Small Steps is open for five days a week Monday to Friday from 7am – 6pm except for Public Holidays. 
We request you respect this licensed time and drop off and pick up within these hours.  In the event of an emergency please contact the centre so staff can allay your child's concerns and make plans for their own commitments. 

We offer full time and part time hours:

Part time – 7 hour session  - between 8:30am and 3:30pm

Full time - 7+ hours per day (drop off and collection can be anytime between 7am till 6pm which will be discussed at enrolment.)

We have a late fee charge of $10 per 10 minutes

Our infant room has an average teacher to child ratio of 1:4. Our toddler rooms have an average teacher to child ratio of 1:6. The preschool rooms have an average teacher to child ratio of 1:8

• Nappies for under 3 year olds

• An SPF50 sunscreen in Summer months

• Delicious nutritional morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late snack.

• A Small Steps bucket hat and named wet bag upon enrolment.

• An infant daily journal for under ones

• An individual physical portfolio and an online learning e-portfolio for each child.

We offer 20 hours early childhood education for children over the age of three, this is subsidised by the Ministry of Education. Find out more at www.education.govt.nz

It’s a good idea to supply at least two to three changes of clothes, sun hat/winter hat, a warm jacket and gumboots in winter.

We promote outdoor play all year round, so children are encouraged to wear togs (with shoulders covered) in the Summer, and we provide wet weather jackets for rainy days. There’s nothing better than a good dance in the rain!

If your child has an allergy to regular sunblock we ask you to please provide your preferred brand for your child.

If your child requires formula, we ask that you provide a named tin and bottle.

It is important that both you and your child are feeling settled before they have their first full day at the centre.

For this reason we like a minimum of three transition visits before your child starts. We encourage two visits with you, and one for an hour without you.

It’s ideal to spread this over a couple of weeks before your child’s start date.

Some children settle in immediately, and others take more time, but we make sure to communicate this with you and continue to give them the love and support they need to make it as smooth as possible.

To ensure the safety of your child it is essential that you bring them into the centre their enrolled day and sign them in. It is important to help your child settle in by engaging them into an activity or with an available teacher.

At the end of the day upon your child’s departure you must sign them out (signing them in and out is a Ministry of Education requirement as well as assisting us in the event of an emergency).

We are only able to release your child/ren into the care of the adults you have listed on the enrolment form – or to an adult you have nominated in writing and whom we can clearly identify prior to allowing them to collect your child. A form of photographic identification will be required for adults whom we don’t recognise.  Children under the age of 14 will not be permitted to collect your child.

We have a minimum of 80% qualified educators and 20% of highly experienced unregistered educators on the floor each day.

Small Steps is only closed for statutory holidays. You are able to take holidays at any time during the year to meet your family’s needs. With a minimum of a two week notice if your child is taking a whole week holiday, we are happy to provide a 50% discount.

Our menus have been specifically designed by our experienced centre cook with the support of the Healthy Heart recommendations. We provide a balanced diet, with menus that change seasonally.

Yes, we cater for allergies in line with your doctors recommendations. If you are aware of child allergies upon enrolment, you can notify us in the enrolment form.

It’s important to have a plan for when your child is sick, as you will be asked to keep them away from the centre until they are well again. You will need to call the centre to let us know your child will be absent and notify us if they have an infectious disease e.g. Chicken Pox, conjunctivitis etc.

Any absent days are still paid for in full.

We recognise the importance of providing a variety of experiences for children.  Planned and spontaneous excursions stimulate children’s understanding and awareness of our community.  It is essential that these excursions are planned for and carried out in a manner that promotes safety for the children and teachers.

Spontaneous walks in the community will be part of the centre activities.  For local walks, general permission will be obtained in the enrolment form. Parents/caregivers will be informed if the children are going on an excursion via our online platform Storypark.

For planned travel excursions, a form to parents will be put out as early as possible to give parents as much notification as we can.  Parents will have the opportunity to give or deny consent for each trip, including any additional fees. We may also need parent helpers to support ratios and also experience the learning opportunities with their child.