Kidsfirst Kindergartens is a not-for-profit early childhood education provider with around 70 kindergartens throughout Canterbury, the West Coast and Central Otago. Our kindergartens have been serving tamariki, whānau and communities for more than a century now, making us one of New Zealand’s most enduring early childhood organisations.
Our strength is in our numbers, and our network - our kindergartens enjoy the benefits of strategic, efficient, cost effective management and administration. In turn, they are able to do more for tamariki, whānau and communities, and we are able to invest in ensuring kindergarten remains an option for future generations.
Each of our kindergartens is different, reflecting the unique needs of individual communities. However they share some common characteristics that lie at the heart of Kidsfirst: our not-for-profit status, which means our only beneficiaries are tamariki and whānau, our strong values base, the learning-through-play philosophy, a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism, and a passion for life-long-learning.
We take tamariki from the age of two (and from birth at Kidsfirst Diamond Harbour and Niu). Kindergarten is a great alternative to daycare, with hours aligning with the school day.