New Kindergarten For South Otago

Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens is opening a new kindergarten in Clutha Valley in South Otago, which will share premises with the existing Playcentre.

Clutha Valley Kindergarten in the Clydevale/Greenfield area, 25 km inland from Balclutha, will initially cater for 20 children with a license for thirty.

The kindergarten will be open from Monday to Thursday, with the Playcentre operating on Fridays.

A dawn blessing was held at the site on February 17, with children welcome to stay and play next week with parents or caregivers, and the kindergarten opening on Monday March 3.

The kindergarten came about after parents approached the Playcentre seeking more early childhood education for their children. Playcentre regional support lead Judy Hinton says the initiative has been community-driven, and it’s been a positive experience to work with kindergarten.

“It’s been awesome, to work to suit the needs of the community so all children get an early childhood education.”

Whānau Manaaki senior teacher Gill Crawford says everyone has worked together to advance the proposal, with strong support from the school.

“It’s really trying to be a solution for rural communities”, says Gill.

Parent Natalie Tunnah has been one of those working with Whānau Manaaki to get a kindergarten established. She says it will be great for the children, families, and the school.

Natalie has three daughters aged 5, 3 and 1 and she says it will make a big difference for her family and many others. “It’s really exciting.”

Parents currently often travel to Balclutha for early childhood education, and this takes up to half an hour and involves significant travel costs. Some children miss out completely or just have one day at Playcentre. Some parents will be able to work on the farm more, and the kindergarten will also offer support to migrant families who work in the dairy industry.

Natalie says the whole community will benefit, with the school, kindergarten and Playcentre working together.

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