Family Events
Throughout the year we hold a number of events for parents and families; e.g. fish ‘n’ chips & disco night, family Christmas party, Trike-a-thon and parent evenings. We love to see grandparents and other family members at these events.
Fundraising
As we are a community based centre we need to fundraise and apply for funding grants to maintain and purchase new equipment, furniture and toys for the children, and to maintain and develop the buildings and indoor/outdoor environments.
Throughout the year the fundraising subcommittee organise a number of fundraising ventures (trike-a-thon, BBQ’s etc). Your help with these fundraising activities is greatly appreciated and helps to keep fees down.
Governance Committee
As a community based preschool we are governed by a parent committee. The Governance Committee is elected annually. This is a great opportunityto be more actively involved in your child’s education.
