Taking on a bigger roll

A Whangarei childcare centre has expanded into new premises to cater to a growing roll.

Giggles Learning Centre business partners Rachel Terry and Miriam Vance opted to take over the lease of the closed-down childcare centre Noah's Ark in Kiripaka Rd, Tikipunga, in addition to their Kensington centre.

Ms Vance said there had been a long waiting list for children to attend the Kensington centre. "Then the opportunity came up to take over the lease here. The other [Kensington] centre is also a villa so it really fits," she said.

It was a carefully considered decision financially, she said. "When we first started our original business we did it really strictly - we strictly managed our budget and didn't get any overdrafts.

"We operated on our clients' needs [considering getting a new centre] and we did a lot of forecasting before we took it [the Kiripaka lease] on."

Since receiving its licence on May 5 the centre's roll has been growing steadily.

"A lot of the children [from Noah's Ark] have also come back. We are on track and in line with our budget forecasts," she said.

While the Kensington centre caters to children aged 3 months to 5 years, the Kiripaka centre is targeted only at the older segment - 2 to 5 years.

"Because it is older children it is about preparing the children for school, getting them used to routines. The two centres are quite different," she said.

Marketing of the new centre has primarily been through word-of-mouth, aided by local newspaper advertising and flier hand-outs, Ms Vance said.

"And when people just saw the sign going up it generated their interest," she said.

While the pair have no plans yet of expanding further, Ms Vance said they work in accordance with clients' needs.

The opening of Giggles Learning Centre Kiripaka was celebrated last week with Whangarei children's author Donna Blaber reading to the children.