Philosophy
"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!". Dr. Seuss
Our Philosophy
The Secret Garden Huapai provides a warm and nurturing environment where all children develop a healthy, happy and secure approach to living and learning. The direction taken at The Secret Garden Huapai is to support, affirm, encourage and challenge children to build their dispositions and a love for lifelong learning.
In our semi-structured, preschool programme we recognise that for young children to reach their full potential each child much be viewed as unique and celebrated for who they are.
It is the uniqueness, curiosity, playfulness, and inquisitive nature of the children that guides and supports the learning curriculum.
Our staff believe in providing children with the foundation skills for developing Manaakitanga (respect). It is through these respectful tuakana-teina relationships that children develop an awareness of their individuality, compassion for others, and see their time at the Secret Garden Huapai as a journey of creativity, discovery and enjoyment.
Te Whariki is used as the foundation for our learning environment as well as recognising the uniqueness of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We value real partnerships with parents and whānau, which are based on respect, honesty, communication and collaboration. We recognise the dual cultural heritage of Aotearoa and celebrate the uniqueness of each child’s gender, race, culture, and abilities and their place in the community and wider world.
At The Secret Garden Huapai we pride ourselves on providing children with a real Kiwi upbringing. Our rich environment works as a 3rd teacher providing a relaxed home away from home experience that sparks imagination, wonder, awe and fuels their curiosity.
Our Mission Statement
Our goal is to give each child a warm environment to encourage the development of socialisation skills, independence and a positive self-image. Our experienced teaching staff embrace the view that each child is an unique person with an individual pattern and timing of social, physical and intellectual development. Teachers encourage children to think for themselves, make decisions and work towards their own solutions by expressing their own ideas and feelings.
Our Program
The Secret Garden provides a very personal approach to your child's early childhood education, with internationally acclaimed programs and philosophies at its core. Our experience tells us that there's no 'one size fits all' approach, so we've created a program all of our own that is flexible and adaptable to the needs of your child as they grow and develop.
Ours is an inviting and engaging environment where children are able to explore, play and learn simultaneously. We provide structured learning alongside opportunities for self expression and free play.
Te Whāriki is used as the foundation for our learning environment. The program's framework emphasises the learning partnership between teachers, parents and whanau. Teachers create a holistic curriculum in response to children's learning and development in the early childhood setting and the wider context of the child's world. Through this program it is our goal to help children prepare for future learning environments. To find out more about Te Whāriki and the NZ Ministry of Education's early childhood curriculum policy framework click here.