Thirty children will benefit from Ko Te Aroha Children's Centre when it opens in February.
Whaiora Whanui Trust launched the beginning of its move into community education with an open day at the centre in Masterton last week.
Whaiora Whanui's general manager Murray Hemi said the centre is about working with the
strengths and challenges of whanau within the community.
"To support the child we have to support the parent.
"How do we do that? I think our name says it all with love, care, kindness and acceptance."
Ko Te Aroha Children's Centre is a purpose-built early childhood centre with a long history in the community, he said.
"A small working group first started back in 1964 running childhood education on the current site situated on the corner of Clyde and Johnstone streets.
"With small beginnings the vision and the commitment continued down through the years and today's modern facility is tribute to all of those who worked to promote early child education in the East Masterton area."
Although the centre doesn't open until February, project manager Maryann Corrigan said the organising committee "felt it was really important to engage with the community and to invite them in to be part of the development of the centre".
"We want our community to be a part of this place, a part of the furniture," she said.
"Early learning should not occur separately from community children learn from being with parents, parents learn from being with whanau and whanau learn from being in a community."
