Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens welcomes the government’s announcement about a move to level three of its response. We are working to a plan for opening our kindergartens for those children who need to come from Wednesday next week.

Whānau Manaaki Kindergarten Association has 102 kindergartens in the Lower North Island from Waiouru to Wellington, and also operates several home- based early education services in Porirua and Horowhenua.

Our message to families is, we want children to come to kindergarten if they need to, and to stay at home if they can.

We will be expanding our distance learning options for those children who are at home, with support from the Ministry of Education.

Our kindergartens have already been providing services under the lockdown, ranging from story times to waiata on line as well as supporting families with everything from food parcels to ideas, and helping hard copy learning packs to get delivered to families who need them.

Our teachers will come into kindergarten on a voluntary basis, and those teachers who need to can work from home.

Each kindergarten will contact its families to see who needs to attend.

We will be modifying our programme to comply with public health advice about safety and minimising risk.

Chief executive Amanda Coulston says kindergartens have a long history of providing quality early learning services to children and families.

“We look forward to continuing to serve our children and families, as we have been doing under the level four lockdown.”

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