Exceptional early childhood education
Children aged three months to five years can grow and develop in the nurturing environment of ACG Strathallan’s Early Learning School, situated on a large, beautiful early learning campus in Karaka.
A positive foundation for learning
At ACG Strathallan, we introduce children to a love of play and learning, by creating opportunities to explore, experiment, solve problems and express themselves as individuals.
Personal development for life
Along with a positive start to learning, our teachers place an emphasis on oral language development and nurturing social relationships. Our teachers know a structured foundation is important for young children, to help them develop and grow into confident individuals.
We provide an exceptional learning space for our early learners, with high quality staff who care and guide our young children.
Infant Early Learning School – from three months
With a purpose-built, creative and stimulating play and learning area, our infant preschool caters for children from three months to two years. To maintain our high level of quality, care and attention, we have a staff ratio of one teacher to four children.
Junior Early Learning School – two to four years
Young children are now encouraged to play, think, experiment, develop self-expression and curiosity. Language skills are developed alongside social skills. Our teachers are highly dedicated and we maintain a strict ratio of one staff member to nine children.
Senior Early Learning School: School Readiness curriculum
We’ve developed a School Readiness curriculum so that children are excited and prepared for continuous learning.
We support children in creative and critical thought processes throughout their day, and we provide experiences that introduce children to early concepts of maths, science, art, reading and other curriculum areas.
We nurture children to become confident by supporting them to think clearly and solve problems, to have the confidence to ask questions and expand their knowledge.
It’s well known that children who start school feeling confident and capable are better placed to have learning success for life.
Read more about our School Readiness curriculum here.
Stay and Play
Make yourself at home during our 'Play and Stay' sessions where our centre is beautifully designed with children in mind. Our teachers will set up engaging learning experiences for children between the ages of 2 to 5 years. Together, you can explore our playground, resources and learning spaces, make new friends, get to know local families, chat with our wonderful teachers and have fun. To learn more, please complete the form below.
Parent Testimonials
Cooper started at Strathallan Preschool in the infants centre at 13 months and is now 2.5 in the junior preschool. The low staff turnover has meant Cooper has been able to form incredible bonds with his teachers in both the infant and junior centres and they all genuinely care about their students. Cooper’s current interests are quickly identified and encouraged which means I always know he’s going to have a great day. We couldn’t be more impressed with how Strathallan preschool is nurturing our little boy and you know it’s a quality centre when the first thing he says at pick up is “I had a good day today mummy”.
Choosing the right daycare for the little one is a hard task. Moving to a new daycare center brings even more challenges and uncertainties to the kid and family. However, after 6 months at ACG Strathallan’s early learning school, we are very happy that we made the move for Lucas. Lucas has been a happy boy since day one. His transition was so smooth, it was actually quite a surprise to see how quickly he settled in the early learning school.
Lucas’s development and growth are progressing very well since he joined the early learning school. His confidence, knowledge, experience and skills are growing day by day. We can see the care, education and kindness he receives at early learning school on a daily basis. The way the center organizes and arranges activities for kids simply works very well. Lucas’s daily agenda at school is always full of excitement, joy and exploration with his friends.
Communications with teachers, the manager and staff at the center are always nice and easy. It makes us feel that teachers are always there for Lucas and us. Teachers are happy to talk about Lucas’s daily activities, feelings, reactions, and highlights at the center. If we have any questions, they are more than happy to answer or help. A short 3 mins talk with teachers gives us a lot of insights about Lucas’s day. The Storypark system they use at the center is amazing. Teachers keep posting photos, videos, stories. Very easy for us to know what is happening. And when I post some stories about Lucas at home, I always get responses from teachers. Highly appreciate the efforts the teaching team put in this. Even in the lockdown period, teachers managed to do an amazing job in planning daily activities and arranging video calls. Their impressive work helped to keep kids connected with teachers and other kids. This is really helpful during lockdown, and worked very well for us.
Everytime when I walk into the center, I see kids with happy and confident smiles on their faces, running and playing. I can see how much kids like their teachers and friends. This center is a great place to bring kids together. As a family, we are very happy to be part of ACG Strathallan daycare center.
I was a parent that was hesitant about sending our precious little one to a Preschool, however, this has been a decision we have never regretted. From day one the staff have been amazing.
Upon starting at ACG Strathallan, Harry was a timid shy character and under the guidance of the amazing staff in the Nursery, they’ve helped bring him out of his shell, feel safe and confident while providing him with a nurturing, clean & loving environment.
The staff have a genuine love for their job and you can see how much they care for the children. Communication has always been impeccable and they love sharing what Harry has been up to during the day.
I highly recommend this preschool to anyone and everyone.
Our Philosophy
Strathallan Preschool advocates for the rights of all children, valuing and embracing the culture of childhood and respecting children as active members of society.
We base our philosophy upon Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum: Te Whāriki, as well as the integration of a strong inspirational influence from the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy.
The importance of these influences guides our philosophy statement under the four principles of Te Whāriki with the image of the child, parent and teacher being incorporated within these.
The four principles of Te Whāriki:
Whakamana (Empowerment) – we empower children to evolve as interactive learners and creators of knowledge, actively engaging and exploring the wider world around them.
Kotahitanga (Holistic Development) – our curriculum reflects the holistic way that children learn through acknowledging them as unique individuals who are capable and hold a richness of cultural identity.
Whānau Tangata (Family and Community) – we acknowledge that the wider world of family, whānau and community is an integral part of our curriculum, and we foster active participation from all.
Ngā Hononga (Relationships) – we believe children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things and encourage participation in meaningful ways.
Introduction to Early Learning School
